Testimony to the Minnesota Legislature by Michael J. Chapman

My name is Michael J. Chapman. I am a resident of Eden Prairie, father of two children, a full time technical writer, and an author and education researcher. I am also a collector of rare books and the founder of American Heritage Research. For many years, I have conducted curriculum reviews and given in-service training on teaching accurate, balanced history to educators throughout the nation.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak in favor of House File 0867 (Senate File 1137).

I'd like to begin by reading just a few lines from Concurrent Resolution 129 presented by Senator Joseph Lieberman and passed unanimously in the United States House and Senate during the 106th Congress:

"Whereas basic knowledge of United States history is essential to full and informed participation in civic life…; and citizens who lack knowledge of United States history will also lack an understanding and appreciation of the democratic principles that define and sustain the Nation as a free people…;

"Now therefore, be it Resolved that…State officials responsible for higher education…should promote requirements in United States history; and history teachers and educators at all levels should redouble their efforts to bolster the knowledge of US history among students of all ages and to restore the vitality of America’s civic memory." [Congressional Record; June 30, 2000, p.S6260-S6261]

The American Heritage in Minnesota Public Schools Act is the answer to Congress’s concurrent resolution. This Act overwhelmingly passed the Minnesota House twice in previous years and we hope will pass this year in the Senate.

Censored

As you have seen from David Barton’s testimony, there is an entire segment of our history that is little known or understood. Over the years, I’ve found that textbook publishers often omit certain facts of our heritage simply because of religious references.

For example, this popular Minnesota textbook is typical of the censorship of religious references in the Mayflower Compact. Notice the ellipses:

“We…do, by these presents [this document] combine ourselves into a civil body politic [group]…to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal laws…for the general good of the colony…” [as appears in text]

Below is just a portion of what was omitted from the textbook. (The underlined words were those included in the textbook and separated by ellipses):

“In the name of God, amen. We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of…King James, by the grace of God…having undertaken for the glory of God, and advancement of ye Christian faith and honor of our king and country, a voyage to plant ye first colony in ye Northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly & mutually in the presence of God, and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic…”

The missing religious language clearly changes the context and emphasis of the opening lines. Clearly, the chief motivation of the Mayflower travelers was the “advancement of the Christian faith.” Why was this left out? Was it a fear of the separation of church and state; or was it simply religious censorship? Reporting the truth about what was written or what the pilgrims believed is not state-sponsorship of religion; it’s simply accurate history. Leaving it out is nothing but censorship.

Out of context

Another way I’ve found that textbooks censor our founders it to take their words out of context. Contextual censorship of our Founders leads to a faulty understanding of their principles. For example, applying modern meaning to the 18th century words in the Declaration of Independence not only paint Jefferson in a negative light, but also change the original meaning of the document. This Houghton Mifflin textbook quotation is typical:

“When Jefferson wrote that ‘all men’ were equal, he really meant ‘all citizens.’ Women and blacks were not included.”

First of all, Jefferson wrote, “all men are created equal” and the term “men” was often used to denote “mankind” – both male and female – not the specific gender. Furthermore, Jefferson was a tireless fighter against slavery. In his original draft of the Declaration of Independence, the first and longest complaint was that the King forced the continuation of the slave trade against the wishes of most of our colonies. In Jefferson’s Notes on Virginia (summarized on the wall of the Jefferson Memorial), his words explain his true concern regarding slavery:

“And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis; a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God; that they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country, when I realize that God is just, and His justice cannot sleep forever!”

Another historic figure taken out of context is Alexis de Tocqueville, the French historian and author of “Democracy in America.” He is often discussed in textbooks, but minus his conclusions regarding the influence of religion on America. The Center for Civic Education, authors of the No Child Left Behind funded civics textbook, “We the People,” assigns Tocqueville a faulty conclusion based on his censored work:

“Tocqueville…wondered how a society so devoted to materialism and the pursuit of individual self-interest could produce the civic spirit needed for self-government. [Ellipses in textbook.]

The surrounding text leaves readers with the clear idea that Tocqueville is wondering this about America. The truth, however is that he was referring to Europe in comparison to America. In Tocqueville’s uncensored book, he writes: “amongst the Americans materialism may be said to hardly exist.”

Later, on the same page, the textbook author concludes: “…Good citizenship for Tocqueville, therefore, was nothing other than enlightened self-interest.” [Emphasis in textbook]. This is nothing but the author’s opinion based on censored text. Tocqueville never used the term “enlightened self-interest,” and his conclusions about America were entirely different. Tocqueville’s own uncensored words reveal the truth:

“The Americans combine the notions of Christianity and of liberty so intimately in their minds, that it is impossible to make them conceive the one without the other; …”

“There are persons in France who look upon republican institutions only as a means of obtaining grandeur…. When these men attack religious opinions, they obey the dictates of their passions, and not of their interests. Despotism may govern without faith, but liberty cannot.”

The Bible or the Enlightenment?

This misrepresentation of Tocqueville fits well with the popular redefinition of America’s root principles of government. According to A More Perfect Union, a popular 7th grade Minnesota textbook, American government was based upon “Enlightenment principles.”

Although few textbooks include footnotes, this particular one explained how it arrived at this conclusion.

According to the textbook, a study of 15,000 quotations from our founding era revealed that the top three sources most often quoted by our founders were philosophers: Baron De Montesquieu, David Hume and John Locke. Attributing these three to the enlightenment movement sweeping Europe, the authors conclude that America must be enlightenment-based.

Unfortunately, the authors ignore important facts from the original study. Not mentioned in the textbook, but revealed in the actual study, the Bible was directly quoted by our founders twice as often as the top three individuals combined! Ignoring this fact, the textbook concludes about the American Founders: "Here thy were, the first people in history to have the chance to create an entirely new government based on Enlightenment principles." The uncensored study clearly shows that the Bible had much more influence on our founding than did the principles of the enlightenment.

The French Revolution, which was based on enlightenment principles, led to anarchy and the reign of terror and finally to the dictatorship of Napoleon. France has been through seven completely different forms of government since its revolution. America alone has remained a stable nation and is now the longest running constitutional republic in history.