Anne Holton, the wife of U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), decried the Declaration of Independence & Constitution as “fundamental to enshrining slavery.”
Holton made these comments as Virginia Governor. Glenn Youngkin (R) new history standards were passed 5-3 by the Commonwealth Board of Education. She sits on that board. She stated:
For an audience as diverse as Virginia’s, it is impossible to refer to the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution as “remarkable documents” without acknowledging their fundamental role in enshrining slavery and limiting the protections they offered only white property-owning men.
Holton was also the Secretary of Education for Virginia under the former governor. Terry McAuliffe, a Democratic senator, was also the Secretary of Education for Virginia under the former Gov.
History standards were created at least partially to correct disinformation and anti–America propaganda that was injected into the curriculum by the use of critical racism theory. Youngkin used this strategy during his campaign.
The unveiling of these standards was not without difficulties. There was severe backlash against the first revision and rejection by the same school board. Youngkin admitted that the original standards contained “omissions” and “mistakes.”
The new standards were approved for public comment and will be subject to revisions in April.
Andy Rotherham, a Youngkin board appointee who was appointed by Sen. Mark Warner (D), when he was governor), said that it was “good” work but that the document needed to be improved. He believes that the board must “get this to public”.
Alan Siebert, a former Salem City Schools superintendent and Youngkin board member, stated that “Come April I need to feel good.”
Jillian Balow, Virginia’s superintendent of public instruction, and executive officer of Virginia Board of Education, argued that the new standards reenergize history and civics, which are central to American and Virginian identity.
She wrote that “American history and the tenets in our founding documents are not trivial to Google when necessary and then quickly forgotten.”
Civics is being given more attention, starting in the elementary grades. Students learn more about the vision and relevance of the Founding Fathers as they progress in their education. George Washington is once again “The Father of Our Country” and James Madison again “The Father of The Constitution.”
This curriculum revision is most contentious in Virginia because many of America’s Founding Fathers were Virginians. Many of these Founding Fathers wrote Founding documents such as the Constitution and Declaration of Independence.
Virginia, one of the most important histories of the Founding of America, is the site of many colonial-American trials and tribulations. It was home to many slaves and provided intellectual resources for the Founding. It was the capital and place where Massive Resistance started. However, it also elected the first African-American members to Congress.
Balow wrote that this is a background to the Youngkin administration’s stated goals.
Draft also rejects “presentism”, a historical lens that places historical characters in the dock for trial or condemnation according to current standards. However, it is unflinching when it examines eras in America’s history that did not live upto its founding ideals. This includes the dispossession and exclusion of Asian immigrants and slavery.
Some left-leaning members of the Left are using highly embellished language to describe these standards. Michelle Thomas, Loudoun County NAACP Chapter president, described them as “the new Massive Resistance.”
In 2024, Kaine will be up for reelection.
