American history

Dear Editor: I extol Paula Mayfield’s letter in your 7/31 edition. As I read it I thought I was reading a review of Dinesh D’souza’s “America.” He complains about almost the identical items Ms. Mayfield mentions: the minimizing of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence, Christopher Columbus (as only someone who brought disease to the New World). I could go on and on, but you get the point.

My family and I saw “America” the movie on July 4 appropriately, and many in the theater wore red, white and blue. I interviewed a few couples after the movie; they thought it was excellent as did my family and friends who have seen it.

Even though this is an excellent movie, and the book relating “American History” is lightly mentioned above is No. 1 on the New York Times Bestseller list, and No. 1 on Amazon, you rarely hear anything about it. Barnes & Noble sold me the book, they admitted it was sold as quickly as they got it on the shelves. It’s as though the “bad guys” are suppressing it.

This, friends, is as close as our students will get to the truth about America. In case no one has noticed, we are the good guys, coming to the aid of numerous nations in the world, winning two world wars, not to mention our own Civil War where 300,000 men, many of them immigrants to America, laid down their lives to free the slaves.

And let’s not teach our students, through slanted AP exams, that the Holocaust never existed. I have lived across the street from two Holocaust survivors for over 20 years, both in their 90s. I was in Poland in September of 2006. My tour took me to Auschwitz, a place I would have rather not seen, but now I can say yes, this really happened. So why not let our youth know the truth; they will one day be custodians of the truth.

America the beautiful, the land of the free and the home of the brave. I believe this with all my heart. Now why would any college board take it upon themselves to alter or change, or leave out the facts of a history like ours. To teach ignorance and lies to the young, who will one day be running this country is criminal, not to mention not very smart.

Yes, let’s write, call or do whatever we can as good Americans, protecting our precious country. The appropriate names are mentioned in Ms. Mayfield’s letter. Let’s keep America free and informed of the truth and the truth will set us free.

Madeleine Charolla Downey

Dear Editor:

This letter is to thank and commend Paula Mayfield for alerting us on the new American history curriculum being foisted on AP American History exams.

For decades our American history texts have been more and more revised with an anti-American agenda and this is the culmination.

Parents need to watch what their kids are being taught.

Don Johnston Downey

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Published: Aug. 7, 2014 - Volume 13 - Issue 17