The AHA has sent letters to the South Dakota House of Representatives and Senate opposing HB 1337 and HB 1012, which would restrict history education. 

Dear Members of the South Dakota House of Representatives:

The American Historical Association registers strong opposition to HB 1337 and HB 1012. Formally, these bills would prohibit teaching “politically divisive” concepts, but in effect they would create a climate of fear for students in which trusted teachers could be subject to legal reprisals or highly valued community schools could suffer damaging penalties for teaching a full and accurate account of the past.

HB 1337, for example, prohibits teaching that “slavery and racism are anything other than deviations from, betrayals of, or failures to live up to America's founding principles of liberty and equality, as stated in the Declaration of Independence.” This would ban teaching about many well-established events, developments, and historical debates about the relationship of slavery to the American Founding. Additionally, both HB 1337 and HB 1012 forbid the idea that “An individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of the individual’s race, color, religion, ethnicity, or national origin.”

Though this legislation might appear to respond to public concerns about history education, it does nothing of the kind. In reality, there is overwhelming and bipartisan public support for what the vast majority of history educators actually teach on this subject: that slavery and racism have played a key role in shaping American history, and that their influence redounds to the present day. According to a recent national survey conducted by the AHA and Fairleigh Dickinson University, three-quarters of both Republicans and Democrats support teaching history about harm some have done to others even if it causes students discomfort—exactly what history educators, with only rare exceptions, do in the classroom. Effective history teachers engage students in challenging explorations of the past to foster understanding and learning. The past is filled with decisions, relationships, and events that can easily make us feel uncomfortable about our predecessors.

The practical effect of the proposed policies would be to make teachers think twice before teaching students about past discrimination: for example, that the US Constitution prohibited any limitations on the slave trade for two decades or that the Plessy v. Ferguson decision legalized racial segregation. It is not clear that these are specifically prohibited, but teachers would have a reasonable concern that enforcement of the statute could include these and other controversial issues central to the history of our nation.

With almost 12,000 members, the AHA is the largest membership association of professional historians in the world, representing every historical era and geographical area. Founded in 1884 and incorporated by Congress in 1889 for the promotion of historical studies, the Association provides leadership for the discipline, helps to sustain and enhance the work of historians, and promotes the critical role of historical thinking in public life. Everything has a history.

If passed, these bills would result in ignorance of basic facts about American history and undermine the education of South Dakota students, including their ability to perform effectively on the US History Advanced Placement test or successfully complete college-level dual enrollment courses in US history.

This bears emphasis: The legislation you are considering would do significant harm to students in your state. The significant gaps in the knowledge of high school students would limit their college preparedness and their access to early college credit.

It will also harm their employment prospects. As the AHA has documented through our extensive work on career preparedness in history classrooms, the aspect of history education employers value most is students’ ability to communicate with and understand people from different backgrounds. This policy would limit students’ exposure to complex and contested voices from the past, making them less competitive job candidates and imperiling their future career prospects.

The AHA urges you to reject these misguided, harmful, and unnecessary restrictions on history education. I attach a statement criticizing similar legislative efforts to restrict education about racism in American history, co-authored by the AHA in June 2021 and signed by 152 organizations, including seven college accreditation agencies.

Sincerely,

James Grossman
Executive Director

Dear Members of the South Dakota Senate:

The American Historical Association registers strong opposition to HB 1337 and HB 1012. Formally, these bills would prohibit teaching “politically divisive” concepts, but in effect they would create a climate of fear for students in which trusted teachers could be subject to legal reprisals or highly valued community schools could suffer damaging penalties for teaching a full and accurate account of the past.

HB 1337, for example, prohibits teaching that “slavery and racism are anything other than deviations from, betrayals of, or failures to live up to America's founding principles of liberty and equality, as stated in the Declaration of Independence.” This would ban teaching about many well-established events, developments, and historical debates about the relationship of slavery to the American Founding. Additionally, both HB 1337 and HB 1012 forbid the idea that “An individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of the individual’s race, color, religion, ethnicity, or national origin.”

Though this legislation might appear to respond to public concerns about history education, it does nothing of the kind. In reality, there is overwhelming and bipartisan public support for what the vast majority of history educators actually teach on this subject: that slavery and racism have played a key role in shaping American history, and that their influence redounds to the present day. According to a recent national survey conducted by the AHA and Fairleigh Dickinson University, three-quarters of both Republicans and Democrats support teaching history about harm some have done to others even if it causes students discomfort—exactly what history educators, with only rare exceptions, do in the classroom. Effective history teachers engage students in challenging explorations of the past to foster understanding and learning. The past is filled with decisions, relationships, and events that can easily make us feel uncomfortable about our predecessors.

The practical effect of the proposed policies would be to make teachers think twice before teaching students about past discrimination: for example, that the US Constitution prohibited any limitations on the slave trade for two decades or that the Plessy v. Ferguson decision legalized racial segregation. It is not clear that these are specifically prohibited, but teachers would have a reasonable concern that enforcement of the statute could include these and other controversial issues central to the history of our nation.

With almost 12,000 members, the AHA is the largest membership association of professional historians in the world, representing every historical era and geographical area. Founded in 1884 and incorporated by Congress in 1889 for the promotion of historical studies, the Association provides leadership for the discipline, helps to sustain and enhance the work of historians, and promotes the critical role of historical thinking in public life. Everything has a history.

If passed, these bills would result in ignorance of basic facts about American history and undermine the education of South Dakota students, including their ability to perform effectively on the US History Advanced Placement test or successfully complete college-level dual enrollment courses in US history.

This bears emphasis: The legislation you are considering would do significant harm to students in your state. The significant gaps in the knowledge of high school students would limit their college preparedness and their access to early college credit.

It will also harm their employment prospects. As the AHA has documented through our extensive work on career preparedness in history classrooms, the aspect of history education employers value most is students’ ability to communicate with and understand people from different backgrounds. This policy would limit students’ exposure to complex and contested voices from the past, making them less competitive job candidates and imperiling their future career prospects.

The AHA urges you to reject these misguided, harmful, and unnecessary restrictions on history education. I attach a statement criticizing similar legislative efforts to restrict education about racism in American history, co-authored by the AHA in June 2021 and signed by 152 organizations, including seven college accreditation agencies.

Sincerely,

James Grossman
Executive Director