I took some time today to read some of the course and exam description of this "new framework" -- it is fairly explicit about some ideas that have been left out of history classes far too long, for example, development of a "rigid racial hierarchy" in the United States, and exploitation of people who were already here when European colonists showed up.
If you follow links in the article you can get to a number of articles/documents that reveal both sides of the question to explore some of this material for yourself. I hope people will not stop at the surface arguments being raised in TN and elsewhere. We need a fresh analysis that uses new ways of thinking, not the old belief systems that perpetuate mindless, heartless oppression. It's time to dig deep for the buried treasures of history and bring them into the light.
The Republican National Committee in August voted to condemn the new framework and the College Board's "radically revisionist view of American history that emphasizes negative aspects of our nation's history while omitting or minimizing positive aspects."
Related links:
RNC Resolution Opposing AP US History Exam Originated With The Religious Right (Right Wing Watch, 8/13/14)
Tennessee GOP senators target 'revisionist' AP U.S. History (The Tennessean, 8/28/14)
AP US History Exam fact sheet (pdf, 507KB)
AP United States History Course homepage
