"Just yesterday in the state of Florida, they decided that middle school students will be taught that enslaved people benefited from slavery," said Vice President Kamala Harris regarding the new state curriculum. "They insult us in an attempt to gaslight us, and we will not stand for it."
Harris' remarks in Jacksonville, Florida, last Sunday unleashed a barrage of criticism. Among them, including that of CNN political commentator Scott Jennings. "This is a completely made-up deal," Jennings said after expressing surprise at "how little Kamala Harris apparently has to do that she can read something on Twitter one day and be on the airplane the next to make something literally out of nothing"
.@ScottJenningsKY slams Kamala Harris for buying into the lie that Florida is teaching students that there were good things about slavery: "She can read something on Twitter one day and be on an airplane the next to make something literally out of nothing." pic.twitter.com/DxmcXjAxif
— Kevin Tober (@KevinTober94) July 23, 2023
The expert went on to say:
I looked at the standards, I even looked at an analysis of the standards, and every instance where the word slavery or slave was used, I even read the statement of the African-American scholars that wrote the standards – not Ron DeSantis, but the scholars. Everybody involved in this says this is completely a fabricated issue and yet look at how quickly Kamala Harris jumped on it. So the fact that this is her best moment, a fabricated matter, is pretty ridiculous.
And some supporters of Biden and Harris had praised the vice president, such as Democratic delegate Victor Shi:
Holy s..t! The outrage & anger we see from VP Kamala Harris right here over Florida wanting people to believe that slavery BENEFITED enslaved people is what all of us should be feeling. This is the Kamala Harris we must see more of. So good.
Holy shit. The outrage & anger we see from VP Kamala Harris right here over Florida wanting people to believe that slavery BENEFITED enslaved people is what all of us should be feeling. This is the Kamala Harris we must see more of. So good. pic.twitter.com/WWfGrocYyL
— Victor Shi (@Victorshi2020) July 20, 2023
"I read through FL’s new curriculum," wrote Charles Cooke of National Review. " To illustrate it, I've copied and pasted all 191 of its references to slavery, the slave trade, abolition, and civil rights."
I read through FL’s new curriculum. It is difficult to convey the astonishing extent to which Kamala Harris is lying about it. To illustrate it, I've copied and pasted all 191 of its references to slavery, the slave trade, abolition, and civil rights. https://t.co/9eZnAqYCBV
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) July 21, 2023
After analyzing the resume, Cooke asserted that there was no valid proof of what she was affirming, that there had been an attempt to gaslight americans or whitewash slavery. "Harris is lying to a degree that is impressive even for her."
"Kamala Harris makes the most powerful case I will ever see in my lifetime against race and gender quotas in government. If only she knew," presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital.
What does the curriculum say?
Asked about Harris' criticism before his trip, Ron DeSantis said the educational program approved last week was endorsed by "many scholars," and called the text the "most robust standards in African American history probably anywhere in the country." The Democrat's remarks, he said, were "absolutely ridiculous."
Under "SS.68.AA.2" on page 6, the new curriculum states to "analyze events that involved or affected Africans from the founding of the nation through Reconstruction."
Below, it breaks down eight points, one of which states: "Examine the various duties and trades performed by slaves (e.g., agricultural work, painting, carpentry, tailoring, domestic service, blacksmithing, transportation)." Below is a clarification to which Harris was probably referring- though she did not detail to which point he was referring:
Instruction includes how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.
Florida's State Academic by Santiago Adolfo Ospital on Scribd
The same section includes indications that teachers should be aware of the movements that advocated the end of slavery, the importance of the Underground Railroad to those who longed for freedom, and the identification of political figures who fought for abolition.
Harris insists
The vice president did not respond, for the moment, to accusations that she was misrepresenting the contents of the curriculum. Instead, she took advantage of the controversy and wide coverage of her remarks to double down on her position in a series of tweets:
To suggest that enslaved people somehow benefited from slavery is not only misleading, it is false. This is revisionist history. pic.twitter.com/2j0sPWP5O8
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) July 21, 2023
It’s unnecessary to debate whether enslaved people benefitted from slavery.
Let us not be distracted by what extremists are trying to do, which is to create unnecessary debates to divide our country.
Let us stand together for what we know is right.
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) July 23, 2023
So many fought and died because of their belief that slavery was a sin against man.
Republicans in Florida want to deny this history. pic.twitter.com/lGjiUYnE4T
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 23, 2023
