My copy of American Pageant with notes from my thesis project. This competently debunked myth led to a new lesson plan for 7.10 and was the original inspiration for Antiracist APUSH
The idea for this website came while working to complete my graduate degree in history. When studying the scholarship of leading professional historians, one is confronted over and over with the shameful gap that exists between what professional historians have proven and what gets printed in state standards regarding issues of race, slavery, and injustice. The gap between the truth and the curriculum is unacceptable. My thesis project was spurred by the prevalence of racist myths still found in modern APUSH textbooks, especially surrounding Depression era political realignment and this line from American Pageant, “Blacks, several million of whom had appreciated welcome relief checks, had by now shaken off their traditional allegiance to the Republican Party." This is a racist stereotype and a lie. Historians have completely debunked this myth so if we teach this to students we are not teaching history, we are teaching racist mythology. (Primary source data is overwhelmingly clear: the majority African American vote is consistently motivated by issues of racial justice, not economic benefits.)
About Antiracist APUSH
The purpose of Antiracist APUSH is to help students identify and expose the racist policies that have led to the deplorable racial disparities in American society. This is achieved by exposing students to the research of leading professional historians. If our society is to have a more equitable 21st century, not only must all Americans be exposed to the resilience, ingenuity, and joy within Black communities throughout U.S. History, but all Americans must also be able to contextualize Black suffering and articulate the history of injustice embedded into American institutions. Much structural change and healing is needed. As history teachers, we have an immense responsibility to confront racism and call it what it is.
Steps to create an Antiracist History Class
#1 Recognize that all races are inherently equal because race is not a biological reality
#2 Recognize how deeply saturated our history is with racist policies, and how prevalent racism is in today’s society
#3 An antiracist recognizes that racism comes from racist policies and works to expose those policies
Using this Site
In each lesson, students will compare the common textbook narrative to the research of leading professional historians. Time and again, students will be exposed to researched based antiracist facts.
All my materials are organized chronologically by AP units and are tied directly to the Key Concepts. All of the “supplementary materials” could easily be turned into full lessons, but I understand the pressure of trying to fit in all of the content and the writing skills required for this course, and only so much time can be devoted to each idea. Each lesson is designed not only to expose students to modern antiracist historical research, but also to facilitate their growth as analytical historical writers, therefore some of my best practices for thesis writing and document analysis (S.P.Y. Method) are sprinkled throughout. I understand that every APUSH teacher has their own “must use” secondary sources for the curriculum and its impossible to use every good source, therefore, many of the “slides presentations” are designed for you to be able to introduce students to an important antiracist idea, even if you don’t have time in your curriculum for the full lesson.
About me:
I was honored to be named the 2023 Gilder Lehrman National History Teacher of the Year. I hope this award serves to normalize an antiracist approach to U.S. History class.
I am a white male, from West Michigan. I certainly do not have all the answers but I know that history teachers must play a key role in creating a more just society and we must do a whole lot better. My antiracist work is to make sure that my classroom does not perpetuate racist mythology.
I started teaching AP History in 2008, I am a College Board AP test grader, and I have a Master's degree in history. I am proud to teach at East Kentwood High School, the #1 most diverse public high school in the state of Michigan. Our hallways include students from over 70 different countries. I compiled these lessons while learning what the experts have to say on topics in American history because I firmly believe that students should be learning history from historians.
Matt Vriesman
AP History Teacher
Kentwood Public Schools