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Education

Was The Boston Tea Party Terrorism? Texas Schools Are Teaching Just That (And More)

Nov. 20, 2012 5:06pm Mike Opelka

(UPDATED: Additional information has been added to this story.)

In less than a month (December 16th), we will mark the 239th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. This well-known protest against “taxation without representation” is almost universally recognized as the moment that sparked the American Revolution.

In many Texas public schools, the Boston Tea Party is now being taught as an example of an act of terrorism.

Here’s an excerpt from a Texas school system’s World History / Social Studies lesson plan. It purports to be helping teachers become more efficient, but many people are upset with the content of the lesson and the lack of parental review. In this specific instance, teachers are instructed to read the story to their classes as if it were a news report that had just happened within the past hour:

News report: New Act of Terrorism

A local militia, believed to be a terrorist organization, attacked the property of private citizens today at our nation’s busiest port. Although no one was injured in the attack, a large quantity of merchandise, considered to be valuable to its owners and loathsome to the perpetrators, was destroyed. The terrorists, dressed in disguise and apparently intoxicated, were able to escape into the night with the help of local citizens who harbor these fugitives and conceal their identities from the authorities. It is believed that the terrorist attack was a response to the policies enacted by the occupying country’s government. Even stronger policies are anticipated by the local citizens.

Later in the curriculum, teachers are instructed to reveal to students that the event described above the historic Boston Tea Party. Here’s a screen capture from the actual lesson and what should be done after the story is read:

Texas Schools Teaching The Boston Tea Party Was Terrorism

Image: Screen capture CSCOPE’s website

For the record, this lesson comes from a non-profit group called CSCOPE. They are an offshoot of an educational program that traces its roots back to 1965 when the state established media centers / Education Service Centers (ESCs) throughout each of the state’s 20 school districts:

In 1965, the 59th Texas Legislature authorized the State Board of Education to establish media centers throughout the state. Two years later, the State Board of Education divided the state into 20 regions, assigning each media center to begin operations and serve in each region. In 1966-67, Title III of the U.S. Elementary and Secondary Education Act provided funding for start-up costs associated with establishing supplementary educational centers.

These “media centers” are reported to have received $25 million in funding last year.

Just a few years ago, 19 of the 20 centers formed a non-profit entity call the Texas Education Service Center Curriculum Collaborative (TESCCC). And TESCCC owns the Cscope Curriculum Management System. CSCOPE defines itself on their website:

CSCOPE is the source for an all-in-one approach to a quality curriculum system. CSCOPE is a comprehensive, customizable, user-friendly curriculum management system built on the most current research-based practices in the field.

TheBlaze has reached out to CSCOPE in hopes of clarifying a few of the issues being raised by parents. As of this writing, no calls have been returned.

One of the major issues we expect to discuss with CSCOPE’s directors is the complaint raised by several parents about the lack of transparency at the schools. Several parents from different locations in Texas have independently confirmed that parents are not permitted to access the lessons being taught in the classrooms. There is a “Parent’s Portal” available online, but the content differs greatly from the lesson plans we have seen.

For example, the lesson on terrorism shown above is part of the curriculum that correlates to this section in the Parents Portal:

Image: CSCOPE web site

Several parents and teachers have written to TheBlaze stating that they were denied access to the lessons being taught using CSCOPE materials. This apparent denial is apparently in direct conflict with Texas law.

From Texas State Constitution:

Sec. 26.006. ACCESS TO TEACHING MATERIALS. (a) A parent is entitled to:

(1) review all teaching materials, instructional materials, and other teaching aids used in the classroom of the parent’s child;

If schools using CSCOPE are not allowing parents to review education materials, it would appear they are violating one of the state’s constitutionally protected rights. Our initial investigation into CSCOPE has also uncovered some other questionable lesson plans. In order to properly vet these stories, TheBlaze is investigating further and will report back on Monday after Thanksgiving weekend.

If you have any information to contribute to our investigation, please email links and documents to: mopelka@theblaze.com

Update:

Since our original posting of this story, TheBlaze has received a flood of emails from educators and parents in Texas providing more information that will be included in our follow-up story next week. One teacher claimed that our report about the “Boston Tea Party being taught as terrorism” was incorrect and that the lesson is currently not on the CSCOPE website.

We do know that the lesson in question was on the site as recently as January of 2012 and apparently had been part of the curriculum since August of 2010 (see the screen capture from the now “scrubbed” web page below). Since officials from CSCOPE have not returned our calls, we cannot confirm the date when the curriculum and the website was changed.

Image: CSCOPE screen capture

Featured image via Shutterstock.com

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Comments (205)

Carlinpa
Posted on November 21, 2012 at 10:32am
OMG! Ureal Ahh the Boston Tea Party wasn’t an act to kill innocent life. All acts of terrorist are done by militants to destroy permanent psychical structures and kill innocent people as collateral or principle damage.

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lindasb11
Posted on November 21, 2012 at 10:07am
Actually historically the founders didn’t use the word terrorism, but they did consider this mob violence and they were none to happy with the Tea Party antics. That is why they were made to pay back the India tea company. The founders were against ANY mob violence it was considered unbecoming to the new country and it also, almost thwarted the plans of the coming revolution to separate from England rule. So, yes it was an act of terrorism (mob violence) and the founders were none to pleased.

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txannie
Posted on November 21, 2012 at 9:57am
Now you know why we are 3rd generation home-schoolers. When they refused my parents the right to examine the curriculum, we were pulled out and taught at home. I started my children in Kindergarten, then pulled them out after the school did a Columbus Day program that showed Columbus as a terrorist that handed out small-pox blankets to kill the “indians”. Myself and all my siblings have degrees from institutions of higher learning that were/are not considered liberal. All my children were homeschooled and got degrees and we are starting my grandchildren the same way. We teach the Constitution and duty to our country with a faith based program. We teach ALL outlooks just to give the kids a taste of what they will run into out in the world. We prepare them to make their way in the world without handouts. We all have served in the military unless physically unable. When they took prayer out of schools, my grandparents took their children out and we won’t go back until prayer is back in.

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bloomytoad
Posted on November 21, 2012 at 9:56am
Texas sucks. I cannot understand why Glen thinks it’s so wonderful. He just seems to be blind that by the time of the next election it will be more left wing than California.

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- txannie
  Posted on November 22, 2012 at 11:20pm
  Yea…we’ve got good jobs to be had, low cost of living, budget surplus, a really good place to be right now. All the out-of-work libs are coming here for the handouts the feds are making us give. Too bad.
  
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idarusskie
Posted on November 21, 2012 at 9:24am
no one died in the tea party so how could it be a terrorist attack? what terror did it produce to anyone but the crony corporation that go the tax break from the king?

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danrighty
Posted on November 21, 2012 at 9:24am
WOW! I just did on a search of CSCOPE around my small town and it’s in all school districts. I live in a small town in East Texas. Pretty darn scary.

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GeoInSD
Posted on November 21, 2012 at 9:18am
I remember hearing an interview with a academician around 9/11/2001 (it might have even been before) that claimed Osama bin Laden was a freedom fighter like the Founding Fathers, or that the FF were just like OBL. A critical flaw in his argument is the FF did not specifically target innocent non-combatants for death. If they had, I am sure their support would have dried up to zero. OBL and terrorists like him are not the same as the FF. The Left, as usual, makes what appears at first glance to be an interesting argument but when examined just slightly closer the invalid case is evident.

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Ed_Kel
Posted on November 21, 2012 at 8:47am
If this is being taught as an act of terror, then I would love to hear what they think about the Boston Massacre.

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Trail_Jumper
Posted on November 21, 2012 at 8:28am
Hmmm. It seems Texas could save some money on their budget by denying funding to this garbage and firing those involved in its creation. It would give them a lesson in free market capitalism. Just a thought.

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ReallyBigPaul
Posted on November 21, 2012 at 8:18am
Typical. This is what can you expect from the Liberal Teachers educated in our corrupt educational system over the last 30 odd years.

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SamIamTwo
Posted on November 21, 2012 at 7:33am
And GB keeps on saying move to Texas…I have relatives in TX that claim to be conservative but after visiting them they will admit that perhaps they are more progressive than they had originally thought.

And what did Jesus say after some were converted, go back to your village…the good fight is right there in your own back yard, in your own community.

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Ron Staiger
Posted on November 21, 2012 at 7:27am
Freemasons who had their lodge meetings at the Green Dragon Tavern formed a club called the Caucus Pro Bono Publico and after a meeting on December 16, 1773 dressed as Mohawk Indians and carried out the plan to dump tea into the harbor as an act of protest against Britain’s draconian policies and taxation and not to instill fear and terror in their “victims”. To suggest that the Boston Tea Party was an act of terrorism is moronic.

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M24
Posted on November 21, 2012 at 6:51am
Our Government is taking over every aspect of our lives and the Mass is allowing it to happen ,little by little. Most People in this Country have never been to a real dictatorship country ,Your daily lives are so filled with keeping your Head above water that you can’t see what is waiting for you on the otherside ,Wrong Direction , Get involved with your Children It’s our only Hope as a Republic !

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- GeoInSD
  Posted on November 21, 2012 at 9:32am
  I think a lot of people think, “What is so bad if the government runs things as long as the administrators are well intentioned?” So they don’t sweat Obama’s power grabs saying he means well. For one, even assuming Obama is well intentioned (not a given in my opinion), what about politicians that come later? The system is ripe for abuse. But even with well intentioned politicians/administrators, if the government is the only answer to everything, what if what the government offers is inadequate for what one really needs? Answer: you are screwed and have no hope or recourse. With liberty, one is only limited by one’s talent and diligence, not by artificial rules imposed by government. Without liberty, one only gets what the administrators/politicians see fit in granting.
  
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Stab_friendly
Posted on November 21, 2012 at 4:23am
Texas, 47th in Education….correlation?

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GroverCleveland
Posted on November 21, 2012 at 12:58am
You all should read the article and look at the lesson. Nowhere does it suggest teachers should declare the Boston Tea Party a terrorist act. It suggests they present the event as a news item, and ask students for their opinion. Why are you all ranting about commie radicalism in the schools over this?

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wowjustwow
Posted on November 21, 2012 at 12:23am
I think that what they are trying to do in the school is to have the students debate and defend their conclusions. Why is that so threatening to so many people. The fact is that the tea didn’t belong to them, and, at that point in history, we were still under the British Crown. Whether it was terrorism or just plain stealing, I’m not sure…I haven’t thought about it. It’s not harmful to have a debate about it though. It’s called “thinking” folks…try it sometime.

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mash4077
Posted on November 21, 2012 at 12:03am
name one terrorist that wanted no taxation without representation.all king george was being asked was, if were being taxed and governed,we want a representative in your court.

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429
Posted on November 21, 2012 at 12:03am
I am a public school teacher and just had a lot of training on “concept teaching”. When obama started “race to the top” a lot of states droped their current teaching methods. Three federally supported organizations stepped forward to offer new teaching methods, cscope and I believe parks (parcs?) were two. Under the old method teachers were required, by either the school or the state, to teach a topic, say the revolution. However, the manner in which it was approached and the meaning derived from it was left up to the teacher and the class. If one teacher or class got a twisted idea from it the harm was limitied to a few out of millions. The new “concept teaching” is different. Now the federal government tells us not only what to teach but what we are permited to think on the topic. Tests will no longer ask when the revolution happened, rather “show how revolution, terrorism and oppression are the same thing and may lead to change.” The students would be expected to use the american revolution as an example. Concept teaching, the fact that the government is telling us what to believe is an issue and could be used as propoganda. In my state we had to oppose the state when concept teaching was used to show that religion is used to oppress people and climate change is caused by evil humans. It has me worried.

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- wowjustwow
  Posted on November 21, 2012 at 12:50am
  Forgot to add – sorry – if you’re Mormon, then I guess Jesus DOES look European…because they believe he was from Missouri or something, right?
  
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pwatkins
Posted on November 20, 2012 at 11:59pm
Went to my grandchild’s first grade class today for a Thanksgiving feast. There was a large picture of Obama on the wall behind the teachers desk, but I tried to ignore it. My daughter had complained to the school board that the teacher was talking Obama everyday after the election and causing conflict among students that liked Romney and said why not talk to them about George Washington, the first president, no conflict there. There was art work in the hallway the children had painted. It was of George Washington and many were painted with a dark face. My granddaughter told me the teacher said G.W. was the first white president but if they wanted they could paint him like their skin tone, black, brown or peach color. Why would they be taught he was the first white president? There are many things to say about G.W. without bringing up the color of his skin. There were also parents in the class today that moved from NY talking about the strange storm, Sandy, hitting there. The teacher said yes, it is amazing how much the climate has changed. I will be listening carefully to what my grandchild may learn from this teacher on that thought. Find out what your kids are learning in school and make sure you re-educate them in common sense at home. This teacher has a degree in political science and said she was teaching several classes in the school on diversity by teaching all traditions and cultures so we could understand we can all together in this big world(NWO?)….hmmmm..

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- pwatkins
  Posted on November 21, 2012 at 12:04am
  left out (live) in last sentence……
  
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- wowjustwow
  Posted on November 21, 2012 at 12:41am
  There are pictures of current presidents in schools all over the nation and always have been. No teacher should have to curtail discussion of the ANY president because of ANY reason. As far as Hurricane Sandy…there IS climate change in NJ – earthquake last summer, and disastrous hurricanes – Irene and Sandy. I grew up in NJ and I will tell you that I can’t say if it’s man-made or not man-made, but it SURE IS climate change. One thing I WILL agree with is this issue of painting people different colors…keep them the color they are when painting pictures of them. Although, you have to admit that we have Jesus looking European when he was clearly not.
  
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- pwatkins
  Posted on November 21, 2012 at 10:44am
  Wow, there is no proof of climate change that caused that storm. Man-made, I do question though bc of reports of HAARP and chem-trails. That goes for the earthquakes as well. We do have proof weather can be made and has been going on to some extent since WWll. That argument would be as logical as climate change and has plenty of proof. It also gave Obama a boost in the election and will help him rebuild with his new infrastructure, though it will keep homeowners without power much longer. He is going to stand with them until it’s all done though, lucky them. .
  
  You say Jesus could not have looked European and we really don’t know what he looked like except from a few descriptions in the Bible. I will add that Benjamin Netanyahu doesn’t look much different than some Europeans and he was born in Israel and is Jewish. Jesus had Jewish parents but was born by a virgin birth, God being the father. We have no idea what God looks like, just that HE said we were made in His image. We have always pictured Jesus in the one image, . so I see no reason to change Him and confuse children to satisfy a race argument. Whose to say before Christ that Jews even looked like they do now?
  
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Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on November 20, 2012 at 11:54pm
I don’t think the terrorists blew up the WTC because of any taxes 200 years ago! Me thinks the Dept of ed is a terrorist organization or sympathizers at a minimum.

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- wowjustwow
  Posted on November 21, 2012 at 12:45am
  The IRA doesn’t bomb England because of taxes from 200 years ago either…they are still terrorists. Your post makes zero sense.
  
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- Dismayed Veteran
  Posted on November 21, 2012 at 12:28pm
  In my family my granduncle is considered a partiot. He was in the Dublin Post Office during the Easter Rebellion. One person’s terrorist is another person’s partiot. That is the myth of being Irish.
  
  BTW, the IRA is a terrorist organization despite the Irish myth.
  
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GroverCleveland
Posted on November 20, 2012 at 11:54pm
Add your comments

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- mash4077
  Posted on November 21, 2012 at 12:06am
  i love your portrait on the thousand dollar bill.
  
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rickc34
Posted on November 20, 2012 at 10:36pm
Rewriting history seems to have changed the way kids looks at America. The left has twisted events to make the revolutionary war and events leading up to it as terrorist attacks. The youth of America is under attack no wonder they have no loyalty or pride. It is indeed a sad day. Teachers lying to our children cannot be trusted. The marxist have taken over our schools and call themselve teachers. Pull your kids from school and home school. My grand children are home schooled.

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- wowjustwow
  Posted on November 21, 2012 at 12:47am
  Is it okay for you that white people taking over the land from Indians is told as a warm and fuzzy story…you’re ok with your kids being lied to about that, right?
  
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sandmannc40
Posted on November 20, 2012 at 10:35pm
Depends who has more money. What our country is doing to us today could be called economic terrorism.

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blackyb
Posted on November 20, 2012 at 10:13pm
Take your children out of public schools. Do this in mass until the Govenors of States take a stand against those who are indoctrinating your children with lies and history changed to make America and her founders look bad. These people need to be tried for treason. They have no business allowing schools to operate where your children are in physical, mental and emotional danger every day you send them out the door.

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blackyb
Posted on November 20, 2012 at 10:11pm
The U.S. Department of Education should not be funded. Shut it down. Take your children out of public schools. Obama is wanting more money for indoctrinists who are used instead of real techers. Your children are not being taught what will help them, but to rebel against what is good and decent. They are being taught lies instead of history and are learing to despise their parents. These children are given sublimial messages along with their lessons that will cause them to rebel against their parents and what is Truth. This is why the Department of Health, Education and Welfare has their hands in every aspect of American life and why the Marxists/Islamists targeted it to get their people into all offices they can and then branch out from there.

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