Story perspectives

Florida Debuts “Anti-Slavery” History Course, Historians Decry Erasure

5/14/2026

Summary

Story summary

Florida launched a history course that calls the Constitution antislavery and the founders opposed slavery.
Governor Ron DeSantis and the education department introduced it as an alternative to College Board AP U.S. History program under the 2022 “Stop W.O.K.E. Act” banning race-related teaching.
Historians and the National Coalition of History with the Organization of American Historians denounced the curriculum for erasing Black and brown experiences and rewriting Constitution’s pro-slavery origins.

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Story summary

Florida launched a history course that calls the Constitution antislavery and the founders opposed slavery.
Governor Ron DeSantis and the education department introduced it as an alternative to College Board AP U.S. History program under the 2022 “Stop W.O.K.E. Act” banning race-related teaching.
Historians and the National Coalition of History with the Organization of American Historians denounced the curriculum for erasing Black and brown experiences and rewriting Constitution’s pro-slavery origins.