The state of the “critical race theory” controversy

Plus: July 4 is not America's real Independence Day |

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By Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer A year since TIME’s cover story on the controversy over whether critical race theory is being taught in K-12 schools (it’s not), we talked to teachers across the nation about the effect of the pressure coming from conservative activists and the laws enacted designed to restrict how race is talked about in schools in at least 19 states. TIME interviewed more than a dozen educators and overall, they said that the laws have had a chilling effect on their ability to talk about current events that have become heavily politicized. While many teachers say they haven’t changed their curriculum, others are confused about what is and is not off-limits. "What we're seeing is censorship from school districts, lectures being canceled, classes being scrutinized in ways that they weren't before, an epidemic of self-censorship among teachers, and teachers not being able to answer students' questions," says Jeremy Young, who has been tracking these laws at PEN America, a free-speech advocacy group. Click here to read the full story. Here’s more history to know:

HISTORY ON TIME.COM 'What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?' By Olivia B. Waxman Pulitzer-winning Frederick Douglass biographer David Blight explains what to know about Douglass' famous speech, and why its message still endures Read More » Sorry, Fourth of July. There May Be a Better Day to Celebrate By Olivia B. Waxman Historians weigh in on other dates in early American history worth celebrating in honor of the nation's independence Read More » 25 Moments That Changed America By TIME Staff 25 experts pick a surprising list of 20th-century turning points Read More » 15 Unsung Moments From American History You Should Know About By TIME Staff Historians nominate the little-known moments that shaped the country, from the Revolutionary War to the modern day Read More » 21 Lessons From America’s Worst Moments By TIME Staff TIME asked 21 historians to each nominate a low point in the history of the U.S.—and to consider what we can still learn from that time Read More »

FROM THE TIME VAULT This week in 1959: Queen Elizabeth II "Since her coronation in 1953, she has traveled 80,000 miles, far more than any other monarch in history…. She takes seriously her task of being Queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Queen of Canada, Queen of Australia, New Zealand, Ceylon, Ghana and South Africa—and in manner she grows increasingly queenly. Not long ago a palace official who has known her since childhood leaned his arm on a mantel in Her Majesty's presence. ‘Are you tired?’ she asked. He replied: ‘No, ma'am. Why?’ Said Elizabeth: ‘Because I think you should stand up straight when you are talking to me.’” (June 29, 1959) Read More » This week in 1969: Prince Charles “A pleasant, jug-eared young man of 20 who likes to fly planes, drive sports cars, play the trumpet and the cello, and who once delivered a very creditable Macbeth on a school stage, Charles is stuck in history. It is his blessing and his burden to be destined to become Charles III, the 41st sovereign of England since the Norman invasion. He will inherit a throne that, for all the erosion of empire and the straitened circumstances of the scepter'd isle, remains the most prestigious in the world...The splendor of Britain's royal heritage will be unfurled for an estimated 500 million television viewers next week as Queen Elizabeth journeys to Caernarvon Castle in North Wales to invest Charles as Prince of Wales.” (June 27, 1969) Read More » This week in 1989: Kevin Costner “‘I can't fix my car,’ he says, ‘though I play characters who can. I can't work my computer. I don't understand certain financial things, though I'm really good with the bottom line. I flunked geometry twice. My mind just doesn't work like that. But I'm completely comfortable in this medium. I put in hard days, but I love every bit of it.’ He's also sensitive about what he considers his own physical limitations. ‘I don't think of myself as classically handsome. I've been told that the camera is really good to me, but sometimes when people meet me, they're baffled. That's why I hate to be photographed out of character.’” (June 26, 1989) Read More »

HIGHLIGHTS FROM AROUND THE WEB Roe v. Wade: In light of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, scholars Samira K. Mehta and Lauren MacIvor Thompson argue, in a Washington Post op-ed, that the anti-abortion movement is driven by the belief that America was founded as a white Christian nation—despite that interpretation of history being a myth. Interview: The Christian Science Monitor’s Harry Bruinius talks to Geoffrey Stone, legal scholar and author of Sex and the Constitution, about the evolution of U.S. views on abortion rights. New York State of Mind: The New York Times’ Penelope Green profiles the real apartment building that inspired the Hulu series Only Murders in the Building. Military: The Wall Street Journal’s Ginger Adams Otis explains why a U.S. Army veteran is receiving a Purple Heart and Prisoner of War Medal 80 years after serving on D-Day. Holidays: The New York Times’ Alex Traub reports on the discovery of 1898 Mardi Gras parade footage in New Orleans that appears to be “the oldest known footage of anything in the city.”

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