On Thursday, Texas Monthly reported that the State Board of Education Social Studies TEKS Streamlining Work Groups recommended deleting Alamo commander, Lt. Col. William Barret Travis' stirring "Victory or Death" letter calling for reinforcements during the 1836 siege from the state curriculum. Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, a Navy veteran of the war in Afghanistan and former history teacher, urges the committee to drop its recommendation and retain Travis' historic letter in its entirety.
"Travis' 'Victory or Death' letter is the heart of Texas history," Commissioner Bush said. "This kind of politically correct nonsense is why I will always fight to honor the Alamo defenders' sacrifice. His letter and the defenders' actions must remain at the very core of Texas history teaching. This is not debatable to me."
The same committee is also considering deleting the word "heroic" from Texas public school curriculum standards when describing the Alamo defenders. Commissioner Bush strongly disagrees.
"The Alamo defenders were heroes, period. The 189 Texian and Tejano heroes stood brother-to-brother to face down a tyrant. Against impossible odds, and fully aware of the fate Santa Anna planned for them, they defined what it means to be Texan," said Commissioner Bush. "The SBOE committee deems 'heroic' too 'value-laden' to be taught in our schools. Frankly, that's exactly why 'heroic' must be in the curriculum. All Texas schoolchildren can learn the values of honor, bravery, sacrifice, and liberty from the Alamo defenders. As a Texan, a veteran, a former history teacher and the guardian of our Alamo, I strongly urge the State Board of Education to reject this politically correct tripe and get back to honoring Texas history. At the Alamo, we will always honor the heroic defenders, and we will always ensure that Travis' words are forever remembered."
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