Last week, I came across this piece in the New York Times about what’s motivating more parents to homeschool their children. Unsurprisingly (to me, anyway) the way schools teach history—and the “founding fathers” specifically—came up as one of the contributing factor.

One woman interviewed in the article used to live in George Washington’s Fairfax County, Virginia, but later moved to Texas. Explaining her decision to homeschool her children, she explained: “The demonization of Washington and Jefferson — it’s a totally different version of history than what I learned in the 1980s.” Time and again over the last century, American parents and politicians have expressed concern about Washington’s treatment in history classrooms, using him as a proxy for what children are learning about the nation itself.

What struck me about this quote was how well it fits into the pattern I explore in the chapter of my book about how Americans have discussed the place George Washington and slavery in the classroom. Parents and elected officials often object to the “demonization” or “debunking” of the nation’s “heroes,” while leaving out the more specific claim that they don’t want students to learn about the founders’ involvement with slavery.

Meanwhile, as historian Jonathan Zimmerman and several others have shown, the treatment Washington and other founders receive in textbooks and school curricula have rarely wavered from a glowing, heroic portrait of Washington since the mid-nineteenth century. In 19th century books and 21st century conservative curricula alike, Washington is often praised for his emancipation of the people he enslaved while the details of his deep involvement in slavery are left out. Thanks in large part to the efforts of conservative education activists, very little about Washington’s legacy of slavery makes it into the book.

I explore all of this in greater depth in Chapter 6 of my forthcoming book. But this article again makes clear that concern about how Washington gets taught in the classroom is always about much more than any individual lesson.

I got word last week that my book will officially be coming out in April 2026! Pre-orders should be available this fall. If you’re interested in having me come speak about the book for Presidents Day, Black History Month, or any time in Spring 2026, please get in touch!