ALBANY, New York (WWNY) – Should New York’s public schools teach lessons on the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol? Some state lawmakers say, yes.
State Senator John Liu and Assemblyman Charles Lavine, who are downstate Democrats, are calling for the passage of their legislation to require New York public schools to teach students about what happened that day.
(See the legislation here and here.)
If passed, the measure would require schools to educate students “on the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and its aftermath.”
The lesson would be part of the state’s required coursework in civic education and other historical events, such as slavery, the Holocaust, and the mass starvation in Ireland in the 1840s.
On Jan. 6, 2021, supporters of President Donald Trump, fueled by his claims of a stolen election, assaulted police and smashed their way into the Capitol to interrupt the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory, forcing lawmakers into hiding.
Approximately 140 law enforcement officers were injured. One rioter was fatally shot by a Capitol Police officer.
Congress reconvened hours later to finish certifying the election result.
President Trump has referred to Jan. 6 as a “day of love” and called the rioters “patriots.”
More than 1,000 people were sent to prison for their roles in the riot. President Trump later pardoned all of them.
“Five years after the Donald Trump-led Capitol insurrection, his administration continues to spin revisionist narratives to gaslight the American people into believing the events of that fateful day were somehow not a violent assault on our democracy. In an age when conspiracy theories are able to inspire and incite such wanton political violence, it is more important than ever that our schools equip the next generation with the truth, free from bias, and without prejudice, in order to protect our democracy,” said Senator Liu in a prepared statement.
“This bill is only necessary due to President Trump’s all-out effort to erase the January 6th insurrection, which he personally led, along with many other inglorious moments in our history, from the memory of time. I sincerely hope that Americans of good faith will challenge the administration’s attempts to move our nation towards an autocracy by attempting to whitewash parts of our history and instead fulfill our nation’s solemn obligation to teach our children the truth. Without it, our struggle to establish a more perfect union and ability to remain, as Lincoln put it, ‘earth’s last best hope,’ is in mortal peril,” said Assemblyman Lavine.
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