DeSantis Wants Colleges to Teach Western Civilization

One of Theodore De Bry's Illustrations for Bartolome de Las Casas's Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies

Journalist: What do you think of Western civilization?”
Mohandas Gandhi: “I think it would be a good idea.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wants Florida public universities to teach a mandatory course in the history of Western Civilization. DeSantis proposes legislation to align Florida’s core curriculum to the “values of liberty and the Western tradition.”

This time I agree with DeSantis. These are some recommendations for topics for the mandatory introductory course on Western Civilization in Florida schools and universities. In fact, I think these topics should be taught in every school, everywhere in the United States. Please add your ideas in the comments.

Proposed Western Civilization Course Outline

Pre-History: Modern Humans Exterminate Neanderthals

Greece: Socrates Denounces Democracy

Rome: Slavery in the Mediterranean

Catholic Church: Rewriting Christianity

Crusades: Slaughter of the Innocent

Bubonic Plague: Ignorance and Epidemic

Inquisition: Spain’s War on Jews and Muslims

Columbian Exchange: Genocide in the Americas

Human Trafficking: Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

Colonization: Grabbing Up the World

Capitalism: Exploitation for Profit

Industrialization: Turning Workers into Factors of Production

Manifest Destiny: Pushing Out Indigenous People

Famine: Ignoring the Suffering of Ireland

Imperialism: Raping Africa and Asia

Jim Crow and the Nuremberg Laws : Pseudo-Scientific Racism

World War 1 and 2: Murdering 100 Million

Fascism and Soviet Communism: Ideology Gone Wild

Holocaust: Exterminating 6 Million Jews

Nuclear Weapons: Threatening Life on Earth

Globalization: Capitalism Out of Control?

Climate Change: The End of Western Civilization?