Brainwashing 101: Trump’s Plan to Rewrite American History
First, they erased slavery. Then, they glorified the Confederacy. Now, they’re coming for the truth itself.
Rewriting History, One Executive Order at a Time
History is power. It shapes how we see ourselves, our country, and our future. That’s why authoritarians always try to rewrite it—to keep people blind, obedient, and willing to accept whatever version of reality suits those in charge.
Trump’s latest executive orders on K-12 education are just that: a blatant attempt to gut history, erase inconvenient truths, and replace them with sanitized, government-approved propaganda.
Issued on January 29, 2025, these orders threaten to defund schools that teach Critical Race Theory (CRT), gender identity, or any discussion of systemic oppression. Instead, they push for “patriotic education”—a term that sounds harmless but is actually a direct assault on academic freedom, truth, and democracy itself.
If this all sounds familiar, it should. We’ve seen this playbook before, from authoritarian regimes around the world to right here in America. The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) pulled off something eerily similar a century ago when they brainwashed generations of students into believing the Civil War wasn’t about slavery, the Ku Klux Klan were the good guys, and enslaved people were actually happy.
Now, Trump is trying to do the same thing on a national scale, but this time with the full weight of federal power behind it.
If we don’t push back now, the next generation will be taught a version of history that is closer to fiction than fact—and that’s exactly what the right-wing architects of Project 2025 want.
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Trump’s Education Orders: A Censorship Blueprint
Trump’s latest orders target three major areas:
1. “Patriotic Education” – A Government-Approved Lie
Reinstates the 1776 Commission, Trump’s previous attempt to push a whitewashed, nationalist history curriculum.
Threatens to cut federal funding from any school that teaches "divisive concepts" like systemic racism, gender identity, or oppression.
Forces schools to promote a version of history that erases America’s darkest chapters.
The CRT Boogeyman: A Manufactured Crisis
One of Trump’s main justifications for patriotic education is the supposed spread of Critical Race Theory (CRT) in K-12 schools—but this is a lie.
What is CRT? A graduate-level legal framework that examines how systemic racism affects laws and institutions. It is not part of standard K-12 curricula.
What’s actually being erased? Schools are being forced to stop teaching real history—slavery, segregation, and systemic racism—under the false claim that CRT is everywhere.
Why the fake panic? By turning CRT into a political boogeyman, conservatives justify censorship and ideological control over education.
Trump’s war on CRT isn’t about protecting kids—it’s about keeping them ignorant.
2. Gender & LGBTQ+ Policies – Erasing Identities
Schools that respect students’ gender identities could lose federal funding.
Teachers who support trans students could face legal consequences.
LGBTQ+ history and sex education could be stripped from public schools.
This is forced erasure, plain and simple.
3. School Privatization – Gutting Public Education
Expands voucher programs, sending public tax dollars to unregulated religious and private schools.
Redirects funding away from struggling public schools, leaving low-income students behind.
This isn’t about “choice.” It’s about dismantling public education, stripping it down, and selling off the scraps.
This Has Happened Before: The UDC’s War on Truth
If you think a well-funded, well-organized movement can’t rewrite history, think again. The United Daughters of the Confederacy did precisely that—and their version of history lasted over a century.
What Did the UDC Do?
Rewrote School Textbooks
Censored Civil War history to claim it wasn’t about slavery.
Painted the Confederacy as noble freedom fighters.
Glorified the Ku Klux Klan as heroes.
Built Confederate Monuments
Funded over 700 statues glorifying traitors.
Placed them outside courthouses and schools to intimidate Black communities.
Controlled Public Memory
Promoted films like Birth of a Nation, which led to a resurgence of the KKK.
Created "loyalty pledges" in schools to reinforce Southern nationalism.
The UDC didn't need federal power—they infiltrated local school boards and publishing companies to control what kids learned.
Now, Trump is taking their strategy to the next level, using executive power to impose a government-controlled version of history on the entire nation.
Who Really Controls Public School Funding?
Despite Trump’s threats, the federal government only provides about 11% of public school funding. The rest comes from:
State governments (~46%)
Local property taxes (~44%)
Because local funding is largely based on property taxes, wealthier districts often have better-resourced schools, while low-income areas struggle. To address this gap, the federal government provides additional funding to struggling schools, particularly through Title I grants, which support low-income districts. nces.ed.gov
That means states and school districts can resist Trump’s demands—but the threat of lost funding is often enough to scare them into submission.
This is federal coercion, pure and simple.
A Global Pattern: Authoritarian vs. Democratic Education
Trump’s playbook isn’t new—it mirrors what authoritarian regimes have done for decades.
Authoritarian Examples
China: Censors textbooks to glorify the Communist Party while erasing Tiananmen Square.
Russia: Rewrites history to justify the Ukraine war, banning “LGBTQ+ propaganda” in schools.
Hungary: Orbán’s government erased gender studies and rewrote history to glorify nationalism.
Democratic Alternatives
France & Canada: Teach national history without erasing past injustices.
UK: Promotes civic values while allowing critical discussions on colonialism.
The difference is clear: democracies teach history. Authoritarians rewrite it.
Project 2025: The Bigger Agenda
This isn’t just about schools—it’s part of a broader plan to seize control of American institutions.
Project 2025, a conservative blueprint written by Trump allies, seeks to:
Abolish the Department of Education, making it easier to push propaganda.
Defund public education, shifting money to private, religious, and nationalist schools.
Suppress academic freedom, ensuring students only learn a sanitized version of history.
This is a long-term plan to remake America in a right-wing, authoritarian image.
How to Fight Back: A Call to Action
If we don’t fight back now, history itself will become a state-sponsored lie. Here’s what we need to do:
✅ Legal Challenges – Support lawsuits that challenge Trump’s orders.
✅ State & Local Resistance – Elect school board members and governors who reject curriculum censorship.
✅ Grassroots Action – Organize parents, students, and teachers to keep real history in classrooms.
✅ Media & Awareness – Use social media, petitions, and protests to expose this attack on education.
The UDC shaped American memory for a century through revisionist history and Confederate propaganda.
We cannot allow Trump and Project 2025 to repeat this on a national scale.
History belongs to all of us. We must defend it.