Book Used by Fayette Cty Schools says Slaves were Brought to U.S. to "Help Out"

Book Used by Fayette County Schools says Slaves were Brought to America to "Help Out"
When Michele Mitchell sat down to study history with her daughter last spring, she assumed the third-grade book wouldn't say much about black history. But she wasn't prepared to read that slaves were "brought" here to "help" others. Schools in Fayette County, where Mitchell and her daughter Onika Smallwood live, have been using the 64-page paperback for about two years to supplement social studies texts. The book  is used in third-grade classrooms across metro Atlanta according to the publisher.The book says  slaves were "brought to America to help" work the farms. Don Klein, owner of Social Studies Resources in Greensboro, calls the third-grade kit his "best seller." The book  was written by Klein's wife. "Frankly, I heard what her complaint was and I still don't understand the nature of her complaint," he said. "It's only a 64-page book. It's not going to be all-inclusive about anything, including African-Americans. It's a survey book." Last week the Fayette County Board of Education denied Mitchell's request that the book be removed from other schools. But the board also said teachers who use the supplement must use other resources to make up for the information it lacks, and they asked Mitchell  to help them find suitable materials. [more ]
Bush and Slavery. Believe it or not the slavery description above is similar to the description of slavery made by President Bush. On July  18, 2003 he said: "I had the opportunity to go out to Goree Island (Africa) and talk about what slavery meant to America. It's very interesting when you think about it, the slaves who left here to go to America, because of their steadfast and their religion and their belief in freedom, helped change America. America is what it is today because of what went on in the past." [more]