A story yesterday from Jacksonville, Florida raises some difficult questions about what we want to teach our children.

According to News4Jax.com, a parent of a second grader complained at the coloring book his child brought home.  The coloring book, “Who Was Jim Crow?” by edhelper.com, included some disturbing racial imagery.  Not least shocking was a picture of a crowd lynching a victim.

Image source: News4Jax.com

As a historian, I think we need to teach young people the sometimes-disturbing story of America’s past.  But this sort of classroom material raises all sorts of questions:

• How old do Americans need to be to learn about racial stereotyping?
• How should students be taught about America’s history of racial violence?
• Should teachers be using cheap on-line teaching materials like this?  Even if the school board approved them?
• Is this an example of racial political correctness gone wild?  Or is this an example of classroom racism?
• Can offensive racial stereotyping ever make good teaching materials?