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History textbooks full of factual errors revised, up for public review

Revised editions of two error-filled elementary history textbooks are up for public review at colleges throughout Virginia.

Review copies of the updated editions of Five Ponds Press textbooks were recently submitted to the Virginia Board of Education for approval. They are being placed at colleges across the state on Friday for comment.

Previous state-approved editions of "Our Virginia: Past and Present" and "Our America to 1865," contained errors about the Civil War, the number of states in the Confederacy, and the incorrect start date of World War I.

The state revised its review process in March. It now puts the primary burden on publishers to ensure that their textbooks are accurate and allows for public review.

The book has been cited for many errors before. CNN reported in December of 2010 that the textbook needed over 140 corrections, including spelling errors. It listed several mistakes, including:

The War of Independence began in 1775, not 1776. Eleven states joined the Confederacy, not 12. There wasn't a Battle of Richmond in the Civil War. America joined World War I in 1917, not 1916.

When errors were discovered last year, the textbook publisher said it planned to correct a passage that falsely claimed that thousands of black troops fought for the Confederacy.

Five Ponds Press printed revised editions of the fourth-grade textbook early this year.

The new versions of "Our Virginia" corrected a sentence that inaccurately claimed that black troops fought under Stonewall Jackson, an assertion historians overwhelmingly say is unproven. It also replaced a photo of a brown bear that is not native to Virginia.

The Daily Press reports that the board is accepting comments through Aug. 31.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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