On Tuesday, a baffling scene at The Vanguard charter school in Colorado Springs set social and mainstream media ablaze. A 12-year-old boy named Jaiden had been ousted from class and barred from returning — simply for sporting a patch of the Gadsden flag on his backpack.

In a viral video, a school staff member struggles over the name and history of the flag — an historic emblem emblazoned with “Don’t Tread On Me.” She explained the flag was forbidden because of its alleged “origins with slavery and slave trade.” Except it has nothing to do with slavery.

“The Gadsden flag is a proud symbol of the American revolution and (an) iconic warning to Britain or any government not to violate the liberties of Americans,” Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, aptly clarified on X, formerly Twitter. “…Ben Franklin also adopted it to symbolize the union of the 13 colonies,” he added.

While the school reversed its decision, reaffirming the flag’s “historical significance,” the whole ordeal reflects a pervasive crisis of civic illiteracy and rampant misconceptions about American history — sometimes tragically perpetuated by educators themselves. How many of those entrusted with teaching history are ignorant or dismissive of that which they’ve been tasked with teaching?

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