Newsom knows: Control the textbooks, control the state

OPINION:

In his dystopian classic “1984,” George Orwell commented on the power of education by saying, “He who controls the past controls the future; [and he] who controls the present controls the past.”

Josef Stalin added, “Education is a weapon, whose effect depends on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed.” Adolf Hitler chimed in, “The youth of today is ever the people of tomorrow. … And this new Reich will give its youth to no one, but will itself take youth and give to youth its own education and its own upbringing.”

Over and over again, all the despots of history, including Maximilien Robespierre and Mao Zedong, demonstrated that they understood the power of education and that, to control a nation’s people, they first needed to control that nation’s schools.

If you ever thought that today’s Democrats don’t understand that the front-line battle for the future of America is in America’s schools, look no further than last week’s headlines for proof that they, in fact, do.

In California, for example, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that he would withhold billions of dollars in funding from any California school that complies with the Trump administration’s Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.

“I will not bankroll schools that sell out their students … and surrender their academic freedom,” Mr. Newsom declared as he publicly demanded that his state’s schools surrender their academic liberty to his Orwellian will.

What about the president’s Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education caused such apoplexy for the self-appointed god of the Golden State? What did President Trump’s reprehensible imperial edict actually say?

Here’s the story in a nutshell.

On or about Oct. 2, 2025, the Trump administration sent a letter to nine of our nation’s most selective universities: Vanderbilt, the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth College, the University of Southern California, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Texas, the University of Arizona, Brown University and the University of Virginia.

The letter in question (otherwise called the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education) was really quite simple.

First, Mr. Trump called for schools to eschew all racism on their campuses and to comply with all nondiscrimination laws by agreeing not to hire or fire faculty on the basis of the color of their skin or to consider a student’s race or ethnicity in admissions decisions.

Second, the Trump administration requested that all undergraduate applicants be evaluated based on merit and their corresponding performance on standardized tests, such as the SAT or the ACT.

Third, in an effort to make education more affordable for American students from less financially privileged backgrounds, the letter called for a five-year tuition freeze for all U.S. students.

Fourth, the president requested that universities with endowments of a minimum of $2 million per undergraduate (which generates approximately $50,000 per student per year at a modest 5% annual return) offer free tuition to all students majoring in the “hard sciences,” regardless of race or sex.

Fifth, in an effort to assure that American taxes are spent on American schools that serve American citizens, the compact called for limiting international undergraduate enrollment to 15% of the total student body, with no more than 5% from any one country.

Sixth, to ensure true academic freedom and avoid viewpoint discrimination, the compact asked schools to commit to “institutional neutrality” by promoting a “vibrant marketplace of ideas” on their campuses that does not stifle divergent viewpoints. It also required that teachers refrain from political bias in their official capacity.

Seventh, the compact called for schools to create and enforce policies that prevent disruptions or protests that impede normal campus activities or encourage harassment of individuals based on ideology, religion or personal or political views.

Eighth, the Trump administration specified that schools must not discriminate against women and that they must adhere to Title IX. This, by definition, means that men are not permitted in female spaces such as bathrooms or locker rooms, nor are they allowed to participate in women’s sports.

Finally, the Trump administration called for monitoring compliance with all the above as a pretext for receiving money from American taxpayers.

So there you have it. That’s it. That’s what the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education calls for. That’s what it says.

Mr. Trump told these universities that if they want your tax dollars and mine, they are required to respect academic freedom, stop discriminating against people based on the color of their skin, prohibit men from disrespecting women, and that they should focus American dollars on American citizens — and Gavin Newsom immediately resorts to parroting the lies of Oceania.

If that doesn’t prove that Democrats understand full well the dictatorial axiom that “if you can control the textbooks, you can control the state,” I don’t know what does.

• Everett Piper (dreverettpiper.com, @dreverettpiper), a columnist for The Washington Times, is a former university president and radio host. He is the author of “Not a Day Care: The Devastating Consequences of Abandoning Truth” (Regnery). He can be reached at epiper@dreverettpiper.com.