Race shapes the policies and history of the United States. Current research shows that state-approved social studies content standards are written in a non-racial and colour-evasive whiteness language that reinforces racist policies and practices in education. This qualitative framework analysis study examines the language of social studies content standards from New Mexico and Texas; two states on the US-Mexico border. This research, theoretically grounded in Critical Race Theory and Critical Whiteness Studies, analyses how the silent schooling of whiteness uses language to support racist ideals in social studies content to promote property rights and wealth over human rights. Furthermore, whiteness language in education reinforces the racist power structure by intentionally silencing culturally relevant and anti-racist instruction to students. Learning to identify whiteness language is an important step towards developing racial literacy, cultural responsiveness and social justice in social studies education.