Abstract
The aim of this paper (1) is to determine whether, by errors of omission or commission, the history of the United States, as presented in some current high-school history textbooks (2-12), is being distorted. Three periods of American history are examined: the Revolutionary period, the Civil War period, and the Cold War. Are our students being asked to accept stereotyped or chauvinistic accounts of events in American history that moder scholarship has often challenged and found wanting? During the last half-century historical scholarship has produced some notably new and plausible reinterpretations of the people and the events of the Revolutionary period in American history. One important reinterpretation deals with the element of internal revolution in the War for Independence; another reappraises the critical nature of the Critical Period from 1781 to 1789; the third re-evaluation examines the accuracy of the Legend of the Founding Fathers. To what extent do current high-school history textbooks take note of such twentieth-century historical scholarship? Do authors incorporate in their works new discoveries by and insights of modem historians?
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.