Molding the Good Citizen The Politics of High School History Texts

Subjects:

• Education » Educational Foundations
• History » American History -- 1946 to Present
• Sociology » Sociology (General)

Reviews:

• Through painstaking research and statistical analysis, the authors demonstrate that history textbooks have maintained a negative view of corporate capitalism and the "robber barons," while bowing to feminism and left-wing black politics by overstating the importance of (some) historical figures....We are fortunate to have Molding the Good Citizen to point out the problems (with these texts).
  —National Review
• This study raises the important issue of what type of values should be taught in high school history texts in civic education curricula. ...Their book is important for U.S. historians and educators who seek an empirical study that demonstrates the way textbooks change in response to political pressurees of their time.
  —
  Perspectives on Political Science

• Endorsement From William J. Bennett
  Codirector, Empower America
  Former U.S. Secretary of Education: Molding the Good Citizen is an empirical, even-handed, and comprehensive study of the growing--and alarming--politicization of our nation's high school curricula. This is a good book for those who care about American history, American education, and what our children are being taught.
• Endorsement From Lynne V. Cheney
  W.H. Brady, Jr. Distinguished Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
  Former Chairman of National Endowment for the Humanities: A crucial book for anyone who wants to understand why textbooks are like they are and how they got that way.
• Endorsement From Chester E. Finn, Jr.
  John M. Olin Fellow, Hudson Institute
  Co-chair, Educational Excellence Network
  Former Assistant U.S. Secretary of Education: This powerful analysis could not be timelier or more helpful in illuminating the continuing battles over the history curriculum--and the increasing control wielded by "radical progressives" over what our children learn in school. The recent uproar over national history standards is far clearer--and more worrying--within the context provided by this splendid book.
• Endorsement From Nathan Glazer
  Professor of Education and Sociology Emeritus
  Harvard University: An important study of American high school history textbooks, a subject around which there has been a great deal of controversy in recent years. Its particular value is that it not only tells us how the treatment of American history has changed in the last few decades, but it also goes into the forces that have been responsible for these changes, and how they influence textbook publishers. Everyone concerned with how and what young Americans are learning about their country will find this book invaluable.
• Endorsement From Diane Ravitch
  Senior Research Scholar, New York University
  Former Assistant U.S. Secretary of Education: A fascinating, original, and important analysis of the way that young Americans learn about the history of their nation. This is a book that should be read by parents, educators, legislators, and school board members. We are not likely to have informed citizenship unless we become aware of the ideas, attitudes, and biases that are lodged in our children's textbooks. Lerner, Nagai, and Rothman have done an excellent job of demonstrating the way that textbooks change in response to political pressures of their time.

Table of Contents:

• Preface
• Introduction: Textbooks and Citizen Education
• Progressive Thought and the Rise of the Progressive Era Intellectual Class
• Progressive Education Changes the Curriculum
• Filler Feminism in High School History Textbooks
• History By Quota?
• On Judging Civilizations: The Discovery of America, Noble Savages and the Like
• The Rise of American Capitalism: The Story of the Rober Barons
• Historical Hindsight and Appraising Presidents
• Conclusion: Education and Civic Order
• Appendix One: Methodology
• Appendix Two: Textbooks Used in the Study
• Appendix Three: Coding Scheme for Content Analysis of American High School History Texts
• Bibliography