Reports on a study of the opinions regarding the state of the art of historical research, writing, and instruction among 1,047 readers of the "Journal of American History," the journal of the Organization of American Historians. (CFR)

Provides an interpretation of survey results of historians by an Italian scholar of American studies. Maintains that U.S. historians and historiography are changing the way Italian and other European scholars view history and its societal role. Concludes that cultural and intellectual pluralism is deeply rooted in U.S. political culture. (CFR)

Discusses historians' attitudes expressed in a survey about cultural diversity, social change, and historical research. Questions basic public interests and needs that people feel. Concludes that the great strength of the United States is that individuals have the freedom to pursue individual searches for memory and meaning. (CFR)

Contends that history is a nearly "sense-less" profession because reading is almost the only source of historical understanding. Reviews content related to sensory experiences in college history textbooks. Argues that including language about the senses in historical writing and instruction will enlarge the audience and the field of…

Comments on Michael Mark's proposal for the extension of music education eras beyond Edward Bailey Birge's period designations. Suggests that additional benefits may be produced by broadening the focus of historical research beyond public school music in order to include a societal context for music teaching. (LS)

Discusses and analyzes results from a survey of historians on historical research and the goals of history in a society. Asserts that the responses show a profession that is heterogeneous in background and attitudes. Compares the role of history and historical interpretation in the United States and Argentina. (CFR)

Contends that the results of a survey of historians indicate a profession divided within itself. Maintains that cultural diversity was considered one of the "best" and "worst" attributes of contemporary U.S. society. Discusses the concept of progress and its current historical interpretations. (CFR)

Maintains that academic historians are frustrated about their ability to reach different publics. Describes the National Park Service's public history activities. Concludes that exciting opportunities exist for academic historians in research and presentation of U.S. history. (CFR)

The purpose of this review was to assess the scope and quality of existing audiovisual materials on the United States Constitution available for use in secondary grades 7 to 12. A panel of six educators reviewed 87 audiovisual programs and found that the scope of coverage emphasizes 2 major areas: major principles of the Constitution and appraisal…

A poll of historians on their views about the nature of history, definitions of ideology, war causation, international relations, and U.S. foreign and military policy showed that all historians think in ideological patterns. However, no meaningful correlations were found between specific ideologies and specific historical theories. (RM)

The Fry Readability Formula was employed to determine the reading grade levels of the eight most popular college U.S. history survey textbooks and the ten most popular Western civilization textbooks. It was discovered that the Fry readability technique could not produce consistently close findings on any single college history textbook. Indeed,…

In many classrooms, the textbook becomes the main source used to determine objectives, procedures, opinions, questions, thoughts, and other items used in teaching U.S. history. This study was done to determine how the Reconstruction Era was presented in a selected group of junior high school U.S. history textbooks. The books were classified…

A content analysis of 560 book reviews published in the "Journal of American History" over the past 30 years reveals changes in the criteria scholars use when evaluating works on history. Data were collected for several categories and then analyzed by computer. The paper begins with a discussion of distinguishing characteristics of reviews for…

Based on a preliminary version of this study, project aims were to learn what college freshmen knew about presidents in office from the late 19th century to the present and to determine the students' writing levels. During the first class of each of five semesters, students enrolled in an American History Since 1985 course were asked to write one…

The Farmers' Alliance was organized in Texas in 1877, and soon spread through the South and Midwest. Farmers formed cooperatives to combat the crop-lien system that bound them to furnishing merchants and to oppose differential railroad rates that hampered the shipment of their crops. As it grew, the alliance began to demand other land,…