Criticizes accounts of Christopher Columbus and the Age of Exploration in 12 high school textbooks of U.S. history, citing their Eurocentrism, presentation of textbook history as absolute truth, lack of unpleasant details, and presentation of Columbus's voyage as origin myth. Lists 14 possible earlier expeditions to America. (SV)

Compares a survey of 1973-77 high school texts with a similar survey conducted in 1963. Concludes that the greatest change in the texts' discussions of abolition has been the elimination of the previous idealization of the southern slave owner as a benevolent proprietor. (Author/GC)

The treatment of the Negro in junior and senior high school history texts is analyzed in a fairly extensive description of 13 widely used books. The document calls attention to the earlier evaluation made by historians of the texts used in the California schools (see ED 017586) and includes an excerpt from that report. In this review the senior…

Social studies textbooks of the 1930's frequently accepted the changing times and the new world leadership without criticism. Textbooks downplayed the Depression, took an uncritical approach towards Roosevelt, and showed relative neutrality toward European totalitarianism. Political, social, and cultural reasons for these attitudes are explained.…

Thirty-six recently published United States history texts were examined for their treatment of the Freedmen's Bureau, a Federal agency ostensibly established to promote the welfare of emancipated slaves. Only four contained adequate information about the Bureau's role in perpetuating a contract labor system, thus exacerbating low Black…

Using content analysis, presents a study of 14 U.S. history textbooks. Analyzes textbook treatment of the Declaration of Independence, the atomic bomb, and the Holocaust. Examines nontextual materials. Finds errors of omission, boring writing styles, and a basic similarity between the textbooks. (RW)

Explores the world of textbook preparation, focusing on the revision of "A History of the United States" by Daniel Boorstin and Brooks Kelley. Describes the process of revising each paragraph in a selected section of the book. Surveys the concerns of teachers regarding textbooks and the interests of the students who use them. (GEA)

Fifty of the most frequently used social studies textbooks in Missouri are evaluated. The focus of the textbook evaluations is the handling of racial minorities, especially the American Negro. Criteria are outlined for adequate textbook coverage of prejudice, discrimination, and minority groups in the areas of American history and government,…

This paper examines the treatment of American Indians in six high school U.S. history textbooks, published 1990-95 and used in several geographically diverse private schools and one public school in New York. The study aimed to determine whether all sides of the stories that make up U.S. history were presented, to clarify what specific areas are…