Decades of curriculum research have uncovered a persistent trend: white people are depicted as dominating the history of the United States, whereas communities of color and their experiences are omitted or misrepresented in social studies textbooks and curriculum standards. The message the resulting curriculum sends to children is that the United…

Research indicates that history-based curricula--specifically textbooks and trade books--about Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement (CRM) are problematic and limited. If race relations are arguably America's long, unsettled tension, then Dr. King was one of its most impactful figures. Using the relevant historical research as a framework and the…

The curriculum of US History has improved substantially in its presentation of women over the 40 years since Trecker's 1971 study of US History textbooks. While studies show increased inclusions, they also suggest that women have not yet claimed their own place in the school curriculum. This paper seeks to better understand the woman who is…

In the 1960s, "Muhammad Speaks" and "Black Panther" were widely known for their sensational rhetoric and calls for radical social reform. Yet they also served as a distinct voice in Black communities, providing critical and creative perspectives on a range of social issues--from education reform to police reform--that received…

The chapters on the 1960s and early 1970s in recent editions of secondary-level United States history textbooks have done an impressive job in getting beyond the traditional political narratives of presidential administrations to include the movements of protest and reform based on citizen activism. But despite their laudable efforts to broaden…

Women have always been a part of history, but society has not always recognized their contributions. History textbooks, for example, largely portray women as passive bystanders in the world's events, with fewer than 11 percent of textbook images and references devoted to specific women. A U.S. Congressional Resolution designated March as Women's…

One of a series of pamphlets about effects of the American Revolution in Georgia, this document reviews Georgia's economy during the years 1775-1789. It can be used as supplementary reading or a two-week unit for junior or senior high school students. A brief teacher's guide is included. The main part of the pamphlet relates the political and…

Advanced Placement brings into sharp focus the dilemma faced by middle, secondary and university teachers of American history. The search for an introductory synthesis stumbles more frequently these days because texts and curriculum frameworks all too often depend upon what Mary Fredrickson refers to as the tyranny of chronology. With extremely…

If, as James Anderson stated, a nation committed to democracy and equality has every reason to be ashamed on "Brown v. Board of Education's" 50th anniversary, why the commemoration and celebration? By revising Anderson's challenge to examine the complex role of "Brown" in the nation's memory and history, this chapter…

Maintains that social studies education arose out of a concern for an educational system that prepared citizens for a democratic society. Describes the influence of the National Education Association and the American Historical Association on the National Council for the Social Studies. (CFR)

The chronicle provides an accurate and balanced representation of the history of the black experience in an effort to counteract misinformation presented in most textbooks. American history textbooks used in Wisconsin school districts ignore or distort the cultural experiences and contributions of blacks, often omitting important information,…