Democracy is increasingly being challenged, by disengagement and by anti-pluralist movements (Levitsky and Ziblatt in How Democracies Die: What History Reveals About Our Future, Viking, New York, 2018; Wikforss in "Därför demokrati. Om kunskapen och folkstyret" [Because of this, democracy. On knowledge and people's rule] Fri Tanke, 2021;…

Maintains that in order for students to participate effectively in a democracy they must be exposed to different viewpoints. Shows that high school history textbooks avoid controversy, leave out vital information, and are biased. Argues textbooks should be subject to a fairness test that includes constitutional scrutiny. (RW)

Examines ways the Middle East is presented in American high school textbooks, focusing on seven texts. The books are good introductions to culture, geography, and early history, but they do a poor job on contemporary issues, providing a poor foundation for the study of current events in the Middle East. (SLD)

Common myths of the Reconstruction Era perpetuated by textbooks are examined and positive information to counter these myths is provided. The presentation of Reconstruction in 12 secondary level U.S. history textbooks, published between 1979 and 1982, is analyzed. The myths that are examined include the following: blacks were helpless and confused…

Designed to be used with the sound-color filmstrip "Reconstruction: The Promise and Betrayal of Democracy," these learning activities are intended to help students in grades 5-9 develop critical thinking about how their textbook presents the Reconstruction Era. The activities focus on many ideas. Some of the focusing ideas presented are…