The study in this report focuses on four historical periods and five textbooks. The four historical periods are: (1) The European Settlement of North America (1492-1660); (2) Colonial America (1660-1763); (3) The Nation's Founding (1763-1789); and (4) The New Deal (1933-1940). Three of the 5 textbooks are intended for regular high school American…

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)

Presents a study which examined the portrayal of Blacks in 11 secondary United States history textbooks and compared them to a set of textbooks published between 1965 and 1975. Reports that the treatment of Black Americans is only adequate, but has improved significantly. Provides recommendations for further progress. (KH)

Evaluates how U.S.-Latin American relations are presented in high school U.S. history textbooks. An examination of 10 textbooks published between 1977-81 revealed inadequate coverage of Latin American cultural diversity and United States foreign policy from the Latin American perspective. (AM)

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…

A survey of 12 leading high school U.S. History textbooks has resulted in the opinion put forth in this book that the textbooks currently used in high schools are an embarrassing amalgam of bland optimism, blind patriotism, and misinformation. In addition to critiquing existing textbooks, the book also suggests how U.S. History should be taught.…

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)

Illustrates how a five-phase theory based on a new scholarship in women's history can evaluate curricular change about women present in high school history texts. Also suggests what textbook authors might include and an evaluation of 12 recent texts. Concludes that texts must eliminate stereotypic thinking about women. (TRS)

Six popular high school American history textbooks are examined to address accusations of overcompensation by textbook publishers as a result of the raised ethnic consciousness of the 1970s. The textbooks are: "Our American Heritage" (Silver Burdett); "The Pageant of American History" (Allyn and Bacon); "A History of Our American Republic"…

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…

Presents two lessons designed to counter textbook images of minorities merely as victims, by introducing high school students to two federal court cases involving Asian immigrants' efforts to guarantee their rights. Includes lesson objectives, background on lesson organization, procedural outline, primary documents necessary for each lesson, and…

Reviews nine U.S. history textbooks, evaluating their analyses of the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, and the Cold War. Documents their failure to link U.S. foreign policy to economic interests. Criticizes the texts' lack of an historical framework. Concludes students are taught neither historical truth nor critical analysis skills. (CH)