Some writers connected to the Peace Movement, many of whom were Quakers, expressed conflicting views on history's value to society and its ability to prevent unnecessary wars. These writers, mostly opponents to the United States' War with Mexico, argued that history education sometimes contributed to war by romanticizing militaristic government policies. History books of all kinds, they claimed, praised generals and warriors while neglecting the achievements of peaceful people. Although this group was small, the author shows that they warned the public that history education sometimes harms humanitarian causes and that nationalistic writers use history to manipulate the masses as well as inform them, especially children. Their arguments reveal anxiety not only over the United States' numerous military conflicts, but also with emergent educational institutions and the belief in the malleable, rather than set, nature of children. This essay also expands on the Peace Movement's importance to United States history by illustrating how, during the antebellum-era, it functioned as a pathfinder to later historians.