Why do people who claim the same epistemological beliefs interpret and express these beliefs in ways that seem diametrically opposed? And how can the author understand tensions in the classroom that arise from such divergent expressions of religious faith, especially in the context of history? There are a number of ways to examine these questions…

Although geographically rooted in the Southern United States, the U.S. poultry industry is best understood in a transnational, or even global, perspective that can be difficult to address in regionally bounded courses. In intellectual terms, the topic straddles a number of historiographic subfields that have steadily grown in recent decades. These…

This author is an avid consumer of history and has a desire to open students to the endless supply of the riveting stories of men and women struggling to cope with a changing world. The fascination toward the people of the past is enthralling history, and students need to feel that same sense of wonder and love of history. To accomplish this goal,…

In 1995, California officially adopted standards-based reforms for public education when the Governor signed the Leroy Greene California Assessment of Academic Achievement Act into law. The legislation called for a new state system of standards-based tests and created the Academic Standards Commission to develop content and performance standards…

In the United States courses on civics or government are often marginalized in most states' social studies curricula in favor of courses in United States or world history. The origins of this history-dominated approach have roots in the debates between the American Historical Association and the National Education Association at the turn of the…

For students of history, the acrimonious and contentious 1876 presidential canvass came to mind during the 2000 election imbroglio. Democrat Samuel J. Tilden won the popular vote, but to the dismay of outraged Democrats, an electoral commission of eight Republicans and seven Democrats decided along strict party lines to give twenty disputed…

Examines the French Popular Front of 1936 as a vehicle to investigate the turbulent decade of the 1930s. Reviews current historiography and discusses various facets of Leon Blum's government, examining the interrelationship of major economic and political forces. Concludes that the French Left still faces Blum's dilemma of implementing socialism…

Describes an innovative college history course which studied various operas and their librettos as representative of political and social history. (AV)

The many historical writings on political machines and bossism are reviewed in this article. (DE)

Reviews and questions various theories devised to explain America's entry into World War II. Concludes that revisionism is a continual process, many histories of World War II written since the 1960s show a detachment and moderation lacking in earlier accounts, and historians should examine the ideological and social conflicts within all Western…

Recommends a reclassification by scholars and teachers of issues relating to the cold war. Selections from analytical research works by political scientists and historians are offered as examples of general approaches to history and policy analysis. (Author/DB)

Maintains that American historians should undertake additional research on North Africa and, particularly, on American-North African relations. A major reason for this research is that case studies of American-North African encounters can provide a suitable model for United States-Third World relations in general. Reviews literature related to…

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…

Lists nine ERIC documents and journal articles selected specifically for secondary and college-level history teachers. Documents cover U.S. history and government, intellectual history, political issues, and women's studies. Several also provide teaching methods or lesson plans. (LS)