Peter Conolly-Smith, a history professor at Queens College, uses the textbook "The American Promise," since 1998, and now in its seventh edition. He has been using this book for twenty years, and it has accompanied him from one school to another, providing the backbone of his post-1865 survey course. The relationship he has developed…

Suffrage leader Alice Stone Blackwell wrote in 1914 that "the struggle has never been a fight of woman against man, but always of broad-minded men and women on the one side against narrow-minded men and women on the other." Carrie Chapman Catt agreed, writing that the enemy of suffrage was not men, but resistance to change. How many…

This study emphasizes an often overlooked avenue of inquiry in the increasingly escalating textbook debate: What is the relationship between the instructor, the students, and the assigned text? And correspondingly, how does one go about analyzing this crucial relationship? Over the past two years, Ryan Swanson gathered data from 549 students in…

Research about social studies textbooks overwhelmingly supports the conclusion that these books are unpopular and often the subject of intense criticisms. These criticisms concern anything ranging from the language they employ, to the way they are utilized by teachers, to the undue influence they exert on shaping and defining curriculum. This…

Presents remarks of seven participants in a symposium which discussed Frances FitzGerald's study of history textbooks, "America Revised: History Schoolbooks in the Twentieth Century." Participants responded to the book's indictment that most scholars do not take textbooks seriously. (Author/KC)

Reviews the strengths of Kenneth Cooper's updated 1984 edition of Carl Becker's MODERN HISTORY. Contends that while other high school history textbooks sell better, that Becker's text does a better job of teaching European history while helping students develop the advanced academic skills needed for higher education. (JDH)

Despite recent scholarship, the traditional views of the political life of the Gilded Age as mediocre and unproductive continue to influence general surveys, textbooks, and research. (DE)

Analyzes selected college textbooks' treatment of the immigration acts of 1917, 1921, and 1924 as they affected immigration from Europe, assessing the accuracy and adequacy of their coverage. Concludes that coverage of immigration laws is uneven and that some texts contain errors that contribute to misunderstandings of immigration restriction and…

Intended to help college level history teachers choose the texts most appropriate to their teaching methods and student bodies, this article critiques Western and world civilization textbooks. (RM)

Examines and discusses the history manuals and textbooks used to teach history to children between the ages of 11 and 16 in the polytechnical schools of East Germany. Some general observations concerning East German educational practices are also included. (RM)

The author advocates teaching the young fewer facts in history classes and more historical method based upon the examination of the students' own world. (Author)

The purpose of this article is to review 10 recently published textbooks frequently used in United States history classes on the secondary level regarding their coverage of Hispanics. Findings indicated that treatment of Hispanic groups in textbooks has moved from glaring omission and superficial portrayal to depictions which are nonstereotypical…

Presents the first half of a 1971 critique of Palmer and Colton's textbook, "History of the Modern World," which suggests that western civilization courses sponsor a view of history that supports the dominant institutions and interest groups within a society. Examines the review's inadequacies while reaffirming the authors' confidence in…

The treatment of ethnic minorities in Russian history survey textbooks is examined. (DE)

Presents abstracts of six ERIC documents selected specifically for secondary and college level history teachers. Includes sources on geography, evaluation of heroes and heroines in textbooks, images of war in the United States, alternative programs in social studies methods course design, teaching the U.S. Constitution, and global education…