Schoolbook Nation
Schoolbook Nation Conflicts over American History Textbooks from the Civil War to the Present Joseph Moreau The University of Michigan Press Ann Arbor
Copyright by the University of Michigan 2003 All rights reserved Published in the United States of America by The University of Michigan Press Manufactured in the United States of America c Printed on acid-free paper 2006 2005 2004 2003 4 3 2 1 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher. A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Moreau, Joseph, 1967 Schoolbook nation : conflicts over American history textbooks from the Civil War to the present / Joseph Moreau. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN 0-472-11342-9 (acid-free paper) 1. United States History Textbooks. 2. United States History Study and teaching Political aspects. 3. United States Historiography Political aspects. 4. Textbook bias United States History. 5. Textbooks Political aspects United States History. 1. Title. E175.85.M67 2003 973'.071'273 dc21 2003007212
For Julie
Acknowledgments This book began as a dissertation I wrote while a student in the University of Michigan s Program in American Culture. I could not have completed that original work and then signi cantly broadened the scope of the investigation without the help of several generous individuals and institutions. Maris Vinovskis supported me throughout my research and writing, balancing his guidance with a willingness to let me pursue my own interests. Terrie Epstein rst introduced me to a trove of literature on history teaching and has offered critical advice and encouragement since then. Andy Achenbaum understood the nature of my argument about the fallacy of a golden age of teaching before I did myself. David Scobey helped me to de ne the scope of my project, particularly in its early stages. June Howard, George Sánchez, and Richard Cándida Smith secured the teaching appointments and other funding at Michigan that allowed me to pursue research, and Richard also offered helpful critiques of chapter 3. Jimmie Reeves, David Angus, and Richard Campbell were wonderful mentors. I also bene ted from the support of several other colleagues in Ann Arbor. Heidi Ardizzone read and commented on the rst ve chapters. Rebecca Poyourow and Paul Roberts gave advice in preliminary talks where I outlined my research goals. Eric Ivancich, Paul Ching, Amy Clark, and Joanna Broder edited and proofread. Michael Epstein, Mark Rogers, and David Westbrook aided me in other ways. Transforming the dissertation into a book required far more work than I had initially anticipated. A postdoctoral fellowship funded by the Spencer Foundation and administered by the National Academy of Education gave me a priceless year of uninterrupted work. Kerith Gardner, Danielle Samalin, and Jessica Claire helped me put that time
Acknowledgments to good use. Martin Wiener encouraged me to begin working before the funding was secure, and I cannot repay him for his faith in me and my research. LeAnn Fields of the University of Michigan Press took a risk by agreeing to publish before the manuscript had reached its nal form. James Loewen and Gary Nash gave detailed critiques of an early version of the book, leading to a much stronger nal text. John Hope Franklin allowed me to use material from his personal collection, and Dennis Hopper kindly gave permission to reproduce one of his photographs from the 1960s. Debi Hamlin and Jennifer Vinopal aided me in nding and preparing several illustrations. I owe a debt of gratitude to librarians and archivists at the following institutions: Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery; American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Massachusetts; Syracuse University Library, Syracuse, New York; Bobst Library, New York University, New York; California State Archives, Sacramento; California State Library, Sacramento; Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin; Duke University Archives, Durham, North Carolina; Gutman Library, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Houghton Library, Harvard University; Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.; New York Public Library, New York; Louisiana State Archives, Baton Rouge; South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia; Milbank Memorial Library, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York; Texas State Library, Austin; University Archives and Columbiana Library, Columbia University; University of Michigan Library, Ann Arbor; Wexler Library, Hunter College, New York. Finally, I owe more thanks than I can express here to two people. Margaret Moreau encouraged me to pursue learning from an early age. Julie Wiener supported me emotionally and spiritually through years of research, teaching, and writing. She has also been a demanding and skillful editor. This book is, in many ways, hers as well as mine. Chapter 2 from Rise of the (Catholic) American Nation: United States History and Parochial Schools, 1876 1925, Mid-America American Studies Association, 1997. Grateful acknowledgment is given to the editors of American Studies 38.3 (fall 1997): 67 90, for permission to reprint. Correspondence of Edward Channing is reprinted by permission from Macmillan Company Records, Manuscripts and Archive Divi- viii
Acknowledgments sion, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations. Excerpts and illustration from Land of the Free, by John W. Caughey, John Hope Franklin, and Ernest R. May (New York: Benziger Brothers, 1966), are reproduced by permission from Glencoe/ McGraw-Hill, a division of the McGraw-Hill Companies. Excerpts from Harold Rugg s America s March toward Democracy and The Conquest of America (Boston: Ginn and Company, 1937) are reprinted by permission of Pearson Education, Inc. ix
Contents Introduction 1 1. From Virtuous Republic to Nation-State 26 2. Negotiating a National Past Statewide Textbook Adoption and the Legacy of the Civil War 52 3. Rise of the (Catholic) American Nation United States History in Parochial Schools 92 4. Race and the Limits of Community 137 5. Anglo-Saxonism and the Revolt against the Professors 175 6. Harold Rugg vs. Horatio Alger Social Class and Economic Opportunity, 1930 1960 219 7. The Narrative Unravels, 1961 1985 A Story in Three Parts 264 Conclusion 331 Notes 339 References 383 Index 391