I currently serve as Vice President of the Conference and Faith and History. (I become president in the Fall). I am proud to say that the Conference is one of the scholarly organizations who are condemning laws limiting teaching on […]
K-12 history teaching
Can we tell a more complete story of American history without making people feel guilty or being made to feel guilty?
Over at National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition, historian Julian Hayter talks with host Scott Simon about why some school districts are opposed to critical race theory. Here is a taste: SIMON: Do you think a lot of Americans view history […]
Biden dumped Trump’s 1776 Commission, but its members are still meeting
If you are not familiar with the 1776 Commission, get up to speed here and here and here. Here is The Washington Examiner: The education advisory commission set up by former President Donald Trump will resume operations despite being disbanded by President Joe […]
Oklahoma is trying to ban the teaching of critical race theory. What does this mean for how U.S. history is taught in the state?
Here is Janelle Stecklein at The Ada News: A bill attempting to ban the teaching of “critical race theory” in Oklahoma’s public schools cleared the Legislature Thursday. House Bill 1775, which also bans mandatory gender and sexual diversity training for […]
Mitch McConnell petitions Education Secretary to remove the 1619 Project from federal grant programs
The 1619 Project is in the news again. Here is Ryan Nobles at CNN: In a letter obtained by CNN, the Republican leader asks Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to abandon curriculum in American schools that McConnell argues tells a revisionist history of America’s […]
Department of Education proposes “priorities” for American History and Civics programs
You can read the document here. These priorities may influence who gets federal money for American history and civics programs and who does not. The Department is soliciting comments on these proposed priorities. The American History and Civics Education programs […]
Historian Megan Jones on teaching environmental history at The Pingry School
Over at NiCHE (Network in Canadian History & Environment), Megan Jones, the chair of the history department at The Pingry School in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, writes about her experience teaching environmental history. Megan is a 2003 graduate of Messiah […]
Out of the Zoo: What will I teach on days like these?
Annie Thorn is senior history major from Kalamazoo, Michigan and our intern here at The Way of Improvement Leads Home. As part of her internship she is writing a weekly column titled “Out of the Zoo.” It focuses on life as a […]
Sam Wineburg: Why history can’t be about telling our children lies
Sam Wineburg is one of our favorite writers, authors and thinkers here at The Way of Improvement Leads Home. Listen to our conversations with him in episode 4 and episode 52 of The Way of Improvement Leads Home Podcast. Anyone […]
Ed Ayers on what COVID-19 has revealed about the state of digital history
According to the University of Richmond historian Ed Ayers, “the sudden transition to online schooling has shone a light on the state of digital history.” He adds: “What we’ve seen hasn’t been very encouraging. Can we do better?” Here is […]
Sam Wineburg on how anti-Blackness gets whitewashed in U.S. history textbooks
Yesterday Stanford’s Sam Wineburg, author of Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts and Why Study History (When It’s Already on Your Phone), dropped an amazing Twitter thread on race in American history textbooks. Here it is: Listen to our interviews […]
The American Historical Association responds to Trump’s White House American History event
Here it is: On September 17, the White House announced, “In commemoration of Constitution Day, President Trump will travel to the National Archives to participate in a discussion on the liberal indoctrination of America’s youth through the 1619 Project, Critical […]
The Trump White House does American history
On Thursday, Constitution Day, Donald Trump announced something called the “1776 Commission.” Here is a taste of his speech: Today, I am also pleased to announce that I will soon sign an Executive Order establishing a national commission to promote […]
What do the Virginia history standards say about African Americans?
Mel Leonor of the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports on the Virginia African American History Education Commission recent report on the Virginia state history standards. It found some serious problems. For example, the standards suggest that slavery was not the cause of the Civil War. […]
Sean Wilentz on Tom Cotton and slavery
The Princeton University American historian Sean Wilentz has been a harsh critic of The New York Times 1619 Project. But that doesn’t mean he is going to give Arkansas senator Tom Cotton a pass for his recent comments about slavery and the […]
The American Historical Association’s “Remote Teaching Wiki Project”
If you are teaching history online this semester, the AHA has gathered a lot of excellent resources here.
Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton opposes “cancel culture.” Unless, of course, it is the 1619 Project
I just learned today that Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton is trying to pass legislation to prohibit schools from using federal funds to teach the New York Times‘s 1619 Project. (If you are unfamiliar with the 1619 Project, read our coverage here. […]
Thinking historically about Trump’s Mount Rushmore speech
A lot of conservatives liked Trump’s speech on Friday night. I am told that The Wall Street Journal gave it a positive review. I commented on the speech here, but I thought I would say a few more things about Trump’s […]
Monday night court evangelical roundup
What have Trump’s evangelicals been saying since our last update? Greg Laurie is still suggesting that the United States was “born out of a revival.” I addressed the many problems with this view here. In fact, religious attendance and membership was at an all-time […]
Thoughts on Trump’s Mount Rushmore speech
In case you missed it, Trump gave a speech at Mount Rushmore, South Dakota on the night of July 3, 2020. Read the text here. Watch the entire event here: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z61WalX3m_k&w=560&h=315] Thoughts: 1. Mary Hart 2. South Dakota governor […]