In another McGraw Hill edition, entitled American History: Early Years to 1877, there does seem to be more of a stress upon being clear and factual, rather than presenting an equal number of women and men than in the Houghton Mifflin approach. Major figures such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Ulysses Grant are given the greatest amount of attention. Issues of sex, gender, and sexual orientation and gender identity are seldom included in this textbook. There was an avoidance of special 'boxed' topics, segregating female or diversity issues away from other issues.
In most of these social studies books, the issue of female oppression is not at the forefront, although when relevant to the history of the past, such as with the struggles of African-Americans to find their way to freedom via the Underground Railroad under Harriet Tubman's watch, these issues are not ignored. This raises the question, of course -- what is more important, that children learn the traditional factual basis of history at a young age, even if the history gives more importance to male figures in chronicling the early period of American history, or is it more significant to present children with a balanced gendered perspective? The textbook devoted to social studies like the My World series, had essentially an easier task than a book on older American history. Today, a child's world is likely to be more balanced in terms of women and men as significant historical actors, and also likely to be more inclusive in the variety of roles open to men and women. A textbook about the historical past, especially the long-ago past must fundamentally revaluate what constitutes important history. A geography book or a book about life long ago can give equal attention to the daily lives of ordinary men and women, but a historical book must filter out the most important men and women, and the most important issues for young citizens to know. Photographs, staged or not, about likely readers or persons living today cannot stand in for the images of significant actors in history. But who are those significant actors? The textbook American History: Early Years to 1877 could have given more attention to the First Ladies...
Anthony, and other females whose lives impacted America's historical development.
All of the texts raise one important and controversial question. Is it correct to try to balance issues that, statistically speaking girls are more likely to be interested in with issues that boys are more likely to be interested in? For example, is it stereotypical to strive to balance units upon train transport with units upon the clothing worn by people of the era, or should it be assumed there is an equal interest amongst the student body regarding both subjects?
Social studies by its very nature often tends to be synthesized into units which can make it seem as if human life and civics are segmented, rather than a seamless whole. All of these textbooks should be commended for trying to synthesizes the female experience, into the greater fabric of American and human history. But a more fundamental reanalysis of what American history is must be embarked upon, and until then teachers must strive to supplement textbook knowledge with outside learning and interpretive activities, to give a fuller picture of human life of the past and present to their students.
Works Cited
American History: Early Years to 1877. (2006). New York: Glencoe McGraw Hill.
Community Map." (2004). Houghton Mifflin. Retrieved 19 Dec 2006 at http://www.eduplace.com/ss/socsci/books/content/maps/A_comm.pdf
Golden, Daniel. (19 Aug 2006). "Aiming for Diversity, Textbooks Overshoot." The Wall
Street Journal. Retrieved 19 Dec 2006 at http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB115595234477240157-RhaWj2JLBSK5vWf_z_2LGU4TkzU_20060829.html?mod=blogs
Jacoby, Jeff. (30 Aug 2006). "Sacrificing truth on the altar of diversity." The Boston
Globe. Retrieved 19 Dec 2006 at http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/08/30/sacrificing_truth_on_the_altar_of_diversity/
My World: Bringing Social Studies Alive. (2004). New York: Houghton Mifflin.
The World and Its People. (2002). New York: Glencoe McGraw Hill.
