Textbooks, War and the Military in
Textbooks, War and the Military in.Five‐sixths of all Americans never take a course in U.S. history beyond high school, so it is in high school, where textbooks dominate the teaching of history, that most Americans learn about their American military history.
Supporters of American history courses often claim that these courses lead to a more enlightened citizenry. A major duty of U.S. citizens is “to analyze issues and interpret events intelligently,” one textbook says. Indeed, eighteen‐year‐olds (especially males) may be expected to fight, so such classes might encourage young people to understand why and how America has fought its wars.
Textbooks do give considerable coverage to war. Triumph of the American Nation, probably the best‐selling high school textbook of the 1980s and early 1990s, devotes about 17 percent of its text (150 pages) to U.S. military history. Another 2.5 percent relates closely to war. Included are...
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