Why do Americans love to fight about history and education? As the culture wars consume all aspects of American political life, history and civics education has been a central battlefield. The process is accelerated by differing understandings of history, the purpose of education, and the shifting nature of our modern information ecosystem. History is political because it intersects with individual identity, community, and patriotism. These politics often play out in the civics classroom. Americans fight about history, in part, because although they look to history to provide them with a common national narrative and memories that bind together their communities and nation, they cannot agree on what that story should be. Nor can they agree on what history means. Is it an academic discipline? Is it commemoration? Does history serve power, or does it question authority? What does this mean for the history classroom? How does our ever-evolving digital information landscape inform these discussions? As educators and citizens, we need to think hard about these questions. Explanatory Footnotes seeks to provide background for teachers, students, and citizens to navigate the history wars of the 21st century.
Format: Paperback / softback
CONTRIBUTORS: Phillip G. Payne
EAN: 9783119146654
COUNTRY: Germany
PAGES: 250
WEIGHT:
HEIGHT: 240 mm
PUBLISHED BY: De Gruyter
DATE PUBLISHED: 2026-11-02
CITY:
GENRE: HISTORY / General
WIDTH: 160 mm
SPINE:
Book Themes:
United States of America, USA, Early 21st century c 2000 to c 2050, Civics and citizenship, History of the Americas, Social and cultural history
Phillip G. Payne, St. Bonaventure University, St. Bonaventure, NY, United States; Penny Messinger, Daemen University, Amherst, NY, United States; Gabriel P. Swarts, Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland, OH United States.