News for the Profession

Library of Congress Convenes Symposium on the Future of the History Textbook

In May 2004, the Library of Congress (LC) convened an international symposium entitled “Stories of Our Nations, Footprints of Our Souls: History Textbooks in Middle Schools and High Schools.” The symposium, held at the LC’s John W. Kluge Center, was attended by several dozen professional historians, publishers, high school teachers, students, congressional staff, and education specialists. For a day and a half discussants focused on the tensions, difficulties, and challenges facing history professionals, such as the conflicting demands that have led to culturally and politically charged disputes about the “ownership” of history.

The symposium was organized around a series of thematic-based panels. The first panel explored how historical topics are selected or omitted from history texts. Questions emerged concerning the nature of changing contexts and what topics should receive emphasis in historical narrative. A second panel discussed the relationships between history professionals, publishers, school district text review committees, and the role that other “interested parties” have in the development of history texts. The next day, a third panel drew upon the experiences of middle and high school teachers and students who reflected on the role of textbooks, digital resources, and on-line courses. A general discussion followed on a broad array of questions that centered on how history is taught in schools today.

One of the strengths of the symposium was the international character of the proceedings. While the emphasis was clearly on an exploration of the issues impacting the teaching of history in the United States, panelists from Europe, Asia, and elsewhere expanded the discussion to address concerns that transcended the American experience. Joke van der Leeuw-Roord, for example, discussed EuroClio (<http://www.eurocliohistory.org/>) and how historical ideas and concepts are selected for history textbooks used by member states of the European Union. Her insights had particular relevance on the dynamics at play in the presentation of “national” history.

University of Chicago’s Jean Bethke Elshtain and George Mason University’s Hugh Heclo brought the discussion closer to home by concentrating their comments on the lack of emphasis on political (as contrasted with “cultural”) history and how religion, in Heclo’s words, is “avoided, marginalized or politicized” in history texts. Romila Thapar, the Kluge Chair for Countries and Cultures of the South, provided insightful comments following the formal presentations of the first group of panelists. For most participants her thoughtful comments were the highlight of the day.

The second panel focused on issues facing publishers of textbooks and those who use them in classroom settings. Speakers concluded that publishers generally are keeping up-to-date on historical scholarship and that texts reflect the current trends in historical thinking. Also during the panel, Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) made a brief appearance and delivered off-the-cuff remarks on what he feels is wrong with history education today. For Alexander, history and civics should focus on “American exceptionalism” and teach students “what it means to be an American.”

On the second day, a third panel comprised of teachers and students from several nearby schools reflected on their experiences in using texts and commented on the use of other materials such as digital resources that teachers often use to enhance the teaching of history. The views and insights of the teachers and students were drawn out through the exploration of a set of prepared questions posed by the symposiums’s moderator, the LC’s Prosser Gifford.

All in all, participants came away from the symposium feeling that the future of the secondary school history text is secure but evolving to meet the changing needs of educators, school boards, and students. Teachers find that textbooks still have a role in the classroom though they are limited in their usefulness in bringing history to life for students or in serving as the catalyst for “teachable moments.” School boards see the texts as the central means to communicate factual information that is to be assessed through standardized tests. Students, see the texts as a necessary reference tools though they find other modes of historical exploration far more instructive and palatable.

--Bruce Craig

World War II Memorial Dedicated

A dream seventeen years in the making came true for Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) when the World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. was officially opened and dedicated on Memorial Day, May 29, 2004. This is the first memorial in the United States dedicated to more than a specific battle of the Second World War.

Controversies over funding and location of the memorial plagued the project from the outset. By 1995, the first $7 million had been raised through the sale of government commemorative coins. Eventually, the rest of the $175 million needed for the memorial was raised through private donations. An additional $20 million also was raised to establish a trust to help defray anticipated long-term maintenance costs.

Architects proposed that the memorial be placed upon the central axis of the Mall, around the Rainbow Pool between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. But from its inception the proposed site drew criticism. Critics feared that the monument would destroy the Mall’s open space, impair the view between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, and because so much land was used, the number of participants who could attend future special Mall events would be reduced. Judy S. Feldman, president of the National Coalition to Save our Mall, whose organization vigorously opposed the site location, stated, “if we don’t have our public space and our commons, where do we go to celebrate, to demonstrate?” Despite her organization’s successful lawsuit to prevent construction of the monument, Congress intervened and passed special legislation rendering the court decision moot.

Visitors to the memorial see an oval with the Rainbow Pool at its center around which one finds two large pillars at each arch and smaller columns to complete the enclosure. The two large pillars represent the Atlantic and the Pacific fronts and the smaller columns have each state’s and U.S. territories’ name engraved onto them and are interlinked by a bronze rope signifying the bond between the states. Every aspect, from the inlaid medals of freedom, scenes of battles, wreaths representing different industries, and quotes about the war and the home front is beautiful. The most inspiring part of the memorial are the 4,000 gold stars placed on the Wall of Freedom commemorating the 400,000 Americans who died in the war. The memorial is built in such a way that at the Wall of Freedom the view from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument, and to the Capitol building is not obstructed.

In the coming months many of the nearly four million surviving veterans are expected to make the trek to visit the memorial. Sixteen million veterans survived the war, ten million were alive in 1987 when Congresswoman Kaptur proposed the construction of this memorial. With one thousand World War II veterans dying a day; the dedication is bittersweet for the Congresswoman--she wished more could have seen it in their lifetime.

--Bruce Craig

Alsobrook Appointed Director of Clinton Presidential Library

Archivist of the United States John W. Carlin announced the appointment of David E. Alsobrook as Director of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library on May 5, 2004. Alsobrook has twenty-seven years of archival experience including serving as the director of the Clinton Presidential Materials Project since August 2000. In this position, he oversaw the transfer of all Clinton presidential materials from the White House to a temporary facility in Little Rock, Arkansas. Alsobrook also directed the transition of the Bush Presidential materials from the White House to the Bush Presidential Library and was selected as director of the Bush Presidential Library in 1997. Additionally, he was liaison for the National Archives at the Carter White House and spent ten years as the supervisory archivist at the Carter Library. Alsobrook has a Ph.D. in U.S. history from Auburn University where he served as an archivist before going to the Carter Library.

The William J. Clinton Library--the eleventh Presidential library operated by the National Archives and Records Administration--will be dedicated on Thursday, November 18, 2004. The library is located in the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Park in Little Rock, Arkansas. For more on the Clinton Library, see <http://www.clintonpresidentialcenter.org/>.