American Historical Association engages controversies over US history education

Imagine the nation’s hospitals besieged by pressure to set aside most of what medical science has learned in the past half century. Individuals needing care would receive attention, but from physicians wary that implementing contemporary practices and ideas could have consequences for their careers. Public health would diminish even more.

This is the challenge faced by history educators in many states and school districts across the United States right now. Radical organizations, prompted and prodded by marketing professionals and political ideologues, are trying to convince legislatures, school boards, and parents that a half century of historical scholarship should be set aside: students learning about the importance of racism in American history is dangerous to civic culture, rather than necessary for healing.

Learning history is often uncomfortable. A recent survey conducted by the AHA and Fairleigh Dickinson University affirms that three-quarters of Americans—Republicans and Democrats— support the principle that history education should include harm that some have done to others even if it causes students discomfort. This is what history educators, with only rare exceptions, do in the classroom. The American Historical Association is proud of the professionalism of the nation’s teachers, and confident in the ability of our students to wrestle with challenging ideas.

The AHA’s new Teaching History with Integrity initiative promotes the principles and practices of historical work in the face of these challenges to educators. The initiative supports evidence-based, professional history through careful research on what is actually taught, short videos on the controversies over teaching histories of American racism, and informational materials for legislators and school boards. Visit the AHA website for these resources and more information.