History on Trial by Gary Nash

History on Trial by Gary Nash

Since the mid-1980s, Americans have been confronted with controversy and criticism surrounding our nation's history. This debate started by questioning traditional interpretations of the facts and by examining the ramifications of how these facts are presented to our children. Was Columbus an intrepid explorer, or the world's greatest genocidal murderer? Should the New York legislature stipulate that every schoolchild be familiar with the Irish potato famine? Was the Smithsonian's cancellation of the Enola Gay exhibit an act of patriotism or of censorship?

In History on Trial, authors Gary B. Nash, Charlotte Crabtree, and Ross E. Dunn examine the debate over National History Standards, chronicling a media war spearheaded by conservatives and culminating in a Senate resolution that set an ominous precedent: the manipulation of federal funds to promote an official interpretation of history. The book argues that contention over the past is as old as the past itself, that the democratizing of the history profession has led to more balanced presentation of American history, and that continuous re-examination of the past is the greatest service historians can render in a democracy. Wonderfully clear, timely, History on Trial provides a thoughtful account of the ways in which Americans have, since the beginning of the Republic, perceived and argued about our past.

Gary B. Nash teaches American history at UCLA. Charlotte Crabtree taught curriculum studies at UCLA for over 30 years. Ross E. Dunn is Professor of History ar San Diego State University.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780679767503
ISBN 10	0679767509
Title	History on Trial
Author	Gary Nash
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Vintage
Year published	2000-04-18
Number of pages	352
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.