A century ago, a debate was raging about American history textbooks used in the schools. The issue played out against the backdrop of social and economic change and a perceived threat of political radicalism. But the flash point was textbooks allegedly slighting American patriots and heroes, particularly in the Revolutionary era, and exaggerating our connections with Britain.
During World War I, some books were revised to emphasize what Americans had in common with Great Britain, our wartime ally, in part as a way of building patriotism and unity for the war effort. But after the war ended, critics insisted the effort had gone too far and denigrated American heroes and national values.
In 1921, newspapers owned by William Randolph Hearst, who assumed a role of defender of American values, began a campaign to arouse “patriotic American parents” to the fact that school textbooks were slighting Revolutionary heroes and glorifying the British.
Charles Grant Miller, a writer for Hearst’s Chicago Herald and Examiner, began a series of exposé articles, later published as a pamphlet, “Treason to American Tradition: The Spirit of Benedict Arnold Reincarnated in United States History Revised in Textbooks.” Miller took on leading high school texts, concentrating on their coverage of the Revolutionary era. He carefully selected examples to prove his point. For instance, some of the books explained that John Hancock was a smuggler who chafed under British regulations, Patrick Henry was an obscure figure before becoming a fiery patriot, John Adams was slow to warm to the cause, Alexander Hamilton once referred to “the people” as “a great beast,” Benedict Arnold became a traitor in part because Congress treated him unfairly, and American rebels were fighting for their rights as Englishmen. Such statements could mislead young people, bias them against their country, and get them to overestimate our British ties. It was all part of a shadowy plot to draw America closer to Britain, said Miller.
Other newspapers took up the cry. History books should be touting American independence and achievements and teaching young people to be proud of their country. Patriot organizations entered the burgeoning discussion, adding that textbooks needed to explain the nation’s history to immigrant children. The American Legion in 1923 suggested a set of principles for books to “inspire the children with patriotism.” The American Bar Association declared in “Our Citizenship Creed” in 1924 that young people should feel that it was “my duty to inform myself of American history,” the Constitution, and historical principles dating back to the nation’s founding.