Why Focus on American History?
“It’s a question of citizenship,” says Serber. “How can you deal with issues today and tomorrow if you don’t have an understanding of yesterday? It’s important to study the past to participate widely in the governing process. Today we have more immigrants coming into the country than since the turn of the last century.” Many have no awareness of or bring only distorted impressions of American history, Serber says: “It’s vital that they be given sufficient background so they develop an understanding of the American past—slavery, segregation, disenfranchisement, the growth of democracy, the increase of voting rights, civil rights, and women’s rights. It is important to see the whole picture. You can’t get it in one year.” High school teachers are under pressure to cover the material, he adds, particularly to prepare students for statewide exams. “What we wanted was an expanded curriculum that would cover three or four years, giving teachers time to go into depth and use primary sources.
