History textbooks for high school and college students increasingly show a bias that is impacting how teenagers and young adults view America and it’s role in the world, according to the Education and Research Institute.
ERI is sponsoring “The American History Book Project,” to point out and correct major factual errors and ideological bias in some of the most commonly used textbooks. The first one in the cross hairs is “The American Pageant” by David M. Kennedy, Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas A. Bailey.
ERI Chairman Daniel Oliver says “The American Pageant” is the first target because of how widely it is used, especially in high school advanced placement classes.
“So the best students are getting a very warped view of American history,” said Oliver.
And even when the details of history fade from memory, Oliver fears the bias in the textbooks lingers in the minds of students and informs their worldviews.
“They have a sense after reading textbooks like this that business is bad and government is good. Government will protect you against greedy businessmen,” said Oliver.
Listen to the full podcast to hear what Oliver sees as the most egregious bias in “The American Pageant” and what he hopes to achieve by calling attention to the indoctrination he believes is going on in our schools.