| Popis: |
This chapter examines popular bias and politicization of history textbook accounts of the life and accomplishments of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan. The author analyzed historical accounts of Ronald Reagan’s presidency as presented in three recent U.S. history textbooks, and considered implications of these presentations for history teachers. Through historiographical analysis and comparative content analysis, the author analyzed each of the three textbooks to determine how, individually and collectively, they presented Ronald Reagan as a historical figure, and what role, if any, political perspective or bias played in each one. The author also sought to determine what implications these accounts of Reagan’s presidency had for teachers of U.S. history. The author concluded that each of the textbooks analyzed in this study had a significant political tone. One seemed to promote a sense of American destiny and cultural supremacy, the second seemed to be written in the voice of a more conservative social and political ideology, and the third one clearly fostered a countercultural, anti-establishmentarian voice. |
