Portrayal of Native Americans in School History Textbooks, 1940 to Present
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Campus where you would like to present
Ellensburg
Event Website
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source
Start Date
15-5-2019
End Date
15-5-2019
Abstract
This research paper examines the language used to discuss Native American history within U.S. history textbooks from the 1940s, 1970s and 2000s. It looks specifically at three eras of history that are commonly described within textbooks in relation to Native Americans: the Pre-Contact period; the Contact Period, when European conquerors were rushing to outdo each other and gather as much land as possible; and an event from the 1970s, the American Indian Movement (AIM) occupation of the Pine Ridge Reservation in 1973. The paper explores how biased textbooks can be when dealing with the history of marginalized people and how the portrayal of certain peoples can work against understanding the complexities of history. The textbooks explored are: Amanda Hebeler’s manuscript, Indians of the Pacific Northwest (1941); David Erwin Harrell’s Unto A Good Land (1977); and Richard Nelson Current, et al, United States History: Search for Freedom (2005). Since there are decades between each of these publications, one would expect some progress in how Native Americans are treated, especially given the civil rights movement in the 1960s. This paper argues, however, that no such progress occurred. The history of marginalized people, in particular Native Americans, has been largely neglected in the telling of United States history within school textbooks.
Recommended Citation
Barabasz, Ava, "Portrayal of Native Americans in School History Textbooks, 1940 to Present" (2019). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 8.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2019/Oralpres/8
Department/Program
History
Slides for SOURCE 2019 presentation Barabasz
Additional Files
Portrayal of Native Americans in School History Textbooks.pptx (3025 kB)Slides for SOURCE 2019 presentation Barabasz
Portrayal of Native Americans in School History Textbooks, 1940 to Present
Ellensburg
This research paper examines the language used to discuss Native American history within U.S. history textbooks from the 1940s, 1970s and 2000s. It looks specifically at three eras of history that are commonly described within textbooks in relation to Native Americans: the Pre-Contact period; the Contact Period, when European conquerors were rushing to outdo each other and gather as much land as possible; and an event from the 1970s, the American Indian Movement (AIM) occupation of the Pine Ridge Reservation in 1973. The paper explores how biased textbooks can be when dealing with the history of marginalized people and how the portrayal of certain peoples can work against understanding the complexities of history. The textbooks explored are: Amanda Hebeler’s manuscript, Indians of the Pacific Northwest (1941); David Erwin Harrell’s Unto A Good Land (1977); and Richard Nelson Current, et al, United States History: Search for Freedom (2005). Since there are decades between each of these publications, one would expect some progress in how Native Americans are treated, especially given the civil rights movement in the 1960s. This paper argues, however, that no such progress occurred. The history of marginalized people, in particular Native Americans, has been largely neglected in the telling of United States history within school textbooks.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2019/Oralpres/8
Faculty Mentor(s)
Marji Morgan