Reading Bias in Textbooks: President James Buchanan and the Schoolbooks (original) (raw)

22 Pages Posted: 19 Mar 2011 Last revised: 24 Mar 2011

Date Written: March 15, 2011

Abstract

Much of what people know about history, historical figures, and events come from their schoolbooks and their teachers’ explanations of these events. Many of the misconceptions about President Buchanan come from the fact that most textbook authors dismiss him as ineffective: thus rendering him a footnote to history. A random number of textbooks were surveyed for their treatment of the fifteenth President of the United States. These textbooks were published between 1871 and 2006. Most of these historical narratives reveal bias, misinformation, hearsay, rumors, and a cursory sketch of the historical figure. Such is the case of President James Buchanan.

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