Quote:
Originally Posted by Sigaba
Do you recall the name of the textbook (including edition) as well as the other secondary works you were assigned on FDR's presidency?
As a rule of thumb, high school history text books are up to fifty years out of date by the time a student reads one. Moreover, if one is studying a president in that president's home state, lessons that discuss how great he (and, eventually, she) was may be more a reflection of local factors than a grand agenda.
On another point. Since the rise of the "new" social history during the 1960s, and its focus on history "from the bottom up," the study of America's past has largely centered around a "bottom up" approach. This method rejects soundly the notion that "victors write history."
My $0.02
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Sigaba,
Unfortunately I don't, however, you do raise an important point: To be fair, IIRC, the textbook bullet points the major accomplishments of FDR's presidency, and for the sake of neutrality, sticks with the things that he *actually* did, versus the debate and consensus over the outcomes and consequences of his actions and legislation. Unfortunately, you end up with dry facts which raise the perception that each and every contribution was in fact an accomplishment as opposed to a possible detriment. Additionally, I do remember the little gold/tan colored 'Critical Analysis' questions box being very PC'ish in content, without sparking much analysis, critical or otherwise.
My .02