The Study of History in America

Extract

The New York Times in June 1942, published the ‘Charted Results of a Survey on College Study of U.S. History,’ with a commentary by Benjamine Fine under the heading : ‘U.S. History Study is not required in 82 per cent, of Colleges’ and again, a sub-heading : ‘72 per cent, do not list it as an entrance prerequisite.’

For a European like myself, brought up in the cult of history, Italian and foreign, ancient and modern, this seemed so strange as to surpass belief. I asked myself, if this was what happened to the history of the United States in United States colleges, what must be the unhappy fate of the history of other countries, and ancient and classical history.

The ‘Results’ have naturally amazed Americans too, leading to an animated discussion of the problem.

As easily happens, the general, educational problem was made to slide at once to that of war morale. The young man who does not know his country’s past cannot appreciate its institutions, cannot love its great figures, cannot be thrilled at the national name since the nation is unknown to him in its birth and development. It is easy to exaggerate on this theme, whether in order to show that history is necessary or to assert, as some have done, that it neither adds to nor detracts from patriotic feeling.