Spencerian Protestantism and Racial Complementarity: P.V.N. Myers and American Secondary World History Education, 1871-1921

• In Event: Examining the Politics of Curriculum and its Influence

Abstract

Using historical methods to analyze primary sources related to influential educator P.V.N. Myers, this paper argues for a legacy of continuity between the 19th century General History course in secondary education, and its 20th century successor course known as World History. Myers gained fame by participating in scientific expeditions to South America (1867) and the Middle East (1871-72), and subsequently became a dominant figure in the General History textbook marketplace for three decades. He crafted civilizational discourses that blended Social Darwinism, Imperialism, and Protestant Christianity. Myers’ strain of biocultural racism was highly influential in the textbook publishing industry and to secondary educators across the United States during the tumultuous transition from General History to World History.

Author

• Stephen J. Jackson, University of Kansas