The (Mis)Representation of Enslavement in Historical Literature for Elementary Students

• In Event: Challenges in Teaching Complex Histories

Abstract

This study analyzes the portrayal of enslavement in 21 recently published early childhood history books. Through this study, we offer a framework for analyzing controversial content in elementary history texts. Our analysis indicates that elementary teachers will encounter a variety of perspectives on slavery, and by extension U.S. history, when selecting books for instruction. The findings of this study document that, while there is a diversity of interpretive narratives about slavery present in elementary-level history books, the invisibility of race in U.S. history remains a powerful feature in current social studies resources. This study provides elementary teachers with an analytical tool useful in selecting and building pedagogy around children’s literature that depicts historical events and personages.

Authors

• Timothy Patterson, Temple University

• Jay Shuttleworth, Long Island University, Brooklyn