CHAPTER THREE
Politics of the American Founding

Take a Position

Read "Consider the Source: Reading Your Textbook With a Critical Eye." On its face, the telling of history would not seem to be controversial. After all, events happened and historians report those events. As the "Consider the Source" feature makes clear, however, it is not that simple. History can be told from several competing perspectives.

Take a position: How should history be told?

As you develop your argument, answer the following questions:

• What were the goals of the National History Standards publication? How did the writers of those standards believe history should be told?
• Why were the standards criticized? What perspectives of history did the opponents of the standards believe should be highlighted?
• Is there any way to combine the concerns of both sides? If so, then why does a controversy still exist? If not, then why are compromises on this subject so difficult to reach?