The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1949-01-07
WhotH II Mems -. esWss =
Spy Hearings Touches Off Study OF u. S.
Schools Presentation Of Americanism
BY ROBERT E. cEIcER

WASHINGTON Mrs. Eliza
beth T. Bentley. American-born
citizen who testified to a Con-
%gresSional committee she had
been a Communist and Russian
agent, said she never had been
taught American history at school.
This touched off a new discus
sion among educators and others
attempting to determine whether
the American educational system
fairly presents American democ-
Tacy to young Americans.
They argue that it is essential
young Americans be taught his
tory and the u. S. constitution.
Otherwise, they say, some may
be swayed by emotionalism rath-
er than by knowledge, away from
Americanism toward other po-
~litical PHILOSOPHERS like Commu-
nism.
The u. S. Office of Education
has just completed a survey of
state laws regarding the teaching
OF history and the u. S. constitu-
ton.
DIR. Ward w. Keesecker, spe-
cialist in school legislation, and
Howard Cummings, specialist in
political science, of the Office of
Education, say all states but two
now require public elementary
or high schools to teach American
history.
Three-fourths of the states es-
tablished this requirement by
law. In others it is required by q
ruling of the state board of edu-
cation.
The survey says that the two
that do not have either a legal or
a regulatory provision for Amer
lean history are Colorado and
Michigan - although in Michi-
gan the teaching of civics, which
presumably includes some Amer.
lean history, is required.
In addition, the survey showed
that all of the states except -four
have laws requiring elementary
school instruction concerning the
u. S. constitution. The foul
lacking such q requirement are
Kentucky. Maryland, Texas and
Vermont.
But all the states except Ken.
lucky, Maryland and Mississippi
require the teaching of the con
stitution in high schools. And
even in Kentucky and Maryland,
where the laws are lacking, there
is a state board rule that the con-
stitution shall be taught.
The situation changes at the
college level. Only even states
have laws requiring college cours-
es in history and % require the
teaching of the constitution.
Fourteen states require that
private schools teach u. S. his
tory in elementary and high
school grades. and 26 require
private schools to provide classes
in the constitution.
DR.. Keesecker says many OF
the state laws and regulations re-
quiring the teaching of American
history were placed in effect be.
tween 1923 and 1929. Patriotic
and other organizations cam
paigned for them.
Therefore Americans older than
Mrs. Bentley, who is 36 and has
a college education, easily might
not have been required to study
the two subjects. But most young
err people undoubtedly have been
given the outline and funda-
mentals.
There are no federal laws on
the subject, because under the
10th amendment to the constitu-
ton education is one of the fields
clearly left to the states. The Of
flee of Education has established
no policy on history teaching be.
cause of this constitutional pro-
vision.
But the Office of Education re-
port, called Education for Free
dom, says every American should
know the facts of history and es-
pecially that our federal and
state governments have doubtless
provided more human rights. to
more people, and over a longer
period of time, than has any 9TH
er system of government yet es-
tablished."
1t quotes George Washington
I'VE ought to ~deprecate tn .
hazard attending ardent and sus-
ceptible minds from being toe
strongly and too early prepos.
esssed in favor of other political
systems before they are capable
of approaching their own"