Walls of ink: Indiana U.S. History textbooks on trial

Textbooks are synonymous with high school. We can all remember being asked to read a textbook, answer questions from a textbook, and "study" a textbook, whatever that means. Textbook centered instruction is at the heart of many courses, and history classes may be the epitome of this trend. But what do we know about these books? How are they written? Are they really trust worthy? Can we trust their factual and definitive approach to history? And do they fit with good methods of social studies instruction? In a time when our nation's history is often used to justify political positions, and we are increasingly aware of the spin that is put on information that we receive in the news, perhaps we should look closer at our textbooks. This study attempted to do just that by examining three textbooks used in Indiana high school U.S. history classes and determine the amount of bias found in them based on the criticisms of historians, particularly those expressed by Fritz Fischer in his book The Memory Hole: US. History Curriculum Under Siege. It will also seek to determine whether these textbooks employ sources in an academic way fitting with good instruction.Honors CollegeThesis (B.?