BY: MARIA

GENALYZA
 FOUNDATION OF SOCIAL STUDIES

The American Revolution concluded in 1783, which placed

the "United" States of America on its current course. At this
time, most Americans lacked formal education. However,
the citizens of the United States would need to be educated
in the principles and obligations necessary for national
cohesion and survival. The home, job, and church all played
greater roles in education than did the schools.

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 FOUNDATION OF SOCIAL STUDIES

To assure the survival of the nation, the foundations for

what we now refer to as "social studies" were laid as
this country started its experiment in self-government.
The necessity for an educational system that would
foster in students a sense of patriotism and nationalistic
values was recognized by Benjamin Franklin and
other prominent citizens. They supported educational
initiatives that would foster "moral education, civic
education, judgment development, and imaginative
development."

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 FOUNDATION OF SOCIAL STUDIES

• The subjects that would later be included in the "social studies" were seen as
being essential to education by some of the greatest minds of the early
nineteenth century.

• For many years, Thomas Jefferson's ideas shaped educational philosophy.

Jefferson reported in 1818 that geography and history were crucial courses
for a fundamental education while serving as Chairman of the
Commissioners for the University of Virginia. Along with political economy,
the law of nature, and countries, he also thought that these courses were
crucial to obtaining a higher education.

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 FOUNDATION OF SOCIAL STUDIES

• Another Declaration of Independence signing, Benjamin Rush, recognized

the need of education in producing moral citizens. He believed that both
young men and women should study politics, geography, and history. And
John Adams mentioned geography, history, and chronology as studies with
"real value in human affairs" when Jefferson questioned him about topics
with practical application.

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 FOUNDATION OF SOCIAL STUDIES

Textbook Influence on Social Education

Before 1880, textbooks in the United States emphasized moral

and patriotic values through historical myths, parables, and
religious stories. Geography textbooks were among the earliest to
appear in classrooms, with Jedidiah Morse being the first
American geographer to write for an American audience. Noah
Webster was the first to include history as part of a reader, and
his readers were influential in exposing students to the history of
the country. Between 1801 and 1860, there were 351 history
textbooks published or used in the United States, with most
content being military, political, or social and economic.

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 FOUNDATION OF SOCIAL STUDIES

Textbook Influence on Social Education

Samuel Goodrich, a prolific writer of early history and

geography textbooks, promoted white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant
values and criticized slavery. William Channing Woodbridge's
geography textbooks were popular between 1821 and 1851, and
Susanna Rowson published her first geography book in 1805.
Although not directly related to the development of social
studies, textbooks and their authors have always been major
factors in social studies and account for the largest number of
instructional materials used by teachers.

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 FOUNDATION OF SOCIAL STUDIES

History and the Social Sciences

At the turn of the century, social education was dominated by

historians, with emerging social sciences like sociology,
political science, and economics struggling to gain a secure
place in high school classrooms. The American Historical
Association (AHA) was founded in 1884 by historians,
allowing historians to influence the school curriculum.
Historians encouraged the initial social studies curriculum
reform effort in 1892 and formed the AHA Committees of
Seven, Five, and Eight to endorse a history-dominated
curriculum.

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 FOUNDATION OF SOCIAL STUDIES

History and the Social Sciences

The social studies was nurtured by the works of John Dewey and promoted by such prominent
educators such as George Counts, Edgar Wesley, Harold Rugg, and Earle Rugg. Wesley (1937),
sometimes referred to as "the father of the social studies," noted that the following represent
significant steps in the development of the social studies: h content determined mostly by
historians.

• 1892 Madison Conference on the teaching of history, government, and economics

• 1893 B. A. Hinsdale's How to Study and Teach History
• 1897 William H. Mace's Method in History
• 1897 Founding of the Journal of School Geography [whose name was changed to
the Journal of Geography in 1902. It subsequently became the official publication of the
National?Council for Geographic Education, which was established in 1915.]
• 1899 Publication of the Report of the Committee of Seven of the American Historical
Association

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 FOUNDATION OF SOCIAL STUDIES

History and the Social Sciences

• 1902 H. E. Bournes's The Teaching of History and Civics

• 1909 Founding of the History Teacher's Magazine (which became the Historical Outlook in
1918 and The Social Studies in 1934)
• 1909 Report of the Committee of Eight of the American Historical Association on history in
the elementary schools
• 1911 Report of the Committee of Five of the American Historical Association on history in
secondary schools
• 1914 Organization of the National Council of Geography Teachers
• 1915 Community Civics, Bulletin 23 of the Bureau of Education
• 1915 Henry Johnson's Teaching of History in Elementary and Secondary Schools
• 1916 Report of the Committee of the American Political Science Association on the teaching
of government
• 1916 Report of the Social Studies Committee of the National Education Association,
Bulletin 28 of the Bureau of Education
• 1921 R. M. Tryon's The Teaching of History in Junior and Senior High Schools
• 1921 Organization of the National Council for the Social Studies. (7-8) Association

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 FOUNDATION OF SOCIAL STUDIES
on inStudies
ocial 1911 to
sity entrance
ation (CRSE) In 1915, historian Henry Johnson criticized the social studies curriculum,
social studies arguing that history instruction should focus on the present. James Harvey
Committee on Robinson's "new history" emphasized the importance of studying history to
ly acceptable improve society. Advocates of social studies aimed to bridge the gap between
was the senior academic study of the past and the modern concern to produce good citizens.
rstanding and They recommended schools focus on the production of democratic citizens and
ed to improve actively engage students in their surrounding political, economic, and social
8) Association world. The examining Hampton Curriculum, created in 1905 by Columbia
University educated sociologist Thomas Jesse Jones, was groundbreaking in its
unique combination of sociology, political science, and economics. The
curriculum aimed to present a series of individual social studies to Hampton
students, primarily African Americans and Native Americans, aiming to provide
a model of proper behavior and education for a good citizen.

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 FOUNDATION OF SOCIAL STUDIES
he Social Studies The Committee on Social Studies

The National Education Association (NEA) reorganized secondary education in

1911 to make it more relevant to everyday life and free high school from
university entrance requirements. The Commission for the Reorganization of
Secondary Education (CRSE) was chartered in 1913, with the Committee on
Social Studies first bringing social studies onto the national stage in 1916. The
committee's name was changed to the Committee on Social Studies, as it aimed to
produce students inculcated with socially acceptable behaviors and values. The
capstone course of the social studies curriculum was the senior year "Problems of
Democracy" course, which emphasized the better understanding and study of
present society. The committee's impact was significant, as it aimed to improve the
understanding and improvement of the present for the Social Studies.

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 FOUNDATION OF SOCIAL STUDIES
The National Council for the Social Studies

The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) was formed in 1921 by the
American Association of University Administrators (AHA) and supported by
various "Founding Fathers" including J. Montgomery Gambrill, Daniel C.
Knowlton, Harold Rugg, Earle Rugg, and Roy Hatch. The leaders of social
studies, such as Thomas Jesse Jones, Arthur W. Dunn, James Harvey Robinson,
and Clarence Kingsley, did not play a significant role in the formation of NCSS.
The era when subject-matter specialists dictated the social studies curriculum
ended by 1920.

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 FOUNDATION OF SOCIAL STUDIES

mfelicidario@maryhillcollege.e
du.ph