A Study Of The Design And Use Of Historical Sources In American History Textbooks ——McDougal’s Edition Of American History As An Example

Historical sources are fundamental to the study and learning of history.In the promulgation of the General High School History Curriculum Standards（2017Edition）in China,five core literacies have been proposed,and the cultivation and implementation of historical evidence as a necessary way for all literacies to be achieved has become a hot spot for research.The United States places great emphasis on the use of historical materials,especially primary historical materials,in the teaching of history.The requirements for the design and use of historical sources in history textbooks are evident in the US National Curriculum Standards for History.This article will use the Mc Dougal edition of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s History of the United States as an example to examine the design and use of historical sources in American secondary history textbooks,so as to form a mutual reference with the writing of history textbooks in China and how to improve students’ empirical historical literacy in history teaching.This paper is divided into six parts.The paper is divided into six parts.The first part,Introduction.It describes the reasons for and significance of the topic,introduces the current state of research on historical sources in American history textbooks,and points out the main objects and methods of this paper.The second part defines the core concepts of the paper-"historical materials" and "textbook historical materials",including the concept,categories and functions of historical materials,and the concept,categories and presentation of textbook historical materials.In the third part provides a detailed analysis of the content and requirements of the US National Curriculum Standards for History in relation to ’historical materials’,and explores the specific requirements for the use of historical materials.In the fourth part,the design and use of historical materials in American History textbooks are analysed.The textbook is characterised by a rich variety of historical sources,a balanced distribution of historical sources,a focus on the presentation and analysis of primary sources,the use of digital sources to expand and extend the text,and the presentation of historical documents in their entirety.In the fifth part,Chapter 25,The Great Depression,Unit 8,American History and Lesson 13,Roosevelt’s New Deal,Unit 4,World History,China are selected as examples for comparative analysis of cases of historical design and use.In the sixth part,the design and use of historical materials in China’s history textbooks are presented,i.e.enriching the types of historical materials,focusing on the use of primary historical materials,using digital historical materials flexibly,establishing a library of supporting learning resources,understanding the differences between the two countries,and drawing on them in a reasonable manner according to local conditions.