A curriculum that includes slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction, Two World Wars and the Civil Rights Movement makes American history teachers accustomed to adventures into emotionally charged subjects. Walking through students through the uneasy complexities of the past has never been an easy task. However, it seems that history is about to move to the center stage in 2026. 250th anniversary celebration In the establishment of the country, there are increasing signs that it is becoming more difficult than ever to teach about the country’s past.
In a survey last year of more than 3,000 social science teachers across the country, the American Historical Society found that K-12 history teachers feel underrated and isolated from the combination of inactive student engagement and stubborn holdover from the pandemic, a combination of enduring budget cuts that denies essential professional development, and the frustrating sense of what people outside the classroom don’t respect.
According to the report, “American lesson plan: teaching history at secondary schools” 16% of teachers said they received frequent or some criticism from their parents and others about how they teach history. About 40% said they had to respond to such pushbacks at least once or twice.
Some teachers opposed those numbers and said they would minimize the political stress that many people actually experience, says Brendan Gillis, director of teaching and learning at the association. He admits that the proportions appear to be low, but that’s because it only reflects a very narrow focus of what’s going on in the classroom.
“Where’s where you’re trying to remove books from libraries or ban certain titles, it works for history teachers, but it doesn’t focus much on what’s going on in history classrooms,” Gillis said. “But yes, at the end of the day, if more people, more Americans, understand that teachers are teaching in history classrooms, they will have very different attitudes about how to fix some of the issues of public education.”
Before President Donald Trump took office, the AHA report was released at the end of 2024. The situation for social studies teachers has not improved since then. One of Trump’s first executive orders Schools claim to use “radical indoctrination.” Engrave children with “anti-American, destructive, harmful, false ideology.”
Such heavy political rhetoric from the White House contradicts the AHA’s findings. Researchers emphasize that they cannot find “indoctrination, politicization, or intentional classroom misconduct.”
Social science teachers take pride in their professionalism, commitment and neutrality, says Emma Humphries, a former history teacher and now Chief Education Officer of Civic Advocacy Groups.
“These are people who entered the profession because they love our country, love our history, love our establishment ideals, love our constitution, and want to cultivate the same kind of love and attachment in their students,” says Humphries. “It’s not just that they paint this perfect, rosy picture so that we never made a mistake, because as a nation we have our faults and our mistakes. But we are always striving for that perfect union.”
“It’s frustrating, so when I feel like politicians don’t understand it, I lose morale,” Humphries adds.
The painting’s approach to black and white history can close discussion and prevent social studies teachers from achieving reporting their reports.
Samantha Futrell, a middle school social studies teacher in Richmond, Virginia, said: “We feel very biased right now.”
Michelle Nistel, a high school social studies teacher in a small district in northeastern Iowa, has had to work hard recently to ensure students don’t fall into polarized camps.
Sources under investigation
And polarization is now threatening the primary sources of teachers. Gillis said the researchers were surprised to learn that the most commonly used sources of historical information are not textbooks, but online sites run by museums and the federal government, particularly the Smithsonian, the Library of Congress and the National Archives. Over 80% of teachers report using information from these government agencies as part of their lessons.
“The impact of textbooks is clearly diminishing,” the AHA report states. Approximately 32% of teachers report not using one. Textbooks are expensive, tedious and require updates, so the district budget is smaller for them, says Gillis. Meanwhile, online government sources are trusted to be free, up-to-date, accurate and independent.
Or rather, they were only a few weeks ago. The Trump administration recently targeted the government’s history webpage for revision as part of its campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion. The change is “very surprising,” says Gillis.
a Presidential Order of March 27th The Smithsonian site, including the American Museum of Art and the National Museum of African-American History and Culture, has given “distorted stories driven by ideology,” accusing the country of casting “founding principles and historical milestones” in negative light. Instructs Vice President JD Vance to oversee the cleaning rewrite.
Early April, Reported by the Washington Post The National Park Service has rewritten a major webpage about Underground Railroad and abolitionist Harriet Tubman, replacing detailed accounts of enslaved African Americans with short descriptions that never mention slavery.
an Previous post research It turns out that the Department of Defense has wiped out online articles about wartime Native Americans, including the famous Navajo Code Talker of World War II and Officer Tonawanda Seneca, who drafted the terms of the Allied surrender at Appomattox in 1865.
Defense History Page Emphasizing the contributions of women in the military I was among some who were pulled over a week to be stripped of references to diversity.
Although some purged materials were later restored, the ability to politicize once-trusted sites is a frightening prospect for history teachers.
“It’s incompetent,” says Ftrell, who was the 2024 national council of social science teachers.
It’s not just that teachers have to find new nonpartisan sources. They now have to explain to their students the limitations of compromised sources. This is a difficult and nuanced discussion that diverts them from their main curriculum.
“It creates more work for educators,” says Ftrell. “It’s basically apart from our education time.”
Furthermore, thwarting reliable sources raises deeper questions about reliability and the merits of research.
“The work I struggle with as an educator is how do you teach the truth when the truth is all relative?” Nistel asks, “When people in the world can make the truth true what they want to do.”
Nystel is pointing Recent Scaling Back The National Fund for Funding the Humanities as a further blow to good history. She used NEH grants to participate in a professional development workshop that strengthens her education, a major advantage of the vast state where teachers must make a roundtrip trip of up to six hours to meet their peers.
Among the cancelled NEH grants were over $300,000 National History DayAnnual competition, the humanities equivalent to the national science fair. The History Day Foundation plans to continue this year’s program and has launched a fundraising campaign to compensate for lost grants.
All of these cuts, revisions and political instructions on American history should be highlighted on studying our past with its intricate beauty and flaws, when we cast a long shadow on teacher preparation for next year’s 250th anniversary celebrations, Humphries says. Only by doing so can students be well-reflected on the national establishment principles and be deeply grateful for the government system.
“When you learn history, it builds this kind of greater connection with your country,” she adds.
