When to Teach American History in the High School?
(Invitation to a Conversation)

During my many years in the high school at Green Meadow, I was often asked why I focus so strongly on American History during the ninth grade. I didn’t begin that way.

When I began teaching history back in the 1970s, I turned to Stockmeyer, Rudolf Steiner’s Curriculum for the Waldorf School (p. 105), where he gives indications for classes 8 and 9:

Fifteenth and sixteenth centuries: the widening of man’s horizon through astronomy and exploration

Seventeenth and eighteenth centuries: from the old social associations to the new political associations
Eighteenth and nineteenth centuries: the “more enlightened view” of historical life
Nineteenth century: the “intermingling of peoples” and its significance.

My mentors had emphasized that this was a time of inner “fire,” in the young person—with a love of what is tumultuous in history, a kind of reflection of their inner state (hence black and white drawing, the story of drama, combustion in chemistry, etc.)

The result was a block I called “Revolutions”— religious, scientific, economic, political, along with exploration and the “intermingling of peoples”—drawn mostly from the European experience. There was lots of drama, but something was missing.

I first realized it when I went to teach Ancient History and Greek History to the tenth grade. Now, there is scarcely a summer of greater change than that between ninth and tenth grade. The very students who had gone through so much inner fire in their fifteenth year were now, as sixteen-year-olds, able to put aside the emotions and think clearly about deeper things, about fundamental questions of human existence. Engaging with the Ancients is profoundly nourishing for adolescents at this moment of their lives.

Only, it was hard to get them engaged. Why study antiquity when we know so little of our own history, they asked. We heard so much in the lower school about Magellan and Luther and Elizabeth and the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution (well, not enough of this latter, in most cases.) Why can’t we learn about American History, right up through modern times? Of course, they had had some in eighth grade—preferably through biographies—but not enough to make them feel comfortable with the grand sweep of our history.

So I decided to try making American History the focus of the ninth grade, and to my surprise I found that when they entered tenth grade they seemed satisfied—ready and eager to make the plunge back in time. In fact, I would begin the year doing a quick review of what became my “One Hundred Things To Know About American History.” Yes, they said, we know this! We have at the least the foundation we need to move forward. And off we went to the Egyptians and Greeks.

And what about those themes outlined in Stockmeyer? I found several things.

First, I found that each of the themes could be developed through American History. Few places offer a better opportunity to study what happens as horizons widen, new peoples arrive from distant lands, new social and political forms arise, etc.

Second, I found the students in the 11th grade, after their study of Medieval History, and just before their immersion in the history and culture of Africa and Latin America (the History of China became a block in grade 12), were ready to look with fresh eyes at those themes of Western Civilization. In fact, they were happy to be reminded of all that they had picked up in earlier years about the explorers, about Luther, about Galileo and the early scientists, about Elizabeth and Shakespeare, about the French Revolution and Napoleon, Darwin and Marx, etc. They had a sense of the stories but had no idea how they fit together on a timeline or how they could be brought into a cohesive view of history. In the process, we were able to probe much more deeply into the riddle of who we are as modern human beings.

Third, and most importantly, my search for the right stories in American History led me to themes that speak strongly to young people right at this time: moral awakening, the nature of justice, moral initiative, the spirit of enterprise, and the contribution of peoples who have come from other parts of the world.

And what about the eighth grade? It is true that the class teacher brings significant individuals from American History—and I do suggest staying with biographies—but I have never found that it provided anything like a true overview of the American experience. It is important to consult with their teacher to get a better feel for what they have already experienced, but ninth graders are ready to go much deeper into the great themes of our history.

I would love to learn the experience of other high school history teachers and would be most happy to engage in conversation on the curriculum. The fact is, there is not enough time to do justice to human history in the weeks we have available. Whatever we bring leaves us all too aware of the worthy subjects that have been left unconsidered.

I look forward to your receiving your thoughts. Perhaps I can post some responses on the website.

Karl Fredrickson

Radburn, Fair Lawn, New Jersey

April 20, 2024

kfredson@gmail.com asenseofhistory.org