ABSTRACT

In a war-making society, teaching peace as a rejection of war requires boldness—a characteristic, in author experience, not typically found in history instructors at work. In US colleges and universities, students typically enter history classrooms knowing next to nothing about history but believing in the general goodness and necessity of US war-making. History professors are uniquely positioned to shape opinions on war. They generally enjoy academic freedom and a classroom authority that goes mostly unchallenged by a somewhat captive and submissive audience. Since the military state requires a passive, gullible citizenry, empowering students is an act of resistance. High school history instructors typically must cover a strict agenda of historical events and themes and may have no input on textbook choices. To summarize, by asking critical questions of celebratory accounts of war-making in US history, a history curriculum can undermine war worship and promote creative, nonviolent conflict resolution.