Harold Rugg and the Reconstruction of the Social Studies Curriculum: The Treatment of the ‘Great War’ in his Textbook Series

In the period between 1929 and 1939, the social studies textbook series developed by Harold O. Rugg enjoyed wide popularity in the United States. In contrast to other social studies textbooks, its content was distinctly leftist in terms of political orientation.

The outbreak of World War Two combined with organized conservative opposition to the textbooks diminished the success of Rugg’s work. Nevertheless, it remains a remarkable, if only temporary, example of a successful reconstruction of a school subject both in terms of form and content.