Excerpt from Students Outline for the History of the United States

This outline has its origin in the demands of the author's own classes, the growing interest in the better teaching of history, the many requests from teachers for a work that will enable them to carry on the source or library method without a larger expenditure of time in preparation than they are able to give, and in the need of a work to enable academies, high schools, and normal schools to meet the requirements of the conference of American Colleges which recommended as the minimum of American History for college entrance: "At least one year's work by the library method with one or more topics by the source method."

It is believed that this outline meets, to a fuller degree than any other work now published, the recommendations of the Committee of Ten which say: "The course that best prepares for college entrance is the course that best prepares for actual life,

"That the method of study by topics be strongly recommended as tending to stimulate pupils and to encourage independence of judgment.

"That in all practical ways an effort should be made to teach the pupils in the latter years to discriminate between the authorities, especially between original sources and secondary writers.

"That no formal instruction in political economy be given in the secondary schools but that, in connection particularly with United States history, instruction be given in economic topics.

"That the teaching of history should be intimately connected with the teaching of English, first, by using historical works or extracts for reading, second, by writing English compositions from subjects drawn from the historical lessons."

In addition to meeting these requirements, this outline removes some of the strongest objections to the outline method.

First, by giving abundant references to both sources and secondary writers, the objection that pupils lose too much time in aimless hunting, is taken away.

Second, by calling for connective narratives or biographies, at the close of the various periods of our history, the strongest objection that the topical method leaves the information in a disconnected, unorganized state, in the pupil's mind, is entirely removed and the pupil is left much stronger in ability to analyze and to synthesize than he would have been if he had used a narrative text only, for in the narrative text, another has both analyzed and generalized for him.

The objection that it consumes too much time comes from a false conception of what constitutes history, and what is the real aim of history study. The idea that it is a narrative, leads to the idea that so much of it must be committed by each student each term regardless of growth in power to judge of historic events. But if the aim be power to judge wisely, to know, to feel, and to do right, then the teacher will be willing to assign fewer topics if by so doing a deeper insight into each may be gained. But in the end time is saved. Time is always saved by presenting our subjects in accordance with the laws of the human mind. Like a wise gardener, who prepares his soil before he plants his seed, an outline prepares the pupil's mind before it presents facts. When a pupil has read a topic or a question from his outline, and then goes to look it up, he goes for a purpose, and when the information is found it gives pleasure because there was desire, and it is more easily remembered because the mind was prepared to receive it.

There is little in this outline that is original.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com