Whose America?

Jonathan Zimmerman is professor of history of education and the Judy and Howard Berkowitz Professor in Education at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author or coauthor of numerous books, including The Case for Contention: Teaching Controversial Issues in American Schools, also published by the University of Chicago Press.

• Preface to the Second EditionIntroduction: Beyond Dayton and ChicagoPart 1: History WarsChapter 1: Ethnicity and the History WarsChapter 2: Struggles over Race and SectionalismChapter 3: Social Studies Wars in New Deal AmericaChapter 4: The Cold War Assault on TextbooksChapter 5: Black Activism, White Resistance, and MulticulturalismPart 2: God in the SchoolsChapter 6: Religious Education in Public SchoolsChapter 7: School Prayer and the Conservative RevolutionChapter 8: The Battle for Sex EducationPart 3: From Religion to HistoryChapter 9: Twenty-First-Century Culture Wars: From 9/11 to Donald TrumpConclusion: Who Are We Now?AcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsNotesIndex

"A lot has changed in the education culture wars in the last 100 years, and a lot hasn't. The guest who we're about to introduce notes that the former Trump advisor, Steve Bannon, said in 2020, 'The path to save the nation is very simple. It's going to go through school boards.' [Zimmerman] [is the] perfect guest to trace this history with us. . . . [Zimmerman] [is the] education historian at the University of Pennsylvania, author of the book, Whose America?: Culture Wars in the Public Schools. [Zimmerman] also had an article in Politico published in 2021 called Why the Culture Wars in Schools Are Worse Than Ever."