Trade books’ evolving depictions of Thomas Jefferson, America’s third president

Abstract

Purpose History-based trade books are an essential classroom option for social studies and English teachers. Professional organizations in history, social studies, English, reading and literature promote these engaging, age-appropriate secondary sources. Research suggests that misrepresentations appear often within history-based curricula, yet the majority of empirical studies have been completed on textbooks. The purpose of this paper is to examine the historical representation of Thomas Jefferson within trade books. Design/methodology/approach The data sample included trade books targeting various ages to make comparisons within and between grade ranges; the authors selected books published in distinctly different years to examine how Jefferson’s historical representation changed over time. The mixed methods content analysis used both open coding and axial coding. Findings Findings included sanitized versions of slavery at Monticello and omissions of his relationship with Sally Hemings. Date of publication, particularly those published after 1999 as new scientific evidence emerged linking Hemings and Jefferson, and intended audience shaped patterns of representation about Jefferson’s privileged social position, authorship of the Declaration of Independence, political philosophy and involvement in the American Revolution, to mention a few. Heroification, a common historical misrepresentation, did not appear. Research limitations/implications Limitations included: uneven portions of the data pool as children’s and young adult trade books were not common in early and mid-twentieth century; organization of books by grade range is problematic due to inexact nature of ranking narratives’ complexity; and definitive conclusions cannot emerge from a single study. Future research should consider how trade books represent other historical figures, particularly slave-owning American presidents. Practical implications Practical suggestions, such as how to address misrepresentations using primary sources, are offered. Originality/value Thomas Jefferson, undoubtedly an impactful American, is frequently included in elementary, middle level and high school curriculum. The authors examined Jefferson’s historical representation within trade books.

Trade Books’ Evolving Historical Representation of John Fitzgerald Kennedy

“…Books targeting elementary readers minimized content in ways those intended for secondary students did not. It is common, though problematic, to shield young learners from contentious historical events or chilling political actions (e.g., Bickford & Badal, 2017; Bickford & Lindsay, 2017; Bickford et al, 2019; Sakowicz, 2016). It seems nonsensical, however, for teachers to simplistically feature a figure one year only to rely on another teacher to add nuance and depth a subsequent year.…”

“…Kennedy-based findings intersect meaningfully with past research on trade books' historical representations of presidents and key figures. Researchers have explored children's and young adult authors' historical representations of Thomas Jefferson (Bickford et al, 2019), Andrew Jackson (Sakowicz, 2016), Abraham Lincoln (Bickford, 2018b), Franklin Roosevelt (Bickford & Lindsay, 2017), Eleanor Roosevelt (Bickford & Badal, 2017), Ben Franklin (Thompson, 2018), and Jackie Robinson (Minor, 2018). These studies form a logical, though incomplete, comparison group.…”

“…Authors publishing soon after Kennedy's death depicted his accomplishments and shortcomings far differently than modern authors, which reveals the impact of context on public memory (Fahs & Waugh, 2004;Peterson, 1994;Rothman, 2015;Simon et al, 2002). Authors' characterizations of Presidents Jefferson, Jackson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt were influenced by date-of-publication on few aspects (Bickford, 2018b;Bickford et al, 2019;Bickford & Lindsay, 2017;Sakowicz, 2016), but nearly all Kennedy-based patterns appeared contingent to date-of-publication. Studies about Jefferson, Jackson, and Lincoln revealed similar date-of-publication patterns largely surrounding topics of racial mistreatment, such as chattel slavery and Native American genocide (Bickford, 2018b;Bickford et al, 2019;Sakowicz, 2016).…”

“…Stated differently, books targeting older students share the same problematic elements as those intended for younger students. Research on biographies about Thomas Jefferson (Bickford et al, 2019), Andrew Jackson (Sakowicz, 2016), Abraham Lincoln (Bickford, 2018b), and Franklin Roosevelt (Bickford & Lindsay, 2017) reveal historical lacunae comparable in form and feature whether the books were written for children or young adults. In other words, authors ensured their prose, syntax, and depth was accessible to the targeted audience, yet the nature and frequency of historical misrepresentations changed little whether writing for children or young adults.…”

Trade books' contextualization of consequential women's historical significance

“…Christopher Columbus, Helen Keller, Rosa Parks, Anne Sullivan, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, Native Americans' history and culture, slavery, Thanksgiving, the Holocaust and civil rights were egregiously misrepresented (e.g. Bickford, 2013b, 2015; 2018a; Bickford and Hunt, 2014; Bickford and Knoechel, 2017; Bickford and Lindsay, 2017; Bickford et al , 2019; Bickford and Rich, 2014a, b, 2015b; Bickford and Schuette, 2016; Bickford et al , 2015a, b; Bickford and Silva, 2016; Schwebel, 2011). Misrepresentations were less frequent, though not absent, in books about Andrew Jackson, Amelia Earhart, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Robinson, immigration, the Titanic and child labor (e.g.…”