A place of prominence in the normal training curriculum was accorded United States history by Oregon in 1911.[169] In 1913, Wyoming enacted a law requiring of her superintendent of public instruction the preparation of a course of study for the elementary schools in the usual subjects, including United States history and the history and civil government of Wyoming,[170] and by an act of 1917 history and civics were required in the teacher training departments of the high school.[171] California, too, succumbed to the trend of the times, and in 1903 and in succeeding years prescribed the teaching of United States history and civil government for a public school education.[172]
In the revision of her territorial laws in 1901, Arizona again included United States history as a school subject;[173] and by legislation in 1912, New Mexico showed her approval of the social studies in “An Act to Encourage the Instruction in the History and Civics of the State of New Mexico.” This law forbade any person to teach in the public schools unless he had passed a satisfactory examination in the history and civics of the United States as well as in the history and civics of the state. “It shall be the duty of the teachers in the public schools of the state,” the law read, “to give such instruction as is practicable in the history and civics of the United States with special reference to the history and civics of the state of New Mexico; which said instruction may be given orally or by study of textbooks covering the subject and which said textbooks shall have been adopted by the State Board of Education.” The statute specified that the textbook in state history and civics must be prepared “by a known historian of the state” and “be sold at a price to be fixed by the State Board of Education not to exceed one dollar per volume.”[174]
Of the thirty-two states which had enacted laws during this period for the teaching of the social studies, substantially all required United States history, federal and local civics. State history, which had attained some popularity in the preceding period, received attention in many statutes. Laws requiring the teaching of European history in some form were found in Vermont, Indiana, Ohio and Missouri, and economics was prescribed in the laws of Oklahoma and Vermont.
CERTIFICATION OF TEACHERS
The tendency to enlarge and enrich the social studies curriculum was more evident in the requirements for teachers’ certificates than in the courses of study prescribed by law. These requirements, in general, included ancient, medieval and modern history, general history, English history, economics and sociology, besides civil government, state history and history of the United States. Especially was there an increased offering of subjects for high school teachers. In the elementary and county licenses only civics and United States history were required with the greatest frequency. Among those states which passed new laws or reënacted old legislation offering ancient, medieval or modern history were California, Idaho, Oregon, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, Missouri, and Texas.[175] English history appeared among the subjects in the laws of Idaho, Nevada, Kansas, and Wisconsin;[176] general history was one of the requirements for certification in the laws of West Virginia, Ohio, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, Utah, Nevada, Washington, and Idaho.[177]
Economics, or, as it was more commonly known, political economy, was prescribed in Iowa, Nebraska, and Wyoming.[178] South Dakota permitted for examination either sociology or economics,[179] and Wisconsin and Arkansas insisted upon a knowledge of “rural economics.”[180] “Current events” or “current history” were among the requirements of South Dakota in her law of 1919, and of Nevada, in 1907, and in 1921, for certification of primary, grammar and high school classes.[181]
State history and the study of the state constitution received recognition in the requirements of Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Illinois, Kansas, and New Mexico.[182]
Of all of the social studies required for certification, however, United States history and civil government were the most popular, being prescribed in some law in every state excepting Arizona.[183] In some of the states where there was no special enactment prescribing United States history or civics, the examining board may have been given the privilege of naming the subjects for examining the candidates, or, through custom, they may have become a part of the subjects in which examinations were held. It is also true that colleges and normal schools have taken over the preparation of teachers in the subjects which they are to teach, making unnecessary many of the examinations previously held.
FLAG LEGISLATION AND OBSERVANCE DAYS
A means of implanting patriotism in the pupils of the public schools has been legislation pertaining to the display of the American flag, the development of a proper attitude toward it, and the singing of the national anthem. Ten states gave expression to this form of training for patriotism in this period. Similar to such enactments was the legal provision made for the observance of the birthdays of great men and the commemoration of historic events by classroom exercises. In addition, there was a constantly growing number of legal holidays upon which no school was in session.[184]