2021.003.007 [Newspaper]

This is an article from the Blackhawk student newspaper dated May 17, 1918. One of the more prominent articles details how students responded to a Board of Education decision and burned their German textbooks on a lawn near the school. Book burnings have a long and contentious history. They typically occur in response to waves of public antipathy towards a particular group, ideology, world event, or person. In this case, the burning of German textbooks was part of a much larger trend in the United States that sought to cut off ties to the German Empire, which had been portrayed in mass media as the stereotypical villains of the First World War. In this period, there was much rejection of anything that had German roots, including the languages that families spoke and the languages that were taught in schools. In the modern era, book burnings evoke images of fear, rejection, racism, and ignorance. This content can be used with the following resources: SS-Gov.9-12.28: Iowa Issues and Policy This item can be used to educate students on how larger trends in the world affect the policy made in the United States and how those decisions affect public education. It can also be used to educate students on the impact of political ideologies and political desicions on public life. For any use other than instructional resources, please check with the organization that owns this item for any copyright restrictions.