Republicans and Democrats are Far Less Divided About U.S. History Than We Think 

Americans’ Views on U.S. History and School Curriculum are More Aligned than Partisan Narratives Portray

December 7, 2022 – In the context of wide-spread political polarization and distrust towards most institutions, including in education, schools are the new front in America’s culture wars amid rising acrimony around how we should teach U.S. history. However, new research by More in Common U.S. shows that Americans actually agree far more than they disagree on how history should be taught.

This research is titled, “Defusing the History Wars: Finding Common Ground in Teaching America’s National Story.” It builds off of More in Common’s landmark study into Hidden Tribes, and is a follow-up to a similar study on the “Perception Gap” released in 2019, which explores how Americans tend to have a distorted understanding of one another’s beliefs, what causes that misperception and why it matters. The 2019 study was featured in CNN, Financial times and Voice of America, among hundreds of other outlets.

In More in Common’s newest research, 71% of Americans say we are “divided on the topic of U.S. history,” and roughly half of Americans do not trust their elected officials to be politically neutral in designing curriculum. Furthermore, only 41% of Americans think public schools are doing their best to teach American history in an “accurate and unbiased way.”

The research reveals, however, that this sense of division and distrust is less about contrasting views on teaching history, but rather misperceptions of what other Americans believe. For example:

• Democrats think that only 30% of Republicans want to teach a shared national history as well as the history of specific groups of people such as Black, Hispanic, and Native Americans. In reality, 72% of Republicans agree these histories should be taught.
• In another example, Republicans think that only 45% of Democrats want students to learn about the role of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution in advancing freedom and equality. In fact, 92% of Democrats believe students should learn this.
• 83% of Democrats believe that students should not be made to feel guilty or personally responsible for the errors of prior generations. Republicans think that only 43% of Democrats hold this view.
• 93% of Republicans say that the civil rights heroes like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks should be taught as examples of Americans who fought for equality. Democrats think only 38% of Republicans hold this view.
  

In prior research, More in Common identified such misperceptions as ‘perception gaps’, the difference between what we imagine our political opponents believe and what they actually believe.

“The magnitude of Americans’ perception gaps in the debate around how to teach U.S. history shows that much of the conflict is being fought between imagined enemies. There is much more in common than what divides us on how we want to see our national history taught.” said Dan Vallone, U.S. director of More in Common. “Americans’ values and beliefs are nuanced. Yet our debates about teaching history are often framed in extreme binaries that fail to capture these complexities and obscure our common ground.”

More in Common’s research shows there is genuine disagreement among Americans, specifically around the emphasis currently given to the histories of minority groups, and how we draw connections between past injustices and the present. These fault lines are significant, yet become more challenging to navigate when intermingled with the history wars where Americans actually agree. For example, the research found a majority of Americans wants U.S. history to be taught in ways that include both the inspiring and the shameful; that highlights the histories of minority groups alongside a shared history that elevates a common American identity; and that allows students to learn from the past without feeling guilty or disempowered by the actions of prior generations.

More in Common collected these insights from a year-long study which included interviews of thousands of Americans, via focus groups, multiple national surveys and in one-on-one sessions.

“As Americans, we each have been shaped by our country’s history, and have a responsibility to honor and build upon our collective American story. Our history wars, amplified by polarizing politics, distracts us from recognizing our shared values, and if left unchecked, threaten to transform into forever wars composed no longer of imagined, but real enemies,” added Vallone. “The good news is we have the power to build a more united future through conversations about our past. Our research shows Americans can embrace a shared history where we all see ourselves as part of the collective American story.”

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About More in Common U.S.
More in Common U.S. is a non-partisan research and civic nonprofit that studies the forces pulling America apart, seeking to disrupt polarization and forge a stronger sense of what Americans have in common.