Countering narratives of white supremacy in social studies classrooms with America Redux

Purpose This practitioner paper provides instructional strategies and resources to supplement the content of America Redux: Visual Stories from our Dynamic History. This text and accompanying lesson provide critical perspectives on U.S history that challenge dominant narratives in high school social studies classrooms, particularly those that downplay or ignore the prevalence of White supremacy. The pedagogical approaches offered are meant to aid teachers in scaffolding and synthesizing the many counternarratives provided in American Redux. Design/methodology/approach An Inquiry Design Model has been developed to support inquiry-based instruction on the text and to extend learning about its themes. The compelling and supporting questions ask students to evaluate the influence of White supremacy in U.S. history through the investigation of counternarratives provided in America Redux. The lesson begins with a teacher-led activity about the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the consequences of the Lost Cause myth, which includes guiding questions created to illuminate revisionist history. Findings The instructional approaches in this paper are aligned with NCSS standards and position statements, the C3 Framework, and the Southern Poverty Law Center's Social Justice Standards. The lesson asks students to examine bias and contextualize historical viewpoints, which is central to themes of continuity and change, dimensions of power, and perspective-taking. Originality/value The curated resources in this practice proposal offer students diverse perspectives on US history that challenge the influence of White supremacy on dominant historical narratives. Topics include nativism, immigration policies, Hawaii's colonization, the contamination of the Navajo Nation land, convict leasing, redlining, and the United Farm Workers.