美国中小学历史学科的终极目标——以美国教科书对“美国的创立”的处理为例

The Ultimate Goal of American History Teaching for Basic Education——Taking the "Creation of the United States" in American Textbooks as An Example

美国独立战争和美国宪法的制定是两个重要的历史事件。中国的中学历史教科书把它们作为相对纯粹的历史内容进行讲述，主要关注它们对美国和世界的宏观历史影响。美国历史教科书则通过追述美利坚民族及其政治思想、政治制度、法律体系等的起源与发展，凸显此历史过程中所体现的美国立国精神、宪法政治、公民权利等与公民意识联系紧密的问题。造成这一区别的根本原因在于：美国中小学历史科是社会学习课程的一个有机组成部分。其教育的终极目标是美国核心价值观和公民的权利义务教育．鼓励美国年轻人积极参与国家政治。

The War for Independence and drawing up of American Constitution are two important events in early American history. The middle school history textbooks of China treat them as relatively pure historical contents, focusing on their macroscopic historical significance in American history and history of the world. While American textbooks, by tracing back to the origins and development of American nation, political thoughts and systems, as well as legal system in this historical process, try to highlight American national spirit, constitutional politics and civil rights, all of which are closely related to the consciousness of American citizenship. The reason for the difference between China＇s textbooks and American ones is that in the curriculum of American secondary education, history is an interrogated part of social studies, aiming at the education of core American values and citizenship in order to encourage American youth to participate more actively in American domestic politics.