Abstract
Maintaining or changing their ways in a fundamental, even vital sense: That is the challenge confronting a family of “Friends” (commonly referred to as Quakers) during the American Civil War in the 1956 William Wyler movie Friendly Persuasion. Starring Dorothy McGuire and Gary Cooper, the film stands out on several counts, all of which are notable, even if not all were benign:
Civic education needs to be based on curricula about citizenship, not about government. It should focus on learning democratic ways of life, including ways of coping with change.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
APSA (2018): “Teaching Politics in an Era of Populism.” Joint International Teaching and Learning Conference 2019. https://www.apsanet.org/TEACHING/Teaching-in-Political-Science/Joint-International-Teaching-Conference, accessed October 27, 2018.
Brintnall, Michael (2013): “Foreword”. In: Alison Rios Millett McCartney/Elizabeth A. Bannion/Dick Simpson (eds.): Teaching Civic Engagement: From Student to Active Citizen. Washington: American Political Science Association, XI–XII.
Buhle, Paul/Wagner, Dave (2003): Hide in Plain Sight. The Hollywood Blacklistees in Film and Television, 1950–2002. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Crick Report (Final Report of the Advisory Group on Citizenship 1998): Education for Citizenship and the Teaching of Democracy in Schools. London: Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.
Dmohowski, Joseph (2002): “The Friendly Persuasion (1956) Screenplay Controversy: Michael Wilson, Jessamyn West, and the Hollywood Blacklist.” Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol. 22, 491–514.
Gerson, Michael et al. (2011): “Civic Common Sense”, in: Jonathan Gould (ed.): Guardian of Democracy. The Civic Mission of Schools. Annenberg Institute for Civics at the University of Pennsylvania/Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools, 9–15.
Gould, Jonathan (ed., 2011): Guardian of Democracy. The Civic Mission of Schools. Annenberg Institute for Civics at the University of Pennsylvania/Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools.
Halberstam, David (1992 [11972]): The Best and the Brightest. New York: Ballantine Books.
Kraemer, Sven F. (2015): Inside the Cold War from Marx to Reagan. Lanham/London: University Press of America.
McCartney, Alison Rios Millett (2013): “Teaching Civic Engagement: Debates, Definitions, Benefits, and Challenges.” In: Alison Rios Millett McCartney/Elizabeth A. Bannion/Dick Simpson (eds.): Teaching Civic Engagement: From Student to Active Citizen. Washington: American Political Science Association, 9–20.
Morgan, Ted (2003): Reds. McCarthyism in Twentieth-Century America. New York: Random House.
O’Connor, Sandra Day/Glenn, John (2015): “Teaching Better Civics for Better Citizens”. Wall Street Journal, May 12. http://quest.icivics.org/news/wall-street-journal-op-ed-teraching-better-civics-better-citizens-abstract, accessed Jan. 28, 2017.
Ostrom, Vincent (1997): The Meaning of Democracy and the Vulnerability of Democracies. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Putnam, Robert D. (2003): “APSA Presidential Address: The Public Role of Political Science”. Perspectives on Politics, Vol. 1, 249–255.
Schrecker, Ellen (1994): The Age of McCarthyism. Bopston/New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Schrecker, Ellen (1998): Many Are the Crimes. McCarthyism in America. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Wolbrecht, Christina/Hartney, Michael T. (2014): “‘Ideas About Interests’: Explaining the Changing Partisan Politics of Education.” Perspectives on Politics, Vol. 12, 603–630.
Wong, Alia (2015): “Why Civics Is About More Than Citizenship”. The Atlantic, September 17. www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/09/civic-education-citizenship-test/405889, accessed Jan. 28, 2017.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Eisfeld, R. (2019). The Civics of Friendly Persuasion. In: Empowering Citizens, Engaging the Public. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-5928-6_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-5928-6_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-13-5927-9
Online ISBN: 978-981-13-5928-6
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)