Children's Heroes of the 1950s and Early 1960s

Great Men and Famous Deeds in Childcraft's 1961 Primer

Michael Streich

March 19, 2009 

In 1961, the Childcraft series of books featured thirty-five brief stories in volume six of the collection titled Great Men and Famous Deeds. Published throughout the thirties, forties, and fifties, the Childcraft series included volumes on child rearing, poetry and music, technology, and geography. Today, these books represent a glimpse into the American past, enabling students of history to see what was being taught in the 1950s and what was omitted. Volume six offers an excellent example of 1950s and early 1960s American education.

 

Analysis of the Thirty-Five Stories

 

The late 1950s and early 1960s was a time of both conformity and uncertainty. The United States was involved in an ever expanding nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union. It was a time of home bomb shelters and an emphasis on the traditional American family. All of the stories in the Childcraft selection highlight those virtues associated with a distinctly American “ideal:” courage, integrity, determination, risk-taking, and making good decisions.

 

The story about George Washington relates how, as a young teenager, he was tempted to go to sea. At the last minute, however, he saw his mother’s despair and the tears in her eyes and changed his mind. He was humble and obedient – but not a “mother’s boy.” He befriended the elder Sir Thomas Fairfax who developed a fatherly relationship with the young man, helped Washington begin a career as a surveyor, and became a positive role model.

 

The thirty-five selections include three other presidents: Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Franklin Roosevelt. Of the thirty-three stories of “Great Men,” twenty-six are devoted to men while only eight detail famous women (of those eight, only five are American women). Of all the entries, the story of George Washington Carver is the only one about an African-American. Two selections are devoted to Canadians.

 

Native American culture is nominally represented in the selection on Captain John Smith and Pocahontas as well as a Canadian story about Catholic missionaries among Indian tribes titled, “The Feast of Eat-Everything.” Indian Americans also figure prominently in the story of Columbus, the first selection in the book. Although politically incorrect today, the 1961 overview paints Columbus as a hero and a risk-taker but never alludes to the negative aspects of Indian treatment, well-documented in later decades by historians like Howard Zinn.

 

Impact of the Childcraft Book in 1961

 

Although select women appear in the volume, there was no hint of feminism. Madame Curie’s story focuses on the encouragement and love of her Physicist husband and does not mention her death caused by experimentation with radium. The story has a happy ending. Jenny Lind’s story demonstrated that her “discovery” and success came because men heard her sing and gave her a chance. The underlying message could be found both in the stories included as well as how they were written: the decade of the 1950s and into the 1960s was still “a man’s world.” Madame Curie’s story includes her role as a mother.

 

Many of the included stories tell of events that occurred when the “great men” were still children or teenagers: “The Boy Lafayette and the Wolf,” “When Mark Twain was a Boy,” “Teddy Roosevelt, the Boy Naturalist,” and others. It was important to teach children that the completion of “famous deeds” begins early. The sub-heading of the contents page reads, “Adventures of Famous Persons.” John Audubon’s love for nature began as a boy; Thomas Edison’s career started as a “Young Scientist.”

 

Marketed to white, middle-class families, the Childcraft series told parents and their children what was important in terms of growing up as an American. They also preached conformity. None of the stories challenge legitimate authority. Children are obedient and adults serve as positive role models. Sometimes, extraordinary events force people to do very courageous things, like Dolly Madison saving the White House portrait of George Washington. Even here, the author’s message was clear: “She didn’t expect people to think that she was wise or brave or smart. She was just helpful and friendly. And that was enough.”

 

Sources:

 

“Great Men and Famous Deeds,” Vol. Six, Childcraft (Chicago: Field Enterprises Educational Corporation, 1961).

First published in Suite101. Copyright Michael Streich. Written permission required for republishing