Conclusion: The Culture Wars &
The Epilogue of the McGuffey Movement

The McGuffey movement declined from the 1960s to the 1980s because those who could remember using the Readers in school were nearing the end of their lifespan. The Readers were last used widely in public schools in the 1890s, so by 1960, many McGuffeyites were in their seventies and eighties. The movement also lost its primary source of funding with the death of Henry Ford in 1947, and others among its leadership such as Harvey Minnich and William Smith in the 1950s and 1960s. The organization once was one of the most influential literary organizations in the world, had over 100,000 members, and communicated with the White House. (1) Yet, by 1962, the organization had declined in popularity and financially such that the federation could not afford to purchase a 19-cent dime store slate for the meeting's 100 attendees. (2)

As the McGuffeyites declined, others exploited the Readers for political and commercial gain. The Readers experienced a brief resurgence in rural schools in the 1980s. Yet, as McGuffeyite William E. Smith said in his 1963 book about McGuffey, "Readers written for a rural America are no longer practical for a society largely urban." (3) This is one among several reasons that the Readers' 19th century conservative world-view is unsuitable for modern public schools. The Readers describe Native Americans as "savages" and contain several passages that may be interpreted as anti-Semitic. Also, the fact that McGuffey was not an ardent abolitionist also does not bode well for his reception in a politically-correct culture with little tolerance for historical relativism. In 2000, one article echoed these critiques. It said, "our nation has become far more urban and pluralistic. McGuffey's books rarely mention black persons. In contrast, today's schoolbooks reflect not only new discoveries and opportunities for boys and girls but the myriad of complexions, religions and cultures that make up America." One biography described him as an "arch-conservative" and a "religious fundamentalist." (4)

The revival of the McGuffey Readers in the 1980s was largely the success of conservative critics of education. Conservatives adopted the Readers in the culture wars and have persistently championed them for use in modern classrooms. This section explains how the culture wars resulted in the overt politicization and commercialization of the Readers.

(1) Berger, "Nothing Comes From Nowhere."
(2) Ibid.
(3) Smith, About the McGuffeys, 21.
(4) Scully, 175.
Image courtesy of the Smith Library of Regional History.