This article frames history education as a social construction designed to create a national identity through the inclusion, exclusion, and treatment of various societal groups. Using this lens, the author analyzes curriculum standards from nine states that annually assess student knowledge of American history to better understand the depiction of immigration within the American narrative. The results suggest that state standards are yet another way for public education to perpetuate a canonical version of American history by testing students on information related to the traditional narrative and largely ignoring or marginalizing elements of diversity.
