ABSTRACT
Though the MACOS controversy may have been most well-known and widespread, the 1970s brought a cavalcade of curriculum struggles. A number of academic freedom cases of the period signaled a significant negative reaction to new curricular approaches and had a chilling effect on attempts at reform. Textbook controversies recurred, often instigated by a single parent and stirred by conservative activists. In a recent book, Andrew Hartman cogently describes the 1970s as a “transitional decade,” a seed time for the conservative movement, and a training ground for the culture wars. 1 It was a period during which the nation saw resurgent conservatism, growth of a neoconservative movement, rising evangelical influence, and anti-feminist rhetoric culminating in the election of Ronald Reagan, publication of A Nation at Risk, and the subsequent imposition of standards, testing, and school accountability reform.
