Note 637 — Chapter VII · The Attack on History Textbooks Since 1917

In an article, “The Anger of the Anglophiles,” Edward F. McSweeney of the Knights of Columbus Historical Commission discussed the “Anglo-Saxon myth.” In his discussion he ascribes to Gibbons the point of view that an “over emphasis upon Anglo-Saxonism is positively harmful to Anglo-Saxon solidarity, that it is a stimulus to the enemies among Americans of friendship with Great Britain,” [and] “that the idea that a better understanding with Great Britain can be effected by rewriting our history textbooks be abandoned.” Gibbons, however, points out means of bringing about “the better understanding” by “creating an irresistible public opinion.” Columbia, April, 1922, p. 10.