Category Archives: Military History

Six Sites for Primary Source Materials

It is officially August and most educators are beginning to feel the pressure that is the beginning of school. As we start to look at rosters and enrollment, we start to pull out and revamp old lesson plans and search for new material. As a History Teacher (with a background in archaeology) I understand the relevance and importance of primary sources in the classroom. Primary sources are not solely essays or primary works, but art, photographs, and other avenues of popular culture.

Finding primary source documents on the web can sometimes be a bit of a scavenger hunt. I know that I have spent hours scouring the web for good translations, excerpted texts, or relevant materials. Additionally, incorporating primary source texts can be a challenge with high school children. My youngest kids are ninth graders and often, when I distribute an original text, it is the first time they have seen a document of this type. Additionally, as much as we educators do not like to admit, sometimes it is a challenge for us to come up with ideas and activities to effectively incorporate this material into our classrooms. How do we make this interesting? How do we make this comprehensible? How do we make this relevant? Bringing in an original work and simply tossing it into a classroom environment is a sure-fire method for failure – students will often be confused, bored, and overwhelmed. Teaching with primary sources requires preparation and method.

In this article, I am focusing on six websites that focus on providing primary sources for educators and students. These sites are all excellent resources for educators in the Social Studies with a broad range of topics: American History, World History, World Religions, Language, Literature, Art, and Politics. There are many more amazing resources out there and I encourage you to add yours as well! So, here are my favorite five (presented in no particular order):

1. Milestone Documents  (Subscribe to their Facebook and Twitter feeds (all free) for regular highlights of documents in their catalogue as well as lesson plan ideas.)

  • Cost: $106.20 for an annual subscription
  • Ages: High School and College  (the material is too sophisticated for elementary and middle school).
  • Subject(s): History
  • Geographic Focus: Milestone focuses heavily on American History, but includes a solid library of texts for all of World History (Ancient, Western, African, and Asian).
  • Additional Subject Focus: In addition to organizing the material by date and region, Milestone has sections of Social History including politics (heavily focused on American political history), religion, and women.
  • Material Types: Text-based documents
  • Navigation: The content area is easy to navigate and great for “browsing.” The search feature is excellent for when you know exactly what you need.
  • Teacher Resources: lesson plans, rubrics, and assessment material.
  • Web 2.0 Focus: Many of the lesson plans incorporate Web 2.0 elements – Google Maps, Mind Mapping, etc.

What sets Milestone apart from the free resources listed below is that each document is predicated with a succinct contextual/historical statement. Students and educators are provided with a solid background for the text. Most works are also followed up with a critical analysis essay as well as provocative questions. Milestone is an excellent investment for teachers and students alike.

2. EDSITEment - Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities,

  • Cost: Free
  • Ages: K-12
  • Subject(s): Art & Culture, Foreign Language, History & Social Studies, as well as Literature & Language Arts.
  • Geographic Focus: World
  • Additional Subjects: Current event topics, social history, politics, religion, popular culture, and more. There are many sub-categories that merit exploration.
  • Material Types: Text-based documents, visual material, maps, etc.
  • Navigation: Easy to browse and explore content areas.
  • Teacher Resources: Educator’s using this resource can readily access a multitude of innovative lesson plans, activities, assessment materials, alignment with Common Core Standards, worksheets, and listings for additional materials and resources.
  • Web 2.0: Many lesson plans incorporate Web 2.0 elements

3. Smithsonian Education - Sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution

  • Cost: Free
  • Ages: K-12
  • Subject(s): Art & Design, Science & Technology, History & Culture, Language Arts
  • Geographic Focus: World (US History most thorough)
  • Additional Subjects: Current event topics, social history, art history
  • Material Types: Text-based documents, visual material, audio recordings, maps, etc.
  • Navigation: Easy to browse and explore content areas.
  • Teacher Resources: Educator’s using this resource can readily access a multitude of innovative lesson plans, activities, assessment materials, alignment with Common Core Standards, worksheets, and listings for additional materials and resources.
  • Web 2.0: Many lesson plans incorporate Web 2.0 elements

4. Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

  • Cost: Free for Educators and Students (private citizens pay per use), must register for access to materials. Gilder Lehrman encourages schools to register as Affiliated Schools (numerous benefits and access to more resources)
  • Ages: K-12, College, Graduate
  • Subjects: American History
  • Geographic Focus: The United States of America
  • Additional Subjects: Social History, Politics, Civil Rights
  • Material Types: Text-based documents, visual material, audio recordings, maps, video, interviews, etc.
  • Navigation: Easy to browse and explore content
  • Teacher Resources: some lesson plans and ideas, collaborative weblog, sponsored Teacher Seminars
  • Web 2.0: very little web 2.0 focus.

5. The Library of Congress

  • Cost: Free
  • Ages: K-12, College, Graduate
  • Subjects: History
  • Geographic Focus: Heavily focused on the Americas (national and regional histories), limited resources for World History
  • Additional Subjects: Folklore, local histories, veteran history, literature
  • Material Types: Text-based documents, visual material, audio recordings, maps, video, interviews, etc.
  • Navigation: Tricky to browse and search, requires adaptability
  • Teacher Resources: Some sections have extensive teachers resources in the form of lesson plans and activities, others are more spartan in their construct. LOC offers grants for professional development.
  • Web 2.0: Some sections readily incorporate web 2.0 activities, others are more limited and traditional.

6. Perseus Digital Library - Sponsored by Tufts University

  • Cost: Free
  • Ages: 9-12, College, Graduate
  • Subject: History, Art History, Archaeology
  • Geographic Focus: Heavily focused on Greco-Roman (founded as a Classical Library it contains all Latin & Greek works), Arabic, Germanic, 19th century America, Renaissance Europe, Egyptian Papyri
  • Additional Subjects: Humanism, Literature
  • Material Types: Text-based documents, visual material; the Art & Archaeology Artifact Browser provides High Definition images of thousands of artifacts.
  • Navigation: Tricky to browse, excellent search capabilities. This is an fabulous tool so long as you know what you are looking for.
  • Teacher Resources: No lesson plans or activities, purely material resources.
  • Web 2.0: No web 2.0 incorporation.

As you can see, there are numerous and extensive resources readily available to educators. The six that I highlighted are a good start, but hardly an all encompassing list. If you have suggestions or additions, please add them here! In the meantime, get browsing for some great material and lesson plan ideas!

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Eight Little Known Facts About the Civil War

Smithsonian Magazine Highlights the top 8 little known, obscure, and sometimes just odd facts regarding the American Civil War. The odd facts include:

  1. The brothers Chang and Eng Bunker (the famed “Siamese Twins”) were drafted in the war.
  2. “Rectal Acorns” were used to smuggle messages by spies and couriers.
  3. General Lee had a pet chicken that accompanied him and lived at his home.
  4. Southern cultural standards had odd and strenuous requirements on women in terms of ‘mourning requirements’ – men were expected to be slightly sad briefly and then move on.
  5. After the Battle of Shiloh, several soldiers reported glowing and iridescent wounds.
  6. Confederate President Jefferson Davis shared his name with a Union General which led to some amusing (and deadly) guffaws on both sides!
  7. The famous Southern General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was a severe hypochondriac.
  8. President Abraham Lincoln carried with him a $5 confederate bill in his wallet.

To learn more about these obscure events, see the article in the Smithsonian.

Archaeology Magazine Highlights a Civil War Shipwreck, the Mary Celeste

This month’s Archaeology Magazine highlights the Civil War Shipwreck of the Mary Celeste off the coast of Bermuda. The steamship Mary Celeste sunk off the coast of Bermuda on September 6, 1864. Archaeologists of the Waitt Institute in conjunction with NOAA have been working to bring new light to the Civil War shipwreck and highlighted numerous, distinct finds.

To learn more about the excavation, read the article in this month’s Archaeology Magazine: Letters from Bermuda.

Scientists Identify “Black Death” as Yersinia pestis Bacteria

A team of German and Canadian scientists have identified the Yersinia pestis bacteria as the culprit in the Black Death (the plague that swept Europe and Asia killing 1/3 of the population).

By examining DNA bacteria from medieval plague victims, scientists believe that they have properly identified the bacterium that so readily swept through Europe.

The findings have been published in this month’s Proceedings of the National Academic of Sciences, you can also find a summary in Science Daily.

Watch African-American Jesse Owens Win 100m at the “Nazi Olympics”

I came across a great video of famous African American athlete Jesse Owens (courtesy of HistoryToday.com) that depicts the Olympic legend (and personal her of mine) winning the final for the 100m.

Jesse Owens represented the United States during the 1936 Summer Olympics – hosted in Berlin and often termed the “Nazi Olympics.” Hitler was the state representative at the festivities (the head of the host country often serves in this position even today). The 1936 Summer Olympics were famous for the prominent displays of Nazi paraphernalia and propaganda. Hitler had intended for the Olympics to be a demonstration of the superior athleticism of the “Aryan Peoples” of Germany. However, after the clear victories of Owens at the games, Albert Speer (Hitler’s architect) reported the Führer as saying:

Each of the German victories, and there were a surprising number of these, made him happy, but he was highly annoyed by the series of triumphs by the marvelous colored American runner, Jesse Owens. People whose antecedents came from the jungle were primitive, Hitler said with a shrug; their physiques were stronger than those of civilized whites and hence should be excluded from future games. (courtesy of Wikipedia)

Jesse Owens’ participation in the game was controversial as America still practiced wide-spread segregation throughout the country. Even so, while in Germany, Owens was allowed to use public transportation and stay in desegregated hotels.

Owens’ success in the games was highlighted by his four gold medals – 100m, the Long Jump, 200m, and the 4 x 100m relay. He was a hugely popular participant at the games and was adored by the German spectators. In spite of his success and popularity, on his return Owens was snubbed by the President (Franklin D. Roosevelt) – receiving no acknowledgment from the President recognizing his immense success.

Unearthing the Hidden Tunnels of WWI

The trench warfare of World War I has almost entered the world of legend with stories of troops living in quarters two feet wide for months at a time. The realities of it were pain, discomfort, disease, and death. Often over-shadowed by the second World War, the trenches (many of which remain in France and other States on the front-line) un-excavated and forgotten – usually with warning signs posted to let others know the dangers of unexploded artillery and weaponry.

Archaeologists have begun to map and uncover one of the most extensive trench networks of the War at La Boisselle used prominently during the Somme Offensive. Military historian Jeremy Banning and his team are studying the land (only recently opened up to researchers by its private owners) and publishing their research for other scholars and to preserve the area as a memorial to those who died during the war.

You can read more about the project at the La Boisselle Study Group or in this BBC Article. You can also follow Jeremy Banning on twitter: @Jeremy Banning.