Tag Archives: American History

Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, Teaching Civil Rights

Today marks the anniversary of the landmark case, Brown vs. Board of Education. On this day in 1954, the Supreme Court ruled that the segregation of races for education under the “separate but equal” clause was unconstitutional. The case would begin the unwinding of separate but equal institutions throughout the country (a process that would take decades). In honor of the 59th anniversary, here are a great list of resources for teaching this topic:

National Park Service - The NPS hosts a series of online and real life tours, catalogues  artifacts, images, videos, and more. Check out the website for the Brown v. Board of Education case.

Library of Congress - The Library of Congress highlights Brown v. Board of Education along with a series of other landmark cases, arguments, studies, etc on the issue of Civil Rights in American history. You can explore the LOC online as well as in person.

Ourdocuments.org - Explore high resolution images of the Brown decision as well as other documents related to Civil Rights and the landmark Supreme Court decision.

 

Smithsonian Institution Brown v. Board of Education

Smithsonian Institution Brown v. Board of Education

Separate is Not Equal: Smithsonian Institution - the Smithsonian commemorates the landmark case with an in depth online exhibit that explore segregation in the United States.

National Archives - The National Archives hosts high resolution images of landmark papers, including the Supreme Court deciding and dissenting opinion on the Brown v. Board of Education case.

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Library of Congress – Resources for Teachers

The Library of Congress offers a variety of classroom materials as well as professional development to help teachers use their free materials effectively in their classroom. You can even organize and search material based on Common Core  or State requirements. The Library of Congress contains a repository of primary resources in a variety of media (texts, images, audio, video, etc). Their professional development includes funded trips to the library to work at your own pace, free modules. Be sure to check out the Library of Congress’s Resources for Teachers.

Screen shot of the LOC Search Page

Screen shot of the LOC Search Page

Starvation Cannibalism at Jamestown

Reblogged from Bones Don't Lie:

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If you've read any news in the past day, you've seen reports regarding cannibalism in colonial Jamestown. It was known prior that the colonists had undergone a number of starvation years where they were forced to eat foods that they wouldn't normally. The trash pits from the sites hold the remains of animals who aren't normally butchered, including horses, cats, dogs, rats and snakes.

Read more… 1,058 more words

Gilder Lehrman’s First Ladies Series, Lesson Plans & Interactive Map

Eleanor_Roosevelt_portrait_1933This quarter’s Gilder Lehrman’s “History Now” series features the historical role of first ladies in American politics. The issue, “First Ladies’ Contributions to Political Issues and the National Welfare” highlights the roles of the President’s spouse from Martha Washington all the way to Betty Ford. It explores their personalities, political temperament, social role, and even controversial status.

In addition to these fascinating articles, they include two lesson plans that help educators present the material in alliance with the common core as well as an interactive map of their birth places. Gilder Lehrman provides a plethora of resources for teachers of American History.

Take a “Crash Course” in US History, Chemistry, World History, Biology, Literature, & Ecology

Screen Shot 2013-03-19 at 8.33.52 AMA thank you to my boyfriend, Elijah Mendoza, for bringing this resource to my attention.

If you are looking for some good brief videos to supplement your course content, check out Crash Courses’ videos on US History, World History, Chemistry, Biology, Ecology, and Literature. The videos are usually only 11-13 minutes in length, have great imagery, and provide accurate information in a thoughtful way. While it won’t replace a week’s worth of lesson plans, it is a great supplement to course content. Check out their YouTube Channel and follow them on twitter.

Library of Congress Electronic Exhibit – African American Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship

The Woolworth sit-in, LOC

The Woolworth sit-in, LOC

In honor of Black History Month, the Library of Congress is hosting the electronic exhibit “African American Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship.” The exhibit displays more than 240 artifacts, including documents, images, videos, and more.

The exhibit “explores black America’s quest for equality from the early national period through the twentieth century.”

This is a rich, multimedia exploration into the experience of African Americans in this country for over 200 years.

Happy Birthday Abraham Lincoln

Abraham_Lincoln_November_1863Today is the 204th birthday of President Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln is one of America’s most celebrated Presidents, having served during the Union’s darkest time – the Civil War. His problematic tenure in office saw the United States nearly torn apart, the abolition of slavery, and the beginnings of our reunification. His assassination at Ford’s Theatre in April 1865 ensured he would not live to see the survival of his beloved country.

To learn more about Abraham Lincoln, visit the website for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and the National Park Service’s Lincoln Memorial.

The Origins of Black History Month

February is Black History Month – a time when Americans focus on the history, achievements, and contributions that African Americans have made. While it is not the only cultural heritage or focused history month, it is the oldest and often viewed as the most controversial. Black History month has been a unique and growing entity among not only American cultural history, but throughout the world (Canada and the UK most markedly).

Carter Woodson

Carter Woodson

In the United States, historian Carter Woodson (often called the “Father of Black History”) and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History proposed that the second week of February be recognized as “Negro History Week.” The date was chosen due to its proximity to the birthdates of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas. He wanted Americans to focus on an celebrate the achievements of Black Americans with the ultimate goal of it being weeded out as Black History became a part of the American Historical curriculum:

“If a race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated.” — Carter Woodson

“What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world void of national bias, race hate, and religious prejudice.” — Carter Woodson

The celebration of Black History week was hugely popular and spurred several Black History Clubs, interest from educators, and grew in importance with the Civil Rights movement. In 1976, the Federal Government recognized the expansion of Black History Week to Black History Month. In 1987, Black History month was celebrated for the first time in the United Kingdom. In 1995, Canada’s government officially recognized Black history month in Canadian curriculum.

The Uncertain Promise of Freedom’s Light: Black Soldiers in The Civil War | Around The Mall

Black soldiers could not officially join the Union army until the Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863. But, on the ground, they had been fighting and dying from the beginning.

When three escaped slaves arrived at Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia, in May, 1861, Union General Benjamin Butler had to make a choice. Under the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act, he was compelled to return the men into the hands of the slaveowner. But Virginia had just signed the ordinances of secession. Butler determined that he was now operating in a foreign territory and declared the men “contraband of war.”

When more enslaved men, women and children arrived at the fort, Butler wrote to Washington for advice. In these early days of the Civil War, Lincoln avoided… The Uncertain Promise of Freedom’s Light: Black Soldiers in The Civil War | Around The Mall.

Smithsonian Online Exhibit: Separate is *not* Equal

ATM-Object-Greensboro-Woolworth-lunch-counter-631February is Black History Month and the National Museum of American History is marking the event with its online exhibit: Stories of Freedom & Justice. As this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Greensboro, NC Woolworth sit-in, the event has taken a special place at the Smithsonian.

The online exhibit includes numerous stories, first hand accounts, and images from that fateful event in which four young African-American college students sat at a “white’s only” lunch counter and refused to move, sparking a six month movement that would ultimately pave the way for Civil Rights in the state of North Carolina.

To learn more about the Civil Rights movement in America, to see more images and/or videos, and to access teaching resources, see the online exhibit.