It is hard to imagine any movement more important for understanding the meaning of freedom and equal rights in the U.S. than the civil rights struggle in the post-World War II era. Yet, as Julian Bond succinctly argued, in most textbooks and the media, the popular understanding of that movement is reduced to: “Rosa sat down, Martin stood up, and the white kids came down and saved the day.”
Read and discuss some of the great American writers and their work in the mid-19th century. This feature explores the themes of slavery, the role of women, and the experience of war.
The month of May is an opportunity for reflection on and commemoration of all that AAPI individuals and organizations have accomplished and contributed to U.S. history and culture. This piece highlights NEH projects and classroom resources for teaching about these experiences in America.
The We the People Bookshelf theme, “A More Perfect Union,” is the literary complement of library programs observing the sesquicentennial of the Civil War in American history and culture.
Many of EDSITEment’s lesson plans incorporate engaging interactives alongside primary sources to teach about a range of content topics in U.S. history. Timelines, maps, decision making scenarios, and more are available as introductions to eras in history, significant events, and as catalysts for student inquiry.
Whether you are taking a long road trip, headed to a local museum, or hanging around the house this summer, you will find that the National Endowment for the Humanities is just around the corner (or already in your hands). This collection of resources highlights NEH sponsored programs available across the country and includes projects aligned with some of the 50th anniversary events being commemorated this summer—most notably Stonewall, the moon landing, and Woodstock. No matter your summer plans, you don’t have to go far to enjoy a NEH sponsored exhibition or program.
Teach Immigration History from the University of Texas at Austin explains the important and complicated history of immigration to the United States for general audiences and high school teachers of U.S. history and civics courses. The backbone of the website is an 80-item chronology of key events, laws, and court rulings that are further explained by a dozen thematic lesson plans on topics such as citizenship, an overview of major laws, gender and immigration, and migration within the Americas.
Now celebrated in more than 40 countries, Jazz Appreciation Month offers an opportunity to explore cultural dynamics that inform jazz music across places, as well as the idiosyncratic ways in which jazz artists reimagine and perform their local for the global.
Philipsburg Manor, located in Sleepy Hollow, New York, is a historic site owned and operated by Historic Hudson Valley. The site tells the story of the 23 enslaved Africans who were the only full-time, year round residents of the Manor, and whose forced labor was the backbone of the Philipse’s international trading empire. In July 2019, Philipsburg Manor will host a summer teachers’ institute on Slavery in the Colonial North for K-12 teachers. For more information, visit www.HudsonValley.org.
The story of America—its founding, its shaping, its mythology—is told in many ways. Their influence may not always be obvious, but artists and their works have played an essential, powerful role in telling some of these stories.
