Professors Robert E. Looney and Executive Director of the Center for International Studies at MIT John Tirman discuss the economy of Iraq, including its past state, its current condition, and the possibilities for its future development. They examine the U.S.'s plans for economic reform in Iraq and their effects so far, and project that past and current conditions will lead to instability and further conflict in the country.
Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel), the prolific and talented children's book author, was also a political cartoonist. From 1941 to 1943, Seuss drew over 400 editorial cartoons as the chief editorial cartoonist for the New York newspaper PM. All 400 of his cartoons have been scanned onto this website by the staff of the Mandeville Special Collection Library at the University of California, San Diego, which houses the original cartoons in the Dr. Seuss Collection.
The cartoons are primarily related to issues surrounding World War II; and include caricature images of political figures like Adolph Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. There are also a series of 10 War bond cartoons that Seuss drew for PM.
The site has a brief (500-word) introduction that gives an overview of Seuss's life and career. Currently the images are accessible by the month and year of publication or by subject. The site is somewhat difficult to use because of the lack of keyword search, but it is still a rich resource for information on popular culture, politics, and the media during World War II.
Comic book author Bentley Boyd talks about his work adapting Colonial Williamsburg's Revolutionary City living history program into comic form. Boyd discusses the challenges and merits of telling historical stories in a visual, narrative format.
To listen to this interview, select "All 2009 podcasts," and scroll to the July 20th program.
Colonial Williamsburg interpreter Bill Barker and other interpreters, including women and African Americans, read and perform the Declaration of Independence.
To listen to this podcast, select "All 2009 podcasts," and scroll to the June 29th program.
George Suiter, gunsmith at Colonial Williamsburg, talks about the gun trade and gunsmithing in the colonial era.
To listen to this podcast, select "All 2006 podcasts," and scroll to the January 16th program.
The Old Fort Niagara State Historic Site preserves Fort Niagara, founded in 1726. The majority of structures on site date from the 18th and 19th centuries. The fort is strategically located at the mouth of the Niagara River. As a result, it was crucial to deciding American dominance in the Great Lakes Region, as opposed to control by the French or British. Both the British and French controlled either the fort itself or the site of the fort at various points of time. Soldiers lived and trained on site for both World Wars. The fort also shaped the history of the Iroquois. Collections include more than 102,000 artifacts.
The site offers period rooms, student programs, guided tours for students, school overnight programs, school outreach programs, and school distance learning programs. The website offers a virtual tour.
The East Tennessee Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the unique history of Eastern Tennessee and its people. To this end, the society operates the Museum of East Tennessee History. Permanent exhibits include a historical overview off the area, addressing the Cherokee, frontier life, the Civil War, the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, the Tennessee Valley Authority, country music, and the Civil Rights Movement. The museum also presents a recreated early 20th-century streetscape, including period dentist and drug store settings and an original streetcar.
The society offers exhibits, period rooms, genealogy workshops, school tours and scavenger hunts, curriculum-based programs, curriculum-based outreach programs, and educator workshops and summer institutes. The website offers lesson plans and genealogy resources for use in the classroom.
How much do your students know about the War of 1812? Why was the war fought? Where did the battles take place? Who won? This year marks the bicentennial of this often-overlooked war, which helped shape the identities and boundaries of North American nations in the early years of U.S. independence from Great Britain. To commemorate the bicentennial and raise awareness of this period in U.S. (and Canadian) history, organizations across the country (and across the northern border) are creating teaching resources and planning events for 2012.
Interested in exploring maritime history with your students? The fledgling U.S. Navy played an important role in this war. Visit Ourflagwasstillthere.org, the official U.S. Navy hub for bicentennial events and resources. This website storehouses links to War of 1812 materials across the Internet, including performances of "The Star-Spangled Banner," essays on historical subjects, videos, archeology updates, educational resources, and more. Don't forget to check the dates when tall ships will visit 12 cities pivotal to the war. Will the ships sail anywhere near you?
While you may not be on the Navy's route, you may still teach near historic sites related to the War of 1812. Take a look! Many such sites have commemorative and educational events planned, and some offer online educational resources, as well. Here are some examples:
Don't limit your search for resources to the U.S.! Online, you can find resources created by Canada for the bicentennial as well. How do the stories and viewpoints in these resources differ from those in resources created by organizations in the U.S.? Visit 1812, a bi-national U.S./Canadian effort, lists historic sites related to the War of 1812 and provides a starting point for exploring Canadian historic sites and resources. For instance, the bicentennial website of Amherstburg, Ontario, features an essay on the War of 1812, as well as an interactive map describing historic points in the town.
Smallwood's Retreat is the 1760 home of General William Smallwood, the highest ranking Revolutionary War officer from Maryland and three-time governor. From this site, Smallwood operated a tobacco plantation, which at one point held 56 slaves and indentured servants, until his death in 1792. The interior is supplied with 18th-century furniture which matches the estate inventory.
The site offers period rooms and tours led by costumed interpreters. Tours are available April 27th through October seventh.
Point Lookout State Park is a peninsula, initially explored by John Smith in 1612. The site suffered British raids during both the Revolutionary War and War of 1812. The use of the word "lookout" in the park's name originates in the peninsula's use as a watch station for British naval activity within the Chesapeake Bay. Still later, the site was used to contain Confederate prisoners of war between 1863 and 1865. Several of the prison guards were African Americans, previously enslaved in the South. Today, features in the park include a U.S. Navy lighthouse; Civil War-era earthworks from Fort Lincoln; reconstructed barracks, officer's quarters, and the partial prison pen; and graves, now open, which originally held Confederate dead.
The park offers exhibits, a nature center, outdoor activities, and self-guided tours of Fort Lincoln.