U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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As stated on the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) website, the organization's "mission is to work with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people."

While the menu for the FWS website is daunting, skip the "Kids, Educators, Parents" section, and try "History." The former is aimed toward the exploration of nature and the biological sciences, and would need modification for the history classroom.

For starters, under "History," educators can find four virtual exhibits, covering the National Conservation Training Center, Pelican Island, conservationists Olaus and Mardie Murie, and an FWS vessel, the Otter. The exhibits are small and largely text-based, although the exhibit on Pelican Island provides historical images. While specialized, the exhibits may prove of use for regional West Virginia history or information on conservation movement founders.

Additional resources include nine small historical images; period documents related to Rachel Carson, the U.S. Commission of Fisheries, and professional jargon; articles on topics ranging from fishery history to the limits of agroecology; law enforcement and FSW timelines; lists, including individual stations' centennial time capsule contents (what did employees feel best represented their station?); and oral history transcripts. Note that there are links to larger document databases, including FWS news releases dating as far back as 1914, under documents. This is easy to overlook, as other featured items are more prominent.

The Fallen Comrades list also provides insight into historical events. Listed deaths include the 1958 disappearance of the F.W.S. Grumman Goose N-720 and an employee, Lindgren, murdered by Italian hunters in 1922. Lindgren's death was used by journalistic factions to increase anti-immigration fervor.

Additional information of historical significance, particularly statistics, is tucked throughout the site. Try reading about climate change, wildfires, and wetlands trends.

If your students are animal lovers, consider having them select an endangered species, perhaps from their state. Each species' page includes federal documents related to their identification and recovery. These documents display how government interacts, not just with society, but with the country's fauna, a component of history which often goes unremarked.

A Method for Madness

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From the Colonial Williamsburg: Past and Present Podcasts site—

"Doctors treating madness in 1773 embraced methods like bleeding, vomiting, restraint and intimidation. Interpreter Donna Wolf researched the topic for her program, 'A Method for Madness.'"

Constitution Day

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Colonial Williamburg's Harmony Hunter interviews author and historian Pauline Maier to discover more about the ratification and malleability of the United States Constitution.

The podcast also has an accompanying video, or vodcast, on the Constitution that can be viewed here.

The Colonial Williamsburg site also offers more resources on the Constitution, such as transcript of the text and a link to a site where you can explore the original document.

The Liberty Pole

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Tom Hay, supervisor of the Courthouse at Colonial Williamsburg, looks at public protest and victimization of Loyalists in the period leading up to the American Revolution, including tarring and feathering, burning in effigy, and other public humiliations.

Gowan Pamphlet, Slave Preacher

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James Ingram, a character interpreter at Colonial Williamsburg, describes the early life of Gowan Pamphlet, a colonial tavern slave who, influenced by the Great Awakening, would eventually become a slave preacher. For the second part of this interview, click here.

Note: this podcast is no longer available. To view a transcript of the original podcast, click here.