Professor Nina Silber traces the emergence of a new sense of self and citizenship among the women left behind by Union soldiers during the Civil War. Silber argues that women found themselves at a disadvantage, with their husbands away, in a male-dominated society; but also found new, active roles for themselves in politics and support.
Director of the National Center for History in the Schools Gary Nash examines the stories of African Americans during the Revolutionary War and the early years of the United States. Nash focuses on the search to define identity by these African Americans, whether slave or free.
Julian Clarence Levi Professor in the Humanities and Director of the American Studies Program at Columbia University Andrew Delbanco examines the evolution of the American Dream—the idea that anyone may rise above his or her station, regardless of birth. Beginning with the Puritans, Professor Delbanco traces the origins of the American Dream from the Calvinist fire-and-brimstone of Jonathan Edwards, to the swelling optimism of Emerson and Melville, to the present day.
Colonial Williamsburg actor-interpreter James Ingram details the life of Matthew Ashby, a free black man who purchased his wife and two children in order to set them free.
Our young people are already part of our national story—but most don’t realize it. Any effective survey course must show students how they are part of the enduring debate that is American history. Too often, students see history as remote, settled, and irrelevant. Our effectiveness as teachers should not be measured by students’ mastery of disconnected facts and dates, but by how well we kindle their natural curiosity—curiosity about who they are and what kind of American they will become. It starts with an idea.
Colonial Williamsburg recently launched The Idea of America, a high school history curriculum intended to equip students with analytical skills in a historical framework instilling a shared sense of belonging and citizenship. When students can make connections on a gut level with distant episodes in our history, they have a genuine stake in our society. They do this by looking at American history as an enduring debate. The debate is about how to balance the values that we as Americans hold most sacred: law and ethics, unity and diversity, private wealth and common wealth, freedom and equality. Since no value taken to its extreme is workable in a republic, citizens must work together to strike the right balance.
For example, Americans believe in private wealth—in reaping the fruits of one’s own labor and owning property. But we also believe in the common wealth—that some resources must be shared for the good of us all. We know that if everything of value were held in common, democracy could not thrive. Yet we also know that if all resources were in private hands, people (and democracy itself) would suffer. So we debate wherever we gather: in political groups and community organizations, at social gatherings and places of worship, over the water cooler at work, or across the dining room table.
Using this approach students see how debates that began in colonial days shift, evolve, and continue today. By examining how previous generations of citizens grappled with the issues, students see that they too have a role in shaping the events of their time. They have a stake—more to gain—in looking at how we got to this point. The spirited debate over who should bear the cost of the national road two hundred years ago is the health care debate of today. The issues are worlds apart, of course, but they still depend on citizens figuring out how to balance these core American values. We cannot resist asking ourselves what position, given our feelings about certain values, we would have taken back then and what position we should take today. And the debate goes on.
According to Backstory:
"To mark the culmination of Census 2010, BackStory takes on the fascinating story of how Americans have counted themselves throughout our nation’s history. As it turns out, the idea of doling out power based on the actual number of people in a region was an American innovation. The History Guys explain what was so revolutionary about the concept in 1787, and explore how assumptions about who counts as an American have shifted over time. They also look at the reasons the “undercount” became such an important issue in the 20th century, and consider the ways Americans’ suspicion of government has posed a challenge to the work of the Census Bureau. Over the course of the hour, they are joined by a scholar, former Census workers, and listeners interested in exploring the invisible backbone of American democracy: the U.S. Census."
Professor Danielle Allen discusses the concept of U.S. citizenship and the ideal behavior of a U.S. citizen as suggested by major documents in U.S. history, including the Federalist papers, the Declaration of Independence, and presidential inaugural addresses.
This lecture continues from the lecture What is Citizenship?: Part One.
Professor Danielle Allen discusses the concept of U.S. citizenship and the ideal behavior of a U.S. citizen as suggested by major documents in U.S. history, including the Federalist papers, the Declaration of Independence, and presidential inaugural addresses.
This lecture continues in What is Citizenship?: Part Two.
This wealth of data presents National Election Studies surveys of the American electorate conducted in presidential and congressional election years from 1948 to 2006. Large files of raw data can be downloaded. In addition, The ANES Guide to Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior is available and is readily accessible.
Composed of more than 100 tables and graphs, the guide traces nine key variables in the makeup and opinions of the electorate. These include: social and religious characteristics; partisanship and evaluation of political parties; ideological self-identification; public opinion on public policy issues; support for the political system; political involvement and partisanship; evaluation of presidential candidates; evaluation of congressional candidates; and vote choice. This website also provides pilot studies on recent surveying issues, such as measuring exposure to television advertisements, and a 5,000-item bibliography.
Julie Novkov, Associate Professor of Political Science and Women's Studies at the University of Albany, SUNY, provides an overview of 230 years of struggles for equality, focusing on the role of the Constitution and the courts in movements for African American and women's rights.
Audio and video options are available.