David Eisenhower of the Foreign Policy Research Institute considers the current necessity of approaching terrorism and the current war as teaching subjects, and looks at how national crises—such as 9/11—pose certain rhetorical and leadership demands on presidents, and how President Bush reacted to these demands.
Video and audio options are available.
Paul Dickler of Neshaminy High School reviews several points he considers important in teaching on 9/11 and terrorism, as well as in teaching history more generally.
Audio and video options are available.
On this electronic field trip, students get the chance to see up close historical documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Students will also have entry to the entire Independence National Historical Park with 21 historical sites available for fascinating tours.
A cooperative effort, this online repository presents 100 milestone documents in American history. The first document is the Richard Henry Lee Resolution of June 7, 1776, proposing independence for the American colonies. The last is the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In between, visitors will find Eli Whitney's 1794 cotton gin patent, the 1862 Pacific Railway Act, and the 1896 Plessy vs. Ferguson ruling.
Additional documents include the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, Keating-Owen Child Labor Act of 1916, and orders and addresses by several presidents, including Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Dwight D. Eisenhower. There is a full-page scan and transcription of each document. In addition to the chronological list of 100 documents, the site includes a "People's Vote." Of the 100 documents, Americans voted the Declaration of Independence number one, followed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
As Elihu Root once put it, we study war "not to promote war, but to preserve peace." Indeed, it is impossible for students to learn U.S. or world history without frequent reference to war. The Foreign Policy Research Institute's Wachman Center presents two webcasts with Jeremy Black, one of the world's most distinguished historians of war, and enabled students from the online and live audiences to "interrogate" this guest as well.
The process explored a wide range of questions: How important is technology in war? How important is morale? What were some of the great errors on the battlefield? Who were the greatest commanders? Why were the 13 American colonies able to defeat the British, the world's greatest power, in America's Revolutionary War? Why did the U.S. play such a crucial role in World War II?
The session is divided into morning and afternoon sections, and is offered in video and audio formats.
Dr. Peter Black, the Chief Historian of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, explores the response in the United States to the events of the Holocaust era, focusing on the issues of immigration, pre-war refugee policy, and wartime rescue policy.
Dr. Marc Selverstone, of the Miller Center of Public Affairs, UVA, examines the role of the President as Commander-in-Chief, particularly how presidential powers are exercised and defined in wartime. Selverstone focuses on presidents of the 20th century.
To listen to this lecture, select "Part 2" under the December 7th listing.
Dr. Marc Selverstone, of the Miller Center of Public Affairs, UVA, examines the role of the President as Commander-in-Chief, particularly how presidential powers are exercised and defined in wartime. Selverstone focuses on presidents of the 20th century.
To listen to this lecture, select "Podcast Part 1" under the December 7th listing.
Jay Winik, author of the Lincoln biography April 1865: The Month That Saved America, looks at how Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee handled Lee's surrender at Appomattox; and considers the possible consequences if the surrender had not gone through or had proceeded poorly.
Idaho State University Political Science Professor David Gray Adler examines what he describes as the great constitutional crisis of the day: the usurpation and abdication of constitutional roles by President and Congress. Building his argument on the concerns of the Framers, Dr. Adler points to the endangerment to liberty posed by the erosion of checks and balances.
Audio and video options are available.