Yesterday, we featured W. E. B. Du Bois’ short story “On Being Crazy” as a good way to help students understand “the African American Experience and the Need for Civil Rights,” which is the goal of the second chapter in our new ebook celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Today, we feature a selection from the next chapter, which focuses on the goals of the Civil Rights Movement.
In … Read more »
Written in 1907 by scholar, author, civil rights activist, and cofounder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) W. E. B. Du Bois (1868–1963), the short story “On Being Crazy” provides a first-person encounter with racial discrimination in public accommodations. The story was written in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 1883 ruling in the Civil Rights Cases, when sanctioned and state-enforced segregation became … Read more »
Eighty-four years ago today, on January 15, 1929, the civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the second of three children to Reverend Martin Luther King Sr. and his wife Alberta. As we prepare to celebrate King’s birthday on Monday—the official Martin Luther King Jr. Day—we will be using this week to feature stories and texts from our latest ebook, “The Meaning of Martin … Read more »
Next Monday, January 21, the nation will stop and observe the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., who was born on January 15, 1929. A Baptist minister and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, King advocated nonviolence while leading the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s and 1960s and famously articulated a vision of America wherein every citizen truly had equal rights. Although King championed nonviolence, his life was tragically … Read more »
On January 7, 1891, the African American author and folklorist Zora Neale Hurston was born in Notasulga, Alabama. At age three, she moved with her family to Eatonville, Florida, one of the first all-black towns incorporated after the Emancipation Proclamation, and later attended Howard University in Washington, DC. After earning an associate’s degree at Howard, she was offered a scholarship to Barnard College, Columbia University, where she studied anthropology and … Read more »
Our January newsletter is out! WSPWH editor Diana Schaub and Charles Kesler (Claremont Institute) discuss the differences between Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X and how black leaders have helped to shape our understanding of what it means to be an American; Leon R. Kass and Walter Berns review Steven Spielberg’s film Lincoln and the lasting impact of our 16th president’s words and deeds; and be on the look-out for … Read more »
As we continue to prepare for Thanksgiving Day on Thursday, today we bring you another selection from our ebook, “The Meaning of Thanksgiving”: Dorothy Canfield Fisher’s short story “A New Pioneer.” The story is written for and about young schoolchildren, and is a great story to use with children to discuss the meaning of Thanksgiving—and the meaning of America. In the story, Dorothy Canfield Fisher (1879–1958)—American author, education reformer, … Read more »
The first national Thanksgiving authorized by the federal government took place in 1789, the first year of George Washington’s presidency, when President Washington recognized November 26 as “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer.”
With Thanksgiving just a few days away, take some time to read Washington’s thoughtful proclamation, which is part of our new ebook on The Meaning of Thanksgiving. As you do, … Read more »
With Thanksgiving Day less than a week away, it is time to turn our attention to examining what the holiday means and how we can properly observe it. It is, in other words, a great time to check out our latest ebook in our American Calendar curriculum series: “The Meaning of Thanksgiving.”
With selections from American authors and statesmen such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Jack London, Read more »
This Sunday, November 11, is Veterans Day–a holiday we have been preparing for all week.
In this Veterans Day speech to the Semper Fi Society of St. Louis, Lieutenant General John F. Kelly, US Marine Corps, pays a moving tribute to the heroism of our warriors. He makes clear the debt of gratitude that the rest of us owe these dedicated men and … Read more »
Distinguished scholar-teachers Amy and Leon Kass demonstrate how short stories, speeches, and songs can be used to enhance civic education and how a pedagogical approach that stresses learning through inquiry can make primary sources come alive for students of all ages.
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“What a wonderful collection of American songs, speeches, and stories. It should be valuable for teachers, students, parents, and readers of all kinds.”
— Diane Ravitch