On the night of December 16th, 1773, the Boston Tea Party seized 342 crates of tea and threw them into the harbor. The action was taken in protest of the Tea Act passed on May 10, 1773, which allowed the British East India Company to undersell tea in the colonies, to the detriment of colonial merchants.
Over at the Washington Post’s “Answer Sheet,” David Bernstein laments the current state of most history classes in middle school and high school, noting that, by and large, his two sons (ages 7 and 15) mostly experience history in the form of “one big lesson in historic trivia.” No wonder, he writes, that so many students find history to be boring—and not worth their time to seriously study.
He continues:
As children prepare to go trick-or-treating tonight to celebrate Halloween–the evening before All Hallows (Saints’) Day–we have some suggested reading for the holiday: Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Ethan Brand.” Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-64) was born into an old, established New England family, and his great-great-grandfather, John Hathorne, was one of the judges who presided over the Salem Witch Trials. Enduring moral and religious questions, as they emerged in the life … 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