American Revolution: Experience of Women

Hey high school teachers. I have a question regarding the American Revolutionary War. As I have began my research for our summer institute, I began to wonder how our subject is taught today. I am a third grade teacher so I do not touch anything close to the American Rev. War. Our topic is the effects of women in the war. I do not remember learning anything about this when I went to school, but I am hoping this has changed. Is women in the American Rev. War mentioned in your curriculum or is it an area that is still neglected. I was just curious after doing some light research.

Teaching Military History

In addition to operational history, military history includes the study of foreign policy, immigration legislation, the role of minorities, economics, and more. The Foreign Policy Research Institute programs on teaching military history provides streaming video and audio of speakers from a variety of events from America in the Civil War Era to The Cold War Revisited and associated classroom lessons. Visit the site here.

Making a Difference Lesson

I found a great lesson plan on the ODE website. It is called "Making a Difference" for second grade for the following benchmark: recognizing that the actions of individuals make a difference and relate the stories of people from diverse backgrounds who have contributed to the heritage of the US. Basically the student chooses someone to research and looks for what that individual has accomplished and his/her leadership qualitites, etc. The plan has several activities students can complete and it includes a rubic for assessment, differentiation ideas, and extension activities. I thought Mandy's lesson [May seminar] using the quotes would also be great with this lesson. I would probably have students give presentations about their person of interest, which could be explorers or inventors, or scientists. Then after all the presentations, the class could do the quote activity and see if they select the right person with the right quotes!

America: The Story of Us

Hey B2H'ers! This obviously is my first time posting. Actually, I have tried a couple of times, but failed.
I would like to blog @ The History Channel's "America, The Story of Us". I dvr'd the first few 2hour episodes with trepidation. I had a feeling it was going to be another boooooring history show, or one that was pure fluff. Boy, was I wrong! I have totally become interested and impressed with this 12 episode series. I think it is very well done! New episodes are presented in 2 hour blocks with repeats shown in one hour increments.

It would seem to appeal to a serious history buff as well as those just casually into history. I hope students would really enjoy it in addition to learning. I believe they will not be bored! Check it out! Also, if your principal registers on the History Channel website...your school can get the whole dvd set for free!

Puritan versus Pilgrim

Some clarification of our discussion during the primary source activity. In general, the term Puritan refers to a varied group of religious reformers. Specifically, these reformers were the separating Puritans (known to us as Pilgrims) who founded the Plymouth Colony and the non-separating Puritans who wished to reform the Church of England and who settled Massachusetts Bay. In other words, the Pilgrims of Plymouth were Puritans, but the Puritans of Massachusetts Bay and in many other New England communities were not Pilgrims since they did not wish to separate from the Church of England.

I recommend Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick for a frank, eloquent description of Pilgrim settlement. For a more humorously discussion of the Pilgrim mythology , check out the prologue and chapter 13 of Tony Horwitz's A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World.

Some essential questions to build off of the discussion of Puritan Ideology:

1. Do we really have a separation of church and state in the United States?
2. How important was "freedom" to 17th century colonists?
3. How did having a religious centered government affect the rights of people like Roger Williams, Mary Dyer and Anne Hutchinson and what effect did this have on the Massachusetts Bay colony?
4. What is your (or any individual's) responsibility to the community, and what is the community's responsibility to you and other individuals.
5. What is the relationship between freedom and responsibility?
6. Were the Puritans Puritanical?
7. Why would the 17th century Puritans accept the doctrine of predestination?
8. How successful was the "city upon a hill" model?

BTH Reflections

It's been another great year in our Back to History Class! I would like to share my Top Ten moments. 10. That some hunter-gatherers that tried agriculture went back to being hunter-gatherers (actually, this was from last year!) 9. John Glenn's dad was out of a job for 6 years, and his mom was really good at doing more with less. 8. That even into the 1950's, history books taught that slaves needed the security of having masters (Rucker) (how could people be so stupid!) 7. That after a year of trying to get my at-risk kids interested in primary sources, and history in general, the movie "Kitt Kittredge: An American Girl" was the hook that got them! They wrote great responses to: What effects did the Great Depression have on families? 6. "Celebration" means "who knows?" when you are talking about mounds (Lepper). 5. Political cartoons are great. 4. Enslaved women carried out the day-to-day resistance.(Rucker) 3. The Hull House Association is still helping people in Chicago, today. 2. John Parker always carried a gun, and probably owed his life to his dog. 1. My students telling me to "calm down," when I am talking to them about our history. Thanks!

Good Books for WWII and Iraq

Hi, this is my first blog (ever!) I picked up a book at the library to possibly use to support our US History Class. It was Ryan Smithson's autobiographical Ghosts of War: The True Story of a 19-Year-old GI. I kept it around, hoping we would get past WWII. Although I am still not sure I will get to use it this year, it was a great book! It is an easy read (I read it while sitting in my car during lunch periods), but details Ryan's journey from deciding to enlist to his readjustment at the end of his deployment. I don't really have any students that talk about enlisting, but this would be an excellent way to get a picture of what happens. It is mild enough for probably 5th grade or up, but should be previewed to see if it is fitting for a particular audience. It would be a good starting point for discussion of patriotism, effects on family, living in fear, etc.

The other book I reread (after 42 years!) was John Hersey's Hiroshima. It's still a great book for use during study of WWII. We just finished reading about the German surrender, so next week, I hope to use this as part of our study of the Pacific theatre.

Puritan Ideology

Passages from the sermon that would have influenced Morgan to believe Winthrop's Modell has been referred to as primarily "an appeal for subjection to authority" are: first to hold conformity with rest of his world, being delighted to show forth the glory of his wisdom in the variety and difference of the creatures; secondly that he might have the more occasion to manifest the work of his Spirit: first upon the wicked in [Page 34] moderating and restraining them; thirdly, that every man might have need of others, and from hence they might be all Knitt more ready together in the Bonds of brotherly affection.
Subjection to authority was necessary because the "Puritans thus found it necessary, almost at once, to begin to delineate the lines between the freedom of the individual to follow his own dreams and the responsibility of the society for maintaining order" (Oscar Habdlin, p. X). In other words the power at be did not want to see the little people take a stand become rulers of their own destiny.
Winthrop would have delivered this sermon on board The Arabella as opposed to during church service once they arrived on shore because the text was not written by a dramatist or an ecclesiastic. It was transcribed by an administrator. The exhortation was a deed of guidance. We must keep in mind these people were on a ship in the middle of nowhere. Once they reached dry land the individuals could possibly go in any direction their hearts desired. Winthrop's religious speech was a decree for allegiance and observation. He wanted to make sure no one was acting or communicating something that challenged the establishment or the religious denomination.
According to my interpretations of the reading material by Edmund S. Morgan and John Winthrop, the Puritan Society was deemed by many as an admirable political enterprise. There are people in this nation that judged the Puritans as moral genealogists, philosophical and spiritual. Many of the people were extremely cultivated, profoundly doctrinated, and astonishingly energetic. The quirkiness of three famous Puritans-Anne Hutchinson, Roger Williams, and John Winthrop has been exposed. Surprisingly, there is a positive note to this discussion. The Hutchinson River in New York is named after Anne Hutchinson, and a primary thoroughfare is named after the river. Roger Williams was an arcgitect in Rhode Island and creator of the First Amendment. John Winthrop was governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Senator John Kerry is a Winthrop progeny. Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin was a puritan offspring and a nineteenth-century abolitionist. I truly enjoyed the reading materials on the Puritan Ideology. Many of the people during that era were more than energetic-they were downright pugnacious!

Kent State Shootings Audio Recording

On May 9, 2010, the Cleveland Plain Dealer ran a story on the front page titled,"New analysis of 40-year-old recording of Kent State shootings reveals that Ohio Guard was given an order to prepare to fire." Media outlets across the country ran similar pieces in the past few days.

A 30-minute reel-to-reel tape made by a Kent State student whose dorm room overlooked the campus commons was enhanced and evaluated by forensic audio experts. Their analysis indicates that an unidentified voice shouts "Guard" followed by "All right, prepare to fire." Does this prove that the Ohio National Guardsmen who fired into the crowd of protesters were given orders? Does this change our understanding of the events of May 4, 1970? How might this change the way you teach this period of American history?

Visit the "It Happened in Ohio: The Kent State Shootings" Ohio Pix Gallery and the Kent State University Libraries' May 4 Collection.

My history lesson at the Boston Marathon

On April 19, 2010 I ran in the 114th Boston Marathon. It is the oldest and most prestigious marathon in the world. One reason is that in order to run Boston you need to qualify. To qualify for Boston women 18-34 years old need to run a qualifying marathon in 3:40:59 and men 18-34 need to run a 3:10:59. I qualified at Columbus running a 3:11:36. I learned in my preparation for Boston that women were not allowed to run the Boston Marathon until 1972. The first woman, Kathrine Switzer, ran Boston wearing a bib number in 1967 by registering using her initials K.V. Switzer. The race director was unsuccessful in trying to rip her bib number off and forcing her off the course at mile 5 and she was the first woman to cross the finish line wearing a bib number. I got to meet her at the Expo, have my picture taken with her and have her autograph a copy of her book. This meant a lot to me because if it were not for her courage and determination in 1967 it may not have been possible for me and other women to run the Boston Marathon. Also, the Boston Marathon is held every year on Patriot's Day, the third Monday in April. Patriot's Day is a holiday in recognition of Paul Revere's ride. Schools and many businesses are closed. While in Boston I was able to take a walking tour of the "Freedom Trail". I saw the spot where the Boston Massacre took place, where they first read the Declaration of Independence, The Old State House and many other historical sites. Running the Boston Marathon made me feel special to be a part of something that not everyone gets the opportunity to do and an event that is so rich in history. It is something I will remember forever. Also, history was made at the 114th Boston Marathon when a new course record was set for the men and I get to say that I ran in the footsteps of the elite runner that set a new course record. I crossed the finish line in 3 hours and 15 minutes with a wonderful feeling of accomplishment, pride and being a part of history.