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.

National History Education Clearinghouse

The National History Education Clearinghouse recently completed a major redesign of the website. The NHEC is the single destination for K-12 American history content, teaching methods, and current research, funded by the U.S. Department of Education. New features make the site more user friendly. You will find plenty of online primary sources and multimedia, videos of teachers in action, helpful guides to teaching with technology or historic sites, Teaching American History project spotlights and lessons learned, and much more.

Market Day

As the year draws to a close and I can introduce some more involved projects into my social studies classroom, I would like to share a project that several teachers in our building participate in. The project is used as a culminating activity with our economics unit. While learning essential economics material such as supply and demand, the factors of production, and scarcity, the students spend time at home creating a business with a partner. Their goal is to create and produce an individually packaged, homemade product to sell to the rest of the class as well as to students from other classes.

Students earn "money" for good behavior, homework, good citizenship, etc. in the weeks leading up to the fair. They can then use their money to purchase items from other students that they like or need. Each classroom sets up a store where a desk is transformed into a point of sale. We invite other staff members and administrators to shop at the stores as well. A good time is had by all while the students are learning about the buying and selling of goods in a hands on fashion!

Bring History Back to your Students

Last summer I was fortunate enough to attend a National Endowment for the Humanities grant program at the Henry Ford. I traveled to Detroit for the week and was immersed in American History while visiting the sites at Greenfield Village, The Henry Ford Museum, and The Rouge Plant. While I had previously visited these sites as a child, I found an immense appreciation for the passion for education that Henry Ford had as I visited the sites again as a teacher. Many people are not aware that Henry Ford spent millions of dollars hand-plucking the artifacts and buildings included in his museums from all across America in an effort to preserve American culture and share it with future generations. The entire visit I couldn't help but think to myself how perfect these sites would be to teach my children American History and show them firsthand what life was like in different time periods. I fully realize that this aspiration is completely in vain, as we can hardly gain permission to travel an hour away from school, let alone three, and I know that many of you face the same dilemma that I do. However, I do encourage you, as summer approaches, to plan a weekend trip to The Henry Ford and take photos for your students. I cannot tell you how many times I have referenced a photo with my students this year. I have been able to bring my students closer to everything from plantation life (Susqhehanna) to the colonial time period (Daggert Farm). Not only are they able to see these things, but they are much more intrigued by my personal stories and pictures from the trip. Along with being an educational resource, The Henry Ford truly is an enjoyable trip, especially if you have never visited before. More information is available at: http://www.thehenryford.org/. I hope you love it as much as I do!

Field Trip Photographs

While I am not known for my skills as a photographer, I have done my best to document field trips and seminars. Some of the photographs may be useful to take your students on virtual field trips of historic sites. Photos from the Back to History program are available here. Please send your photos to Kristina if you would like to have them posted on this site.

Mine Safety & Health Administration Digital Library

A useful resource for studying local and state industry, geography, and even current events, the MSHA Digital Library contains mining photographs, video, and documents from 1901-present. Users can search for material by subject or time period.

Vote for the Next Ohioan for National Statuary Hall

Have you done units on Ohio inventors, abolition, the suffrage movement, the Civil War, the individual in history, civil rights, or maybe 20th century science and technology? If so, you have encountered individuals whom could soon be memorialized as one of Ohio’s two representatives in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol. You and your students can vote for your favorite. Ballots can be mailed to the Ohio Historical Society or dropped off at a historic site such as Newark Earthworks. Ballot and list of ten finalist are available here.

States' Rights

Attorneys general from 13 states filed a lawsuit against the federal government. The lawsuit claims that the health care bill signed by President Obama on March 23 contains a provision that is unconstitutional. The proponents of the lawsuit are citing the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which reserves powers of the states and people. Henry McMaster, South Carolina's Attorney General, sees the provision - mandating that all citizens and legal residents purchase qualifying health care coverage - as an attack on the sovereignty of the states and the liberty of the people.

The battle of states' rights is not novel. In the late 18th century, Anti-Federalists supported self-government of states and feared that the authority of a strong central government would lead to the loss of individual and states rights. In the Antibellum period, southern states lost power in Congress because their population was not increasing as rapidly as the north's. The southern states sought to assert their individual power and break free from federal authority, ultimately leading to secession. Issues of states' rights continued into the 20th century with the passage of the 17th Amendment.

The current debate over states' rights can be used to connect with historic debates over states' rights, whether you are studying the founding of the U.S. government, New Deal legislation, or racial segregation.

Women's History Month

March is Women's History Month, and this would make it a great opportunity to discuss the life and accomplishments of Jane Addams with your class. The book that Kristina gave to us is a very informative and easy to read edition. The book tells the story of Jane Addams in an interesting and engaging way, not just narrating the events that took place in Jane Addams’ life but also capturing the personality of the lady who had a profound effect on the people and events of her times. Readers will be left wondering how it is that they did not know more about this extraordinary woman who did so much, who gave so much of herself, and who had so much hope for the future.