Social Education

By Robert Cohen
Many have questioned whether the document on which our nation is based sanctioned slavery. But renowned abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who originally condemned the Constitution, came to view it in a much different light.

• http://publications.socialstudies.org/se/7205/7205246.pdf

—Ed O’Brien
From airport security to wiretapping to racial profiling, in times of crisis, how do we balance the desire for personal freedom with the need for national security?

• http://publications.socialstudies.org/se/6507/650704.html

—Robert Cohen, Diana Turk, and Emily Klein
This sampling of comments posted in Washington Square Park after September 11 shows that, along with sadness and anger, a democratic spirit is alive and well in New York City.

• http://publications.socialstudies.org/se/6507/650701.html

—Brooke Graham Doyle
The Confederacy’s answer to revenue deficits during the Civil War was to print more money, leading to hyperinflation on an unprecedented scale.

• http://publications.socialstudies.org/se/6506/650607.html

—Charles F. Williams
The year 2000 was a significant one for the Supreme Court. Many decisions affected education and children—from tobacco advertising to religion in the schools.

• http://publications.socialstudies.org/se/6506/650605.html

—Karima Alavi
Common misperceptions about the religion of Islam threaten to distort views of Muslim Americans and their convictions. The author answers questions about the Muslim faith, community, and beliefs.

• http://publications.socialstudies.org/se/6506/650603.html

—Joan Brodsky Schur
The attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, had a profound impact on the nation and the world. A social studies teacher chronicles the events as they happened in her own neighborhood in lower Manhattan.

• http://publications.socialstudies.org/se/6506/650601.html

—Michael J. Berson and Bárbara C. Cruz
The seventy-fifth anniversary of the Buck v. Bell case is an appropriate time for students to explore the ethical questions underlying eugenics principles, policies, and practices—from Nazi Germany’s sterilization laws to the Human Genome Project.

• http://publications.socialstudies.org/se/6505/650507.html

—Arlene L. Gardner and John Chambers
By applying conflict resolution strategies to such events as the Mexican-American War, students grapple with difficult historical disputes, learn mediation and negotiation skills, and gain a deeper understanding of the costs, complexities, and consequences of conflict.

• http://publications.socialstudies.org/se/6505/650505.html

—Keith C. Barton
Elementary teachers can use historical photographs in the classroom to engage young students in authentic historical inquiry. Students’ critical skills develop beyond mere observation as they consider what life was like when the photographs were taken.

• http://publications.socialstudies.org/se/6505/650503.html