NCSS Online Teachers' Library
Historical Fiction to Historical Fact: [em]Gangs of New York[/em] and the Whitewashing of History
Submitted by Jennifer Bauduy on Tue, 07/28/2009 - 2:12pm--Benjamin Justice
Martin Scorsese’s movie joins a long list of films that have attempted to cater to the public’s fascination with history. Although promises of historical accuracy may woo movie goers to the theater, the author argues that big budget films should not pass fiction off as fact.
Printer-friendly versionThe Escape of the [em]Pearl[/em]
Submitted by Jennifer Bauduy on Tue, 07/28/2009 - 2:24pm--Susan Hoffman Fishman
The attempted escape of more than seventy slaves aboard a ship called the Pearl spotlights issues of morality and law, slavery in a democratic society, and the inherent challenges in deciphering history.
“The World Hangs in the Balance”: George C. Marshall and the European Recovery Plan
Submitted by Jennifer Bauduy on Tue, 07/28/2009 - 2:39pm--Rachel Yarnell Thompson
This retrospective on the Marshall Plan for post-World War II Europe offers an assessment of a successful U.S. reconstruction program that benefited both the donor and the recipients.
The Flag and Freedom
Submitted by Jennifer Bauduy on Tue, 07/28/2009 - 2:44pm--Jolene Chu and Donna P. Couper
In 1935, two Jehovah’s Witness school children refused to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, a battle they took all the way to the Supreme Court. Sixty years later, the role of the Pledge of Allegiance in our nation’s schools remains a hotly debated issue.
Affidavit in the Case of [em]Orville and Wilbur Wright vs. Glenn H. Curtiss[/em]
Submitted by Jennifer Bauduy on Tue, 07/28/2009 - 2:49pm--Kahlil G. Chism and Lee Ann Potter
Orville and Wilbur Wright were not the only inventors working on airplane innovations. But the Wright brothers’ patent gave them a tremendous advantage and inhibited manufacturers from producing planes for a time just before World War I.
Affidavit in the Case of [em]Orville and Wilbur Wright vs. Glenn H. Curtiss[/em] (Teaching with Documents)
Submitted by Jennifer Bauduy on Tue, 07/28/2009 - 2:50pm--Kahlil G. Chism and Lee Ann Potter
Orville and Wilbur Wright were not the only inventors working on airplane innovations. But the Wright brothers’ patent gave them a tremendous advantage and inhibited manufacturers from producing planes for a time just before World War I.
Connecting with the Past (Teaching with Documents)
Submitted by Jennifer Bauduy on Tue, 07/28/2009 - 2:55pm--Lee Ann Potter
History becomes much more than past events and important dates, when students investigate the subtle clues buried in primary sources: Battle of Gettysburg map (1863); Yeager's letter about his flight of the XS-1 (1947); Manhattan Project letter (1945).
Primarily, It’s Serendipity (Teaching with Documents)
Submitted by Jennifer Bauduy on Tue, 07/28/2009 - 2:56pm--James A. Percoco
The correspondence between a baseball commissioner and President Franklin Roosevelt offers a creative approach to teaching World War II during baseball season.
Bioterror
Submitted by Jennifer Bauduy on Wed, 07/29/2009 - 9:29am--Ruth Levy Guyer and Jonathan D. Moreno
Since September 11, the fear of a bioterrorist attack has become widespread. The authors look at the roots of bioterrorism, as well as the recent anthrax scare, and suggest ways that teachers can address bioterrorism with their students.
In the Wake of September 11: Civil Liberties and Terrorism (Looking at the Law)
Submitted by Jennifer Bauduy on Wed, 07/29/2009 - 9:32am--Bruce G. Peabody
The conflict between civil liberties and the “war on terrorism” involves three specific issues: the government’s right to eavesdrop on conversations between alleged terrorists and their attorneys, deportation and the “right to be silent,” and military tribunals.
