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Documents and Debates: The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb
On July 16, 1945, the USS Indianapolis slipped away from its moorings on Mare Island, California, headed for the South Pacific. The United States military command so heavily guarded the…
How Second-Generation Immigrants Develop the Skills and Convictions of Citizens
Today we feature Kevin Barney, a graduate of our Master of Arts in American History…
Springfield Bids Goodbye to President-Elect Abraham Lincoln
Few of us enjoy particular attention on the day before our birthdays. Yet on the…
How History Illuminates Literature, and Literature Deepens History
Why might teachers seeking a Masters’ degree in history and government take time to read…
The Ox-Bow Incident: Walter Van Tilburg Clark’s Critique of the Western
The American “western,” in the novels of Owen Wister, the stories of Zane Grey, and…
American Independence Begins on Favorable Terms: Continental Congress Ratifies the Treaty of Paris
This day, in a sense, marks the anniversary of the beginning of American independence. While…
The Whiskey Rebellion
President George Washington and Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton stepped into a carriage on Market Street…
The Healthy -Bickering Brothers of Battle Creek
Each January, as the holiday parties end and the decorations are stored away, millions of…
Madison and Jefferson Discuss the Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments to the Constitution, known to us as the Bill of Rights,…
No Less Than a Miracle
Writing this series of posts about Teaching American History’s Core Document Collection: Documents and Debates…
Timely Ideas: Lincoln’s Lyceum Address, Part II
On 27 January 1838, notable local lawyer Abraham Lincoln addressed the Young Men’s Lyceum in…
Today In History: Crystal Eastman Points the Way Towards the ERA
100 years ago today, on December 1, 1920 Crystal Eastman--a leader in the National Woman's…
On Horse-racing, Bank Runs, and Economic Collapse: What Caused the Great Depression
My favorite movie is Seabiscuit, the story of one broken horse and two broken men…
Preserving the Common Ground of American Citizenship: Jefferson’s First Inaugural, Part 2
Jefferson’s First Inaugural succeeded in its work of reconciliation, as the responses to it from…
Equality for Whom: Revolutionary Considerations of Citizenship and Self-Government
In 2018, my wife and I attended a One Day University event in Charlotte, NC,…
Electing the US President: What Happens Between Election Day and the Final Announcement of the Results?
Many predicted a complicated national election in 2020, in large part due to the circumstances…
Understanding the Immigrant Experience Through History and Literature
Pam Cummings, 2018 Madison Fellow for Arkansas and a student in the Master of Arts…
2020’s Complicated Election Process
During this pandemic year, far more voters than ever before are expected to use mail-in…
1774: The Year Between Resistance and Rebellion
Today we continue our exploration of Teaching American History's two-volume document collection, Documents and Debates…
For “Classical Leadership Education,” TAH Document Collections Ground History Study
Miles Mathews teaches 11th grade US history at the John Adams Academy (JAA), a public charter…
The Four Eras of Congress’ Evolution—and Devolution
Professor Joseph Postell has edited a new volume in our Core Document Collection, Congress (now…
September 25, 1789: Congress Proposes a Bill of Rights
On September 25, 1789, the first Congress of the United States agreed on a set…
Justice Denied: The Eugenics Crusade
Today we continue our exploration of Teaching American History's two-volume document collection, Documents and Debates…
For Constitution Day: Gordon Lloyd on James Madison’s Record of the Constitutional Convention
September 17—Constitution Day—commemorates the final day of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, when the delegates…
Teacher of the Year Takes on New Challenge: the Hybrid, Synchronous Classroom
As the 2020 school year begins in Florida, a months-long pandemic continues, putting new demands…
Chapter 3 Documents and Debates: Labor, Servitude and Slavery
Today's post is the latest in a series of articles highlighting the print and audio…
“The Starting Point” of the Abolitionist Movement: Morgan Godwyn’s Plea to Evangelize Slaves
Frederick Douglass, in one of his last speeches, drew attention to a little-known book published…
Let Us Have Peace: Reconstructing the West, Grant’s Peace Policy
On May 29, 1868, General Ulysses S Grant accepted the Republican nomination for president in…
Under Construction: Merchants and Morality in Colonial Massachusetts
Almost every American can close their eyes and picture the scene. A small ship arrives…
Engaging Students in America’s Past and Future
Angus McDougall, a teacher from Hiram, Ohio, enrolled in the Master of Arts in American…
Truths Held in Tension: Frederick Douglass’s “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”
Among speeches denouncing slavery, perhaps the most effective ever delivered is Frederick Douglass’s “What to…
The American Revolution: Professor Robert McDonald’s New Core Document Collection
On July 4, 2020, the 244th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, a new volume…
Federalism and Pandemics: A National Teachable Moment
“Emergencies are crucibles that contain and reveal the daily, slower burning problems of medicine and…
Eisenhower in a Time of Crisis
On June 5th, 1944, just one day before D-day’s Normandy landings, General Eisenhower composed a…
Role-Playing the Progressives of 1912: John Moser’s new Reacting to the Past Game
Professor John Moser is well known in the MAHG program for using carefully designed role-playing…
120 years of “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing”
A poem that went on to be adopted as the “black national anthem” – “Lift…
Inspired by George Washington, Teacher Brings Naturalization Ceremony to his High School
“We are a nation of immigrants,” says Sean Brennan, who teaches US government at Brecksville-Broadview…
Talking Across the Generations About History
“The vision of the founding fathers—and of all the other extraordinary people who carried our…
Lonely Dissenter: Jane Addams Reflects on her Peace-making Efforts During World War I
In her essay “Personal Reactions In Time of War,” Jane Addams describes her experience as…
The League of Nations Begins, the United States Abstaining
One hundred years ago this month, forty-one nations became founding members of the League of…
Stunning End to Cold War: The Fall of the Berlin Wall
November 9 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. This momentous…
Does the Presidency Function as the Founders Intended?
[caption id="attachment_36053" align="alignleft" width="307"] Professor Stephen F. Knott[/caption] In his new study of the presidency,…
As the SCOTUS Term Begins: Teaching What Free Speech Means
The first Monday in October traditionally opens the Supreme Court’s yearly term. To mark this…
Junípero Serra, Gaspar de Portolá, and the Spanish Conquest of California
Father Junípero Serra (1713–1784) founded the first Catholic “mission” in what is now present-day California…
For Constitution Day: Teaching the Blessings of Liberty
We rely on teachers of American history, government and civics to do the most critical…
African Americans Resist the Racial Violence of 1919: An Interview with David Krugler
A century ago, in the wake of a rapid demobilization of soldiers returning from World…
Did You Know…? Memorial Day
Did you know that the origins of this weekend's holiday honoring America's servicemen and women…
Truman’s Thankgiving Proclamation: “Liberty knows no race, creed, or class”