Presents the story of the Star-Spangled Banner, explaining that Francis Scott Key's poem is not mere patriotic rhetoric, but is rooted in an important moment in U.S. history and in the joy that Key felt when the dawn revealed the American flag still flying over Fort McHenry following the destruction of Washington, D.C. and attack on Baltimore. (SM)

Describes the Nashville (Tennessee) lunch-counter sit-ins in 1960, civil-rights demonstrations led by students, and the resultant boycott of downtown businesses by blacks and sympathetic, or uneasy, whites. Many participants in the Nashville sit-ins went on to larger roles in the civil-rights movement. (SLD)

Paintings can fulfill many different pedagogical purposes. They can illuminate and bring to life historical events and characters. Paintings and other images can also make students aware of a point of view (the artist's commentary), which enriches and modifies the history they find in books and documents. This article provides examples of teaching…

Traces the history of Al Shanker's work in building the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), focusing on his tenure as president of the organization. During his presidency, the AFT won 1,249 elections involving half a million people and added 373 locals to its membership. (SLD)

Recounts experiences of the author as one of the black students who integrated Central High School in Little Rock (Arkansas) in 1957 and presents a retrospective as she looks back on her story and the civil rights movement. (SLD)