In this activity for secondary social studies students both rock and country-western music are used to analyze the different views held about the Vietnam War for nearly a decade. Specific songs are suggested. (RM)

Using primary source documents, this teaching unit focuses on the role monuments and memorials play in the culture. Teacher background materials include a unit overview and unit context, correlation to National Standards for United States History, unit objectives, a lesson plan list, and historical background on commemorative sculpture in the…

The complex and often contradictory relationship between Cesar Chavez and the various sectors of the Chicano movement during the crucial period of the American war in Vietnam are traced. A wide range of discursive and ideological elements taken from the moment achieves are described.

This article examines the role of popular music in the making and dissemination of "popular" history and the differences between "popular" or "vernacular" memories and the official versions of history handed down to us by elites. The principal focus is on three songs by the late Canadian singer-songwriter Stan Rogers…

Teachers often play a mistaken notion of lecturing their students about the importance of the past rather than allowing students to discover for themselves the significance of past events. In this article, the author talks about the "detective" strategy he used which strengthens the critical thinking and analyzing skills of his students in their…

Much of what students learn never appears to connect to their lives. They learn facts, they study events, and they read stories of others. Teachers need to help students make these associations, and sometimes that means expanding the curriculum. To help her language arts students make connections between their lives and the realities of life…

The author asserts that it is time for social studies teachers to engage students in a review of the rift between historical reality and mythology about Viet Nam, especially in light of recent comparisons that many have made between the Viet Nam War and the current situation in Iraq. Few teachers dealt with Viet Nam at the time of the war, and…

This paper presents an interview with Douglas Brinkley, an award-winning author and historian and director of Tulane University's Theodore Roosevelt Center for American Civilization. His wide-ranging portfolio includes books on John Kerry and the Vietnam War, Ronald Reagan and D-Day, Rosa Parks, Henry Ford, Dean Acheson and Jimmy Carter. He is…

Identifies the difficulties of teaching the Vietnam War. States that lack of adequate materials, student disinterest, and the complexity of the issue hinder instruction. Describes how some instructors approach the subject and concludes that interest in this area should be encouraged. (GEA)

Describes a course on the Vietnam War presented by the author to 19 secondary school teachers. The course sought to increase competency in teaching about the war by using readings, lectures, and guest speakers. Concludes that the course was a success because participants encouraged others in their departments to include the topic in their…

Describes the author's methods of teaching a high school course on the Vietnam War. The methods encourage student participation in discussions, role playing, and the questioning of guest speakers. Includes a list of written and audio visual materials used in the course. (GEA)

The traits of Lincoln the war president are distinguished from his influential executive strategies. (KM)

Discusses D. W. Griffith's perceptions of war, his idealized vision of the South before and after the Civil War, and his racism as evidenced in the film, "The Birth of a Nation." Considers responses to and effects of the film. (DMM)

This history explores the nature of postwar advocacy for women's higher education, acknowledging its unique relationship to the expectations of the era and recognizing its particular type of adaptive activism. Linda Eisenmann illuminates the impact of this advocacy in the postwar era, identifying a link between women's activism during World War II…

The Bush administration's public discourse after September 11 weaves a new story embedded in the national myth of the Old West. Seen in its historical context of a frontier political mentality reaching back to the early 19th century, and in its broader communication context as the rhetorical narration of a defining cultural myth, the tactical…