Few events in American history are so universally deplored as the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. The United States government has acknowledged the error and the injustice that resulted with an official Presidential apology and a Congressional disbursement of reparations to the victims of the incarceration policy. The…

The author has been asked to discuss academic freedom and political correctness in wartime or times of great stress. He talks about real threats to security--not the danger that one will be offended by a student's or professor's arguably sexist, racist, or homophobic point-of-view and will feel dis-empowered, demeaned, or stripped of self-esteem.…

President George W. Bush's approach to education policy has earned him cautious plaudits from otherwise hostile critics, who see much to admire in the implementation of standards for education. However useful such standards for testing students' technical skills like arithmetic and reading, they create problems for less-standardized processes like…

Considering the sizable number of visitors to the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument on the Crow Indian Reservation in southeastern Montana each year (more than four hundred thousand in fiscal year 2002), careful examination of the prominence of "Custer's Last Stand" in American mythology, and the widespread use of the phrase…

This manual builds on the UNA-USA/Gainsville work to help volunteers prepare to "teach peace" during the 50th anniversary of the United Nations, and to provide educational resources for UN50. The document includes: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Preparing for the Training"; (3) "Workshop 1: Preparing the…

This textbook explores the years after World War II when the United States became the world's greatest power. It discusses U.S. uneasiness with its postwar role as global policeman, even as the country fought to keep countries across the world from becoming part of the Soviet Union's communist empire. There were battles at home, too, with the…

U.S. children who were of school age during World War II underwent a socialization process that led them to have great pride in their country, to believe in the moral certainty of U.S. victory, and to feel united in their participation on the homefront. Excerpts from letters of individuals who were school-aged during the War are used to illustrate…

Reviews U.S. interventionism from the Truman administration to the Reagan administration. Assesses how intervention has been initiated, justified, and prolonged in the past, stating that future policy must be based upon historical realities rather than on ideology, inherited doctrines, resolutions, or vague treaties. (GEA)

Five "rock music as history" teaching units, each revolving around a particular socio-political theme, are presented. The themes are civil authorities, military involvements, the public education system, railroads, and representative government. (RM)

This lesson describes and discusses the Battle of Bunker Hill (Massachusetts), which took place during the Revolutionary War. The lesson plan contains eight sections: (1) "About this Lesson"; (2) "Getting Started: Inquiry Question"; (3) "Setting the Stage: Historical Context"; (4) "Locating the Site: Maps"…

Maintains that hundreds of books are being published to commemorate the end of World War II. Asserts that the books will change certain thinking about the world of the 1930s and 1940s and the ways to teach about the war. Provides a bibliographic essay of some of the new books, particularly those that incorporate oral history. (CFR)

Contends that war fiction published by U.S. women has evolved as a genre of its own in the twentieth century. Asserts that the common element that unites this otherwise diverse body of literature is the constant reminder that women as well as men are participants and victims in war. (CFR)

The American Civil War transformed societies' beliefs about education, as well as state policy regarding schools. The common schools of the 1850s tended to be locally funded, selective, and voluntary institutions. The Civil War, and the widespread belief, especially in the North, that a national system of common schools might have averted that…

Details combat and conflicts between Native Americans and settlers before, during, and following the Civil War. Shows how the involvement of tribes in the Civil War and Reconstruction diminished their martial power and made them certain marks for conquest and relegation to reservations. (JHZ)

Recounts the events of the Battle of Little Bighorn through U.S. cavalry reports, interviews given by Indian warriors present at the battle, and maps (tracings) made of the battle. Gives teaching suggestions for map analysis and includes a map with instructions and a reading list. (GG)