Oh, say can you see...

Here is the history of the "Star Spangled Banner." It includes lesson plans that you can use.

Photo Credit The Star Spangled Banner (The Story of the Flag)

All of American History on one Web Site

From Revolution to Reconsturction ... and What Happened Afterwards is a great website that includes Outlines of American History, Documents and Biographies . Don't let the name confuse you either. It has stuff from 1492 to the present.

The French and Indian War...

... or if you wish, you may call it the Seven Years War. This war did two things: it expanded British Territory in the New World and helped create a furvor for Indepence in the colonists.

There's a great television program that I discovered a few months ago on PBS about the war called "The War that Made America". The website has a lot of resources that the teacher can use, which can be found by clicking on here.

I've got one point that I would like to make about the French and Indian War. Isn't it interesting that the war was caused by a British military action that was led by George Washington? After the war, the British would begin taxing the colonies, which would lead to protests about "taxation without representation". These concerns would be among the major causes of the Revolutionary War. After winning the war, delegates from the states would write a constitution that would include the creation of the office of the President of the United States. Geo. Washington would be our first President.

So it could be said that Washington in starting the French and Indian War ensured that he would eventually become President of the United States.

Hmmm ... very interesting.

So, You Say You Want a Revolution....

It's a living history museum, it's a research center, it's a website ... it's Colonial Williamsburg. This site is a great resource for U.S. colonial and revolutionary history.

Check out the Teacher Resources which includes lesson plans, journal articles and activities.

Archaeology Teacher Resources

Here are some archaeology teacher resources from The Achaeology Channel.

Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parks

Speaking of Civil Rights: how about having students learn about Rosa Parks? There is an excellent video issued by "Teaching Tolerance" called Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parks. It shows the true history of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. For instance, it is often taught that Rosa Parks was tired one day coming home from work and decided on the spur of the moment to sit down in the white section of the bus. Because she was arrested for breaking the law, blacks spontaneously protested her unfair treatment by refusing to take the city buses. The true history is that this was not the first time that Mrs. Parks deliberately broke the law regarding bus segregation. Also, she was not some random person who decided to challenge the system. She was very active in the civil rights movement. For years civil rights leaders were looking for the ideal case to challenge segregation. Mrs. Parks was the perfect person for this cause - she was strong willed and idealistic. They knew she could handle herself when death threats came her way.

Best of all: the video is FREE to schools and teachers!

Teaching with Music: U2's "Pride"

"Early Morning, April 4..."

U2 lyricist and lead singer Bono might not be the most accurate historian, but he did write a good song about Martin Luther King. Dr. King was shot in the evening, not the morning, of April 4, 1968.

Here are the lyrics to Pride (In the Name of Love).

I am not sure if high school students still listen to U2, but it might be a good way to segue into a discussion about MLK and civil rights.

Video for MLK Day

On this MLK Day, MSNBC has posted video of newsreports, speeches and interviews about, by and with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.. Although Dr. King was not the only important civil rights leader in American history, he is certainly the most celebrated. Have students discover why we celebrate Dr. King's legacy with a national holiday.

Photo Credit: MSN Slate: Today's Pictures

U.S. History for Kids

U.S. history is brought alive for kids through stories, trivia and activities at America's Story. This site, which was created by the Library of Congress, is geared for the younger audience. However, as an adult, I found myself perusing the site for couple of hours. It's very entertaining and informative.

A Little Humor....

Want to learn about the history of European / Native American relations in five minutes? Read this transcript from a radio play done by the Firesign Theatre titled Temporarily Humbolt County. It's really funny!

I especially like when the Spaniards start signing "God Bless Vespucciland". The joke is that America was named after Amerigo Vespucci. However, why would it have been named after his first name and not his last?

Enjoy!

National Geographic has great lesson plans

You can find lesson plans everywhere, and often they are free! Check out the National Geographic Xpeditions website. It includes lesson plans, activities, maps and geographic standards for all grades, K-12. Where else could you find better geography lessons than in National Geographic?

Here's an example of a lesson plan that I liked: The United States at Night. In the lesson, students hypothesize how the United States might look like at night based settlement patterns and other factors.

A good teacher resource

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History includes a number of primary documents, exhibitions, and lesson plans that teachers can use in their classrooms.

Popular History Magazines

Although I love to read scholarly journals, there a lot to be said about articles found in popular history maganizes. Although these articles tend not to include references, often many are still well researched and written.

Weider History Group publishes a number of history magazines. The company's website HistoryNet.Com includes many articles from its magazines.

Online American History Journal

I found a great online American history journal called History Now. It is published quarterly on the web with each issue focusing on a specific topic. For instance, the December, 2006 issue is about nineteenth century technology. Each issue includes five or six short articles, links, and lesson plans. It appears to be a good resource for teachers, students, and anyone else who wants to learn a little about American history.

History of the Middle East in 90 seconds

So, I take it that you don't like to spend a lot of time studying history and geography? Well, how about spending just 90 seconds learning about the Imperial History of the Middle East?

What a time saver!

History of Religion in 90 seconds

In the past 5,000 years, five major religions have spread throughout the world by conversion and conquest. You can spend years studying this history, or you can take a 90 second tour of the History of Religion.

How much time do you have?

Slave populations prior to the Civil War

Did the issue of slavery cause the Civil War? This is debatable. However, one can say that slavery was at least one of the important factors that lead to divisions between the North and the South.

How important was slavery in the United States before the war? One way we can understand this is to look at slave populations figures. Take a look at the 1860 U.S. Census.

Some facts:

* 8% of households in the United States owned slaves.

* 13% of the population were slaves.

* Two states had slave populations that were more than 50% of the general population: South Carolina (57%) and Mississippi (55%).

* Four slave states would stay in the union during the Civil War: Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland and Deleware.