The Citizen U curriculum is a collaboration between the Barat Education Foundation (BEF), Constitutional Rights Foundation (CRF), and DePaul University’s Office of Innovative Professional Learning (DePaul OIPL) and was developed thanks to a grant from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program.The goal of the Citizen U curriculum is to infuse civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions across the core subjects in elementary, middle, and high school grades. Working with … [Read more...]
Primary Source Learning to Develop Civic Competencies
January 25, 2018 by Leave a Comment
In the Guardian of Democracy: the Civic Mission of Schools report, Lee H. Hamilton, founder of the Center on Congress and U.S. Representative from Indiana (1965 to 1999), wrote: Citizenship requires both knowledge about government and the ability to be involved in governance. It means knowing how to identify and inform yourself about issues, explore and evaluate possible solutions, and then act to resolve problems. It demands that you know how to interact respectfully with others. And it asks … [Read more...]
Timely Connections: Immigrant Soldiers
November 7, 2017 by Leave a Comment
The United States is a nation of immigrants, many of whom have served the country in times of need. Below you will find links to news articles about immigrant soldiers, historical background resources, and related primary sources and teaching resources. How does studying sources from the past inform your understanding of the contemporary debate surrounding immigrants in the U.S. armed forces?Articles2018U.S. Army Discharges Immigrant Soldiers Seeking Citizenship NPR July 6, … [Read more...]
Primary Source & Civic Learning
October 24, 2017 by Leave a Comment
The Barat Education Foundation (BEF), a long time member of the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Program (TPS), began working with the Constitutional Rights Foundation (CRF) in 2016 to create multidisciplinary lessons that feature primary sources from the Library of Congress and infuse civic learning across the curriculum (stay tuned, coming soon).Primary source learning engages students through inquiry, provides them with access to different perspectives, helps them to … [Read more...]
Learning from the Source: Cesar Chavez & Good Citizenship
December 8, 2015 by Leave a Comment
This activity is adapted from lessons in the Barat Education Foundation Our American Voice® program. This civics program for 4-8 graders features a spiral curriculum and emphasizes critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills as students learn the fundamentals of American democracy and work to create positive change in their communities. Overview Using Cesar Chavez as an example, students consider how good citizens contribute to their communities and work together to affect … [Read more...]
Learning from the Source: Pledge of Allegiance Image Sequencing
August 24, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Most school children in the United States recite the Pledge of Allegiance every morning. But what does the pledge really mean? By pairing primary sources with the text, students will deepen their understanding of a citizen's commitment to country.Image sequencing materialsPledge of Allegiance Image Sequencing Worksheet Pledge of Allegiance Images Pledge of Allegiance Image CitationsImage sequencing resources & activitiesAbout image sequencing activities … [Read more...]
Today in History: Indian Citizenship Act
June 2, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Today in History–June 2–the Library of Congress features the Indian Citizenship Act, enacted on this date in 1924. The act finally granted official U.S. citizenship to to all Native Americans born in the U.S. But because voting rights were governed by state law, some Native American citizens were barred from voting in political elections until 1957. Find out more by visiting the Today in History section, then click the links below to access more stories and primary sources related to Indian, or … [Read more...]
Featured Source: Chinese Citizenship in Hawaii
May 20, 2015 by Leave a Comment
This 1906 newspaper article quotes a 1904 magazine editorial, which sums up the "widely prevailing sentiment against the Chinese immigrant laborer in the United States." Make a list of the arguments for the "defense of our political antagonism to the Chinaman".The first page of the newspaper article responds to three arguments. Choose one and summarize the comparisons and contrasts the journalist highlights between the Chinese immigrant experience in mainland America and Hawaii. Share your … [Read more...]
Today in History: Religious Freedom
August 17, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Today in History–August 17–the Library of Congress features a letter dated August 17, 1790 that George Washington penned to Moses Seixas, a prominent Jewish leader in Rhode Island, that articulated Washington’s belief in religious freedom and the first presidential affirmation of the free and equal status of Jewish-American citizens. "All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class … [Read more...]
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