Explore the ways the free press has covered major events in history dating back to the American Revolution with PBS NewsHour EXTRA's interactive Journalism in Action: Civic Engagement and Primary Sources Through Key Moments in History, a website supported by a grant from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources program. Fun, engaging civic activities for middle and high school students illuminate historical documents and help students make their own judgments using news … [Read more...]
Timely Connections: U.S. Government Shutdowns
The latest U.S. government shutdown, begun on December 22, 2018 and suspended on January 25, 2019 is the longest in history. Find out what happens during a government shutdown. Read news articles following the suspension of the shutdown. Review timelines of past shutdowns from various news sources. Investigate historical and current legislation related to U.S. government shutdowns. Then consider problems and solutions to government shutdowns. Q&A: Everything You Should Know About … [Read more...]
Timely Connections: Slavery & Compromise
In a Fox News interview with White House chief of staff John Kelly on Oct. 30, 2017, the former marine general said that “the lack of an ability to compromise led to the Civil War”. Kelly's statement set off a firestorm of impassioned responses across traditional and social media about the cause of the Civil War and the history of slavery and compromise prior to this seminal event. Read some of the contemporary articles, review background information about compromises over slavery prior to the … [Read more...]
Finding Resources: Accessing Contemporary Articles
In our new Timely Connections section, we will be linking contemporary articles to primary sources and teaching ideas. Some of the articles may come from websites, such as The New York Times and the The Washington Post, that restrict access to their content. Most sites provide subscription discounts to educators and allow anyone to access a limited number of free articles per month. But what happens if you don't have a subscription or when you've reached the monthly limit? Turn to your … [Read more...]