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Archive: June 2017 (7 Posts)

One woman watches as another examines with a magnifying glass an ornate, decorative image on a printed page

Reconstructing a Civil War Battle from a Poet’s Letter Home

Posted by: Cheryl Lederle

In the May/June 2017 issue of Social Education, the journal of the National Council for the Social Studies, our “Sources and Strategies” article features a letter that Walt Whitman wrote to his mother on December 29, 1862. Whitman wrote the letter to let his mother know that he had found his brother George alive and healing from an injury sustained during the Battle of Fredericksburg.

One woman watches as another examines with a magnifying glass an ornate, decorative image on a printed page

Do Your Best and Remember . . .

Posted by: Danna Bell

My son is graduating from high school this coming weekend and I am feeling mixed emotions. On the one hand, I am proud, excited, and looking forward to what the future holds. On the other hand, I feel the winds of change, and with them a bit of sadness and apprehension about what lies ahead. At times like this, I take comfort in knowing that I am not the first person to feel this way. Connecting with primary sources always helps. (Seriously, it does.)

One woman watches as another examines with a magnifying glass an ornate, decorative image on a printed page

Exploring the Bolshevik Revolution with Historic Newspapers

Posted by: Danna Bell

This year marks the centennial anniversary of both the U.S. entry into World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution, the events that led to the fall of Russia's tsarist government and the eventual birth of the U.S.S.R. By analyzing reports in historic newspapers, students can explore the Great War’s role as a possible catalyst in starting the revolution and U.S. responses to the rise of communism in Russia.