1814: Key’s “Rockets Red Glare”
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How does The Star Spangled Banner represent America? CONTEXT: Francis Scott Key (1780-1843) was an amateur poet and well-known lawyer who argued before the US Supreme Court. From Frederick, Maryland, he wrote a poem entitled “The Defense of Fort M’Henry” which would eventually become “The Star Spangled Banner.” In 1814 the British Army…
1941: Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How did President Franklin Roosevelt explain the purpose of World War II? CONTEXT: Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945) was the 32nd president of the United States (1933-1945), the only president to serve more than two terms. During his presidency America saw many years of the Great Depression as well as involvement in World War…
1776: Washington at Year’s End
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How did George Washington use language to convince his Continentals to remain in arms even after the difficult year of 1776? CONTEXT: As the year 1776 drew to a close, the American war effort was in crisis. The British occupied New York. Congress had abandoned Philadelphia in the face of the British advance…
1865: Lincoln’s 2nd Inaugural
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How did Abraham Lincoln use language to convey his view of Reconstruction? CONTEXT: In 1864, the fourth year of the American Civil War, a presidential election was held in which incumbent Abraham Lincoln ran against General George McClellan, the campaign focusing on Lincoln’s war record. In late 1864 many believed Lincoln would lose…
1776: Paine’s Common Sense
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How did Thomas Paine use language to convince colonists that independence was the proper course for America? CONTEXT: In January of 1776, only months after the Battles of Lexington and Concord, times were tense in the American colonies. The Declaration of Independence would not be signed for another six months. Many believed that…
1778: Washington at Valley Forge
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How did the experience of Valley Forge broaden the meaning of the American Revolution? CONTEXT: By the winter of 1777, the American Revolution was two years old. George Washington (1732-1799) was the new commander of the American forces as his army went into winter camp near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, and the conditions of…
1620: Mayflower Compact
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: Analyze the Mayflower Compact as a cornerstone of American democracy. CONTEXT: In the late 1500s, a number of religious groups arose in England trying to establish different practices from the Anglican Church, the official church of England. One of these groups was called the Puritans, because they wanted to make the Anglican Church…
1783: Washington resigns
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: Assess the short and long term significance of General George Washington’s resignation of his military commission. CONTEXT: George Washington (1732-1799) served as the Commander in Chief of the American Forces in the American Revolution and in 1789 became the first president of the United States. While fighting in the American Revolution ended mainly…
1987: Reagan at the Gate
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How did the Berlin Wall represent the Cold War? CONTEXT: Ronald Reagan (1911-2004), president of the United States from 1981 until 1989, delivered one of his best known speeches at the Brandenburg Gate, a major historical landmark in Berlin, Germany, on June 12, 1987. After World War II, Germany was divided into four…
1881: Jackson’s “Century of Dishonor”
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: Investigate America’s “Century of Dishonor.” CONTEXT: Helen Hunt Jackson (1830-1885), born in Massachusetts, was a poet, author, and Native American rights activist. She later moved to Colorado on the advice of her physicians to improve her poor health. In 1879 she was inspired by Chief Standing Bear (c. 1829-1908, a Ponca chief and…
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