1879: Standing Bear v. Crook
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: Analyze one of the first cases to establish Native American rights in the US. CONTEXT: Standing Bear (c.1829-1908) was born on Ponca land in what is now Nebraska near the Niobrara River. By the 1860s he was a tribal leader of the Ponca Tribe, and they faced a desperate situation. In 1858 the…
1848: Seneca Falls Convention
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: Analyze conditions that contributed to the rise of the Women’s Rights Movement in America. CONTEXT: Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902) was an author, editor, and major influencer in the American women’s rights movement of the 19th century. Born in New York, she was educated at a local boys school and graduated from Troy Female…
1861: Sullivan Ballou Letter
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How did Major Sullivan Ballou use language to convey his deepest emotions to his wife? CONTEXT: Sullivan Ballou (1829-1861) was a lawyer and politician from Rhode Island. Married with two sons, he was an active Republican, supporter of Abraham Lincoln, and served in the Rhode Island legislature. At the outbreak of the American…
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…
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