Maintains the enduring public fascination with the Civil War provides opportunities and dangers for history teachers. Reviews changes in historical interpretations of the Civil War. Asserts that recent scholarship suggests that both the South and North fought to preserve doomed social systems. (CFR)

Describes life in Philadelphia from 1790-1800 while the city was the temporary capital of the United States. Discusses the city's attempts to keep the federal government there and outlines specific issues the Continental Congress dealt with while meeting there. (BSR)

Relates the story of the evolution of Congressional abilities to conduct investigations of governmental figures and agencies. Uses a series of famous investigations including Teapot Dome, the Pecora Wall Street Investigation, Senator Harry Truman's war-profiteering investigations, Senator Joseph McCarthy's anticommunist investigations, and…

Describes the Northwest Ordinance as the nation's first bill of rights and discusses the similarities between the Ordinance and state constitutions. States that neither the Ordinance nor the state constitutions mentioned freedom of speech. Contends that the Ordinance was one of the "foundation stones" in the structure of U.S. liberty.…

Describes the evolution of the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives from being barely mentioned in the Constitution to being one of the most powerful political positions in the United States. Argues that individual speakers have greatly affected the role due to the lack of formal job description. (DSK)

Discusses Patrick Henry's and James Madison's opinions on how the U.S. Constitution should be constructed. Describes how Henry introduced a set of substantive objections which were shared by Antifederalists throughout the country and persuaded many Revolutionaries that the Constitution was essentially at odds with the principles of 1776. (BSR)

Describes the Northwest Ordinance as a vision for self-government and discusses the conflict between William Henry Harrison and Jonathan Jennings in the newly formed Indiana Territory. Elaborates on how statehood in Indiana was achieved and what status slavery assumed in Indiana. (BSR)

Highlights five resources for teaching about the rise of U.S. nationalism between 1812 and 1865 available from the Educational Resource Information Center (ERIC). Items included are: (1) the War of 1812; (2) the annexation of Texas; (3) the Kansas-Nebraska Act; and (4) the question of slavery. (BSR)

Defines the terms "dissent" and "concurrence" as they apply to the United States Supreme Court. Traces briefly the history of written dissents and concurrences, and presents arguments both for and against the practice. Includes numerous examples of significant dissents and concurrences that have impacted constitutional…

Illuminates the importance of Chief Justice William Howard Taft in creating the modern administrative role of the Chief Justice of the United States. Specifically, the article examines the Act of 14 September 1922 that Taft championed in Congress to give the Chief Justice better tools for managing the judiciary. (DSK)

Observes that the bulk of the federal judiciary's business is handled by lower federal courts. Discusses the evolving structure and business of the federal judiciary, district courts, circuit courts of appeal, declining federal supervisory capacity due to rising case loads, and future problems likely to be faced by the federal judiciary. (DSK)

Maintains that, although historiography and historical interpretation of the American Revolution have led to new questions and new answers, historians have become more sensitive to the complexity of that event and era. Presents an extended annotated bibliography of research and writing about the American Revolution. (CFR)

Asserts that the study of history involves more than the passive absorption facts, dates, names, and places. Maintains that real historical understanding requires students to engage in historical thinking, to raise questions, and to marshal evidence. Describes skills for five types of historical thinking. (CFR)

Advocates a topical approach to teaching United States history as more practical and effective than a chronological approach. Briefly explores the topics of reform, expansion, revolution, and the presidency; and shows how they could be used to teach about nineteenth century U.S. history. (Author/AEM)

Shows how captivity stories acted as propaganda against the American Indians in the nineteenth century. Gives excerpts from a captivity narrative portraying Indians in a negative way and demonstrates its use as propaganda during the time of the Black Hawk War. (AEM)