Discusses source monopoly and its effects on historical scholarship. Suggests that what is needed is a series of international depositories which serve as clearinghouses for the creation and preservation of oral materials. Ideally, these clearinghouses would be staffed by specially trained historians. (DB)

Describes a critical thinking activity for secondary school social studies students using a letter written in the nineteenth century. The letter contains references to unfamiliar people and events. Through research, students are able to trace the exact date of the letter and to identify the people and events. (KC)

Examines the potential of the Advanced Placement Document-Based Question as constructed and presented by an exemplary teacher to engage students in historical reasoning and writing. Analyzes how five students responded to four document-based questions over a year, tracing how organization, document use, and citation language indicate how writers…

Describes the preparation of an edition of the Savery Codex, a fourth century Coptic manuscript which illuminates elements of early Coptic Christianity. Illustrates the value of the text in the study of the Coptic language. (LS)

Reexamines Thomas Woody's 1929 "A History of Women's Education in the United States" relative to the time period in which it was written and subsequent events. Concludes that Woody's treatise, with its wealth of information, remains important for the historian today, even though time has eroded his central premise. (KO)

Utilizing extensive individual-level data files to examine antebellum school attendance in Newburyport (Massachusetts), a procedure was devised to estimate school attendance in Essex County (Massachusetts), during the period 1860-61. Concludes that a substantial minority of antebellum youth attended high school in Massachusetts communities. (SLM)

Identifies the resources available through the National Archives, including: learning packages providing primary source documents for use by students; columns in "Social Education," which reproduce one document, offer historical background, and suggest learning activities; and summer workshops on instructional uses of primary sources.…

Discusses some of the significant sources that have influenced the research by participants in a Research Think Tank (on business communication). Discusses sources that inspired research, how the source list was generated, why it is relevant, and what it tells researchers. Appends the 75-item list. (SR)

Describes history's curriculum role as it fell from a status of prominence in the 1890s to one of unimportance, submerged in social studies. Notes that history is again becoming an important curriculum area. Suggests that the resurgence of history education is the result of history educators' focus on what to teach and exciting teaching methods.…

Argues that stories or oral narratives can provide a rich interpretive potential for historians. Describes research into the stories of early settlers in the American west. Concludes that the way stories are told provides insight into the character of the historical period. (CFR)

Presents a secondary lesson for high school students based on a controversial 1892 proposal in Congress to reduce the size of Yosemite National Park. Includes a map and petition signed by John Muir, the first president of the Sierra Club, which was formed to oppose the proposal. The lesson includes class discussion and activity suggestions. (CFR)

Explores theoretical and practical advantages of a constructivist shift from breadth to depth, and from formalism to contextualism, through the inclusion of artists' primary source writings. Believes that students benefit from linking artist's words to their images providing students with another point from which they can survey the world of…

Describes the use of primary source letters to teach middle school students language arts skills as well as historical research. Discusses handling old documents; how old letters can be discovered; transcribing letters; learning about human nature; and comparing aspects of life in the past with present life. (LRW)

Describes efforts by the Newberry Library (Chicago) to obtain original source materials for studying the literature and history of western Europe from the Middle Ages to the eighteenth century. Discusses joint acquisitions with higher education institutions; acquisition of rare book collections from religious colleges and seminaries; and…

Considers library special collections in North America and the world. Discusses issues of providing access for a diverse readership but with limited resources; questions of ownership, particularly claims of national heritage; and implications of the electronic revolution, including access through digitization that often leads to increased demands…