Discusses Spielberg's film "Amistad," a production of the dramatization of a 19th-century slave revolt and its repercussions. Focuses on the point that Africans fiercely resisted slavery rather than passively submitted to it. Urges teachers to incorporate this aspect of resistance into their teaching of the history of slavery. (MMU)

Examined eight academic historians' educational beliefs in the context of their department, the university, and the history of the discipline, discussing similarities about goals for history education; perceptions of students; roles as teachers; and classroom patterns. Despite commonalities, there were key differences among educational beliefs…

Presents a collection of humorous, incorrect answers given over the years by college students taking tests in a course on French civilization. The paper emphasizes the importance of appreciating the humor within any situation. The answers are in response to questions asking students to identify people, places, dates, or events and to explain their…

Children learn the joy of history and their own place in the world through encounters with older relatives such as grandparents. From familial reminiscences children attain: early history lessons; respect for those who have come before; and links to family values and traditions. To facilitate appreciation of history, celebrate, document, and visit…

Calls attention to an important instructional resource that high school English and history teachers can use to engage their students in critical thinking about the Vietnam War. Gives some ideas for helping teenagers to make connections between the young adult novel "Chinese Handcuffs" and the Vietnam War. Suggests the integration of "Chinese…

This article, discusses the rationale for using films, specifically docudramas, for teaching social studies and presents guidelines and resources for helping teachers to do so. Included are several Web resources that assist teachers in the selection and use of specific films to complement classroom instruction. The author has also incorporated the…

The Rhode Island State House in Providence is an imposing structure. It is also an architecturally significant one. Built of white Georgia marble between 1895 and 1904, it has one of only four self-supporting marble covered domes found in the world. It was placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. Looking around, one encounters…

Students can learn how history is made by shifting through facts and fiction. A living history museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts, set up a 1627 Pilgrim village has helped students learn more about other cultures and times that goes deeper than sentimentality or entertainment.

In this article, the author focuses on these questions: why is American Jewish history worthy of being "taught"? And what purpose should such teaching serve? Philosophical questions such as these are important because topics of study are not self-justifying, and asking the questions--questions that must be pursued through conceptual inquiry,…

Professor Kors allows that accurate research and rigorous interpretation still carry some weight in the discipline of history. He also notes that students tend to vote with their enrollment for honest teaching over indoctrination. Nevertheless he laments passionately and eloquently the tendentiousness that taints most of recent scholarship, whose…

Politics without history has no roots; history without politics bears no fruits. If one inquires into the content of the relation between politics and history, then one discovers it is defined by symbiotic dependence. Those who are trained in history also take into account the political dimensions of history, and those educated in political…

Nearly 140 years have not erased Georgia's memory of the trail of destruction by General William T. Sherman and Union troops as they burned their way from Atlanta to Savannah during a critical campaign of the Civil War. Those weeks in late 1864 have left a lasting influence on the state's history and culture. This article deals with Georgia's…

On October 21-22, 2006, FPRI's Marvin Wachman Fund for International Education hosted 46 teachers from 26 states across the country for a weekend of discussion on teaching about China. Sessions included: (1) Classical Chinese Thought and Culture and Early Chinese History (Victor Mair); (2) State and Society in Late Imperial China (Matthew Sommer);…

The educational publisher Pearson/Scott-Foresman in 2006 introduced curriculum to address California History/Social Studies standards. Fifth grade students have difficulty comprehending non-fiction text that is informative enough to have historical accuracy. The publisher promotes a program that features a standard in every lesson, and promises no…

What lies behind the lack of theorizing about content in history in contrast to much greater attention given to theorizing about children's developing understanding of historical skills and processes? Egan's model of the characteristic ways in which children of different ages engage with the world is used to raise the question of what content to…