This article describes the chain of events that led to the 1969 Supreme Court decision that protected students’ right to free speech.
Author Archives: Anita Hacker
The True Story of Pocahontas
Historian Camilla Townsend dispels some of the myths about Pocahontas.
Abigail Smith Adams
In this biography of Abigail Adams, you’ll learn how she helped shape the role of First Lady of the United States.
Millennial pink is exposing our culture’s worst anxieties about “girly stuff”
Author Sady Doyle argues that pink, whether feminine or not, is simply a flattering and pleasing color that has been popular throughout time.
Collective reparation in Colombia: when everyone suffers from the ravages of war
Read this article to learn what collective reparations are. Watch the video to see how one village in Colombia was affected by war and how the program will help them restore their community.
Maybe Your Comfort Zone Isn’t What You Think It Is
Psychologist Sarah Newman makes a distinction between avoiding things you fear and avoiding things you simply don’t like.
This is what protest sounds like
Read the descriptions and listen to the clips of protest songs from American history.
‘Emancipating Lincoln’: A Pragmatic Proclamation
Read or listen to this account of Abraham Lincoln’s mindset leading up to the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. View the artwork depicting the event at the bottom of article.
Plessy and Ferguson: Descendants of a divisive Supreme Court decision unite
Read about the historic Plessy v. Ferguson court decision and about how the two namesakes’ ancestors have joined together to form a foundation that seeks to educate the public about the importance of the case.
Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de Waal – review
Professor Matthew Cobb reviews primatologist Frans de Waal’s book, in which he attempts to erase a behavioral division between humans and other animals.
To Overcome the Fear of Failure, Fear This Instead
After talking to many successful entrepreneurs, professor and author Adam Grant found that they feared failing to act more than failing itself.
The Fertility and Futility of Hatred
Cultural anthropologist Janice Harper argues that expressing hatred is self-destructive.
Writing the future: A timeline of science fiction literature
Check out this interactive timeline of science fiction literature, from Jonathan Swift and Mary Shelley to Douglas Adams and Octavia Butler.
Saying yes to the world: Writer Anthony Doerr in Houston
English professor Doni Wilson reflects on a literary event in which author Anthony Doerr read from his short story “The Deep” and discussed his passion for life and the natural world.
Malcolm Gladwell got us wrong: Our research was key to the 10,000-hour rule, but here’s what got oversimplified
Psychologist Anders Ericsson and his colleague explain how Malcolm Gladwell misunderstood Ericcson’s research when proposing that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become successful in any given field.
William Carlos Williams
Read this biography of poet William Carlos Williams. Click “read this poet’s poems” to explore his work.
Refugee shacks – survivors of 1906 quake and fire
After the 1906 earthquake and fire that destroyed a large portion of San Francisco, refugee camps of very small houses were built. They were later moved to different parts of the city and some still exist today. Click through the photos at the top of the article to see some of them.
George Washington’s letter to Jewish community becomes musical call to action
An historic letter written by George Washington is the inspiration for a cantata recently performed at a Jewish congregation in Philadelphia. Read why the creators of the musical piece found the document to still be relevant and important.
Prelude to War: Manifest Destiny
Read this introduction of the standings of the United States and Mexico before the Mexican-American War. Click the different sections in the drop-down menu for more in-depth explanations and insights.
Why Reconstruction Matters
Columbia University history professor Eric Foner argues that Reconstruction ended before it could become truly successful, and he draws parallels to current affairs.