Both Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. drew inspiration from the writings of Henry David Thoreau. Read the 19th-century work that lit the fires of both Indian independence and American civil rights.
Tag Archives: Historic Figures
Beyond Brown: Pursuing the Promise
Once upon a time, a seven-year-old girl named Linda Brown walked six blocks to a bus stop and then rode a bus to school, although another school was only seven blocks from her home. Check out this site to learn what happened when she tried to change schools—and succeeded.
Oskar Schindler: Unlikely Hero
A Nazi industrialist may not fit the usual idea of a hero, but Oskar Schindler used his wealth, charm, and connections to save the lives of over 1000 Jews during World War II.
Shakespeare and the Classics: Plutarch, Ovid, and Inspiration
Like many of his contemporaries, Shakespeare drew on a variety of resources for his astounding output of plays.
Phillis Wheatley Biography
This biography outlines the life of Phillis Wheatley, who became a published poet despite being enslaved.
This POW kept a secret diary that showed daily life in a concentration camp
Read this article to learn about the life of Anthony Acevedo, a former U.S. Army medic who kept a diary of his time in a Nazi concentration camp as a prisoner of war.
A Close, Intimate Look at Walt Whitman
What can the camera tell us about the lives and work of famous authors? In this article, poet Mark Strand examines an 1891 photograph of Walt Whitman.
Who is Martin Luther King Jr. to us, 50 years later?
On the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., authors, activists, and historians share their views of his legacy.
Patrick Henry Smells a Rat
As an anti-Federalist, Patrick Henry opposed the ratification of the Constitution. Read about his opposition to Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
Did the Civil War Achieve Equality? Stephen Kantrowitz’s ‘More Than Freedom’
Critic Herschthal reviews historian Stephen Kantrowitz’s 2012 book about the abolitionist leaders who fought for more than just the end of slavery before and after the Civil War.
Baltimore rededicates ex-Confederate site to Harriet Tubman
In another chapter of America’s reckoning with the history of slavery, Baltimore has removed Confederate statues from one of its parks and renamed it after abolionist Harriet Tubman.
Mary Wollstonecraft Biography
This biography describes the major life events of feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft, author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.
John Smith Biography
This biography details the life of early American colonist John Smith.
The Speeches of Barack Obama
Part of being guided by a cause is convincing others to believe in it, too. Explore the speeches of President Barack Obama to learn about how you can put rhetoric to work for the causes that matter to you.
A Holocaust Survivor’s Digital Doppelgänger
The Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York now features a virtual version of Eva Schloss, stepsister of Anne Frank and survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Born-Into-Slavery Narratives Discovered in Newspaper
In 2017, a Pennsylvania historian found several slave narratives that had been published in a local newspaper in 1893. Read this article to learn more.
Jack London’s mark on literature
Professor and author Jeanne C. Reesman extols the writing of Jack London.
In His Own Words: Remembering Poet Robert Hayden
Read about poet Robert Hayden and listen to him recite part of one of his most famous poems.
Writers Work in Mobile Studios at This Incredible Residency in Massachusetts
The Mastheads, a residency program for writers, built five small studios inspired by famous local authors, such as Henry David Thoreau and Nathaniel Hawthorne, for its recipients to work in.
Controversy over plan to name train after Anne Frank
In 2017, Germany’s national railway considered naming one of its trains after Anne Frank. Many people objected to the plan. Read this article to learn more.