Tag Archives: History

1969 Alcatraz Takeover “changed the whole course of history”

In 1969, a few young Native Americans occupied Alcatraz Island to protest the United States government’s poor treatment of all Native Americans. Read about what happened as a result of this daring decision.

Crisis Guide: The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

The longstanding conflict between Palestinians and Jews in Israel is deep-seated and complex, with each side characterizing the same events in vastly different ways. This video series from the Council on Foreign Relations provides a neutral, even-handed view of the history of the conflict.

Solving a Civil War Photograph Mystery

Even before computers made it easy, people have tampered with photographs. On this web site, you can examine an image from the Civil War and learn how experts determined it was fake.

What Does it Mean To Be Human?

From cave paintings to the first written words, human beings have been making themselves “heard” for a very long time. This section of the Museum of Natural History’s website provides a quick tour of how our use of language and symbols has grown over many, many centuries.

Holocaust Survivor: Without Music, “I Wouldn’t Be Alive”

In this video clip from the nightly news, a 90-year-old Holocaust survivor takes the stage to share the music he played for fellow concentration camp prisoners.

Revolutionary Limits: Native Americans

What role did Native Americans play in the Revolutionary War? Did they generally side with the colonists or the Crown? Read to find out.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

Learn more about the horrific New York fire that led to stronger regulations protecting worker safety.

“Slaves of the Marriage Union”

This article profiles Elizabeth Packard, a woman forced into an insane asylum by her husband during the Civil War. After her release, she became a women’s rights activist who argued that the condition of women was similar to slavery.

The Mayflower

Watch this brief video that deconstructs the Mayflower, including details about the ship itself, its passengers, and its journey. Explore related links on the site to learn more about the Mayflower and the Pilgrims.

A moment on ‘Oprah’ made her a human rights symbol. She wants to be more than that.

Clemantine Wamariya talks about her memoir, The Girl Who Smiled Beads, in which she writes about her experiences as a refugee fleeing genocide in Rwanda and rebuilding a life in the United States.

Classic protest film ‘The War at Home’ back in theaters

Inspired by current political protestors, documentary filmmaker Glenn Silber restored and redistributed his 1976 film about Vietnam War protests at the University of Wisconsin.

A History in Which We Can All See Ourselves

You may have heard the phrase “representation matters.” So why is it important to include culturally diverse perspectives when studying history? This article addresses that question and suggests ways to make history curriculum more inclusive.

A war of independence that divided American colonies

Over two centuries removed from the American Revolution, it’s easy to forget that colonists had to make a choice—stick with British rule or fight for independence?

Walt Whitman and the Civil War

The poet Walt Whitman wrote extensively about the Civil War, although he did not fight in it. Find out what he was doing during those five pivotal years.

How can we stop the Holocaust from happening again?

Historian Laurence Rees asks readers to consider the warnings of the Holocaust and how his insights might apply in the 21st century.

The 19th-Century Fight Against Bacteria-Ridden Milk Preserved With Embalming Fluid

Food industries did not always have the best interests of their consumers in mind. This is especially the case with “embalmed milk,” a tainted dairy product.

Online Museum Is Preserving ‘Endangered’ Sounds for Future Generations

Technological advances force some objects to become obselete. Something widely used even ten years ago may now be a relic. An online museum aims to catalog and preserve the sounds these outdated objects make.