Edith Wharton’s World
Source: Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
In this brief biography, guest curators Eleanor Dwight and
Viola Hopkins Winner share details of the life of Edith Wharton.
Historic Figures
Frederick Douglass On How Slave Owners Used Food As A Weapon Of Control
Source: NPR
This article examines some of Frederick Douglass’s writings in which he describes how slave owners made use of food (and hunger) as a way of manipulating their slaves.
Anne Frank Who? Museums Combat Ignorance About the Holocaust
Source: The New York Times
Will Anne Frank ever be forgotten? As the Holocaust fades further into history, some historians are working to make sure that future generations don’t get the facts wrong or lose sight of its importance.
Martin Luther King Jr.: Nobel Lecture
Source: Nobel Prize
In 1964, Martin Luther King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his efforts toward equal rights for all. Read the speech he gave the day after accepting this honor.
Selma to Montgomery March
Source: HISTORY
Watch a video on, and read about, the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches.
Marie Curie
Source: ThoughtCo.
Learn about the hardships and decisions made by one of the most Important scientists of the 20th century.
Cesar Chavez
Source: Biography
Labor organizer Cesar Chavez was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for working to improve working and living conditions for migrant farm workers. Learn how he found the courage to speak out, organize a farm workers’ union, and lead nonviolent marches and boycotts of California table grape growers.
Activist Ida B. Wells Gets Pulitzer Prize 137 Years After Refusing to Exit ‘Whites Only’ Train
Source: People Magazine
Born a year before emancipation, journalist Ida B. Wells is getting some overdue recognition for her brave and powerful reporting on injustice.
How one journalist risked her life to hold murderers accountable
Source: TED
Journalist Ida B. Wells was as civil rights activist during the late 1800’s. Her tireless struggle for justice helped spark the movement for equal rights.
9 Legends of American Folklore
Source: How Stuff Works
Folktales show us a lot about who we once were and still are. Check out these descriptions of nine classic characters from American folklore: Paul Bunyan, John Henry, Sally Ann Thunder, Johnny Appleseed, Mike Fink, Pecos Bill, Geronimo, and Old Stormalong. Why were they so famous? Why are they still famous today?