Shakespeare in lockdown: Did he write King Lear in plague quarantine?
Source: The Guardian
One silver lining of shelter-in-place orders is that they might give rise to creativity. Learn more about a popular idea that sets the bar high.
Historic Figures
What Does It Mean for America to Put Harriet Tubman on the $20 Bill?
Source: The Atlantic
The U.S. Treasury recently decided to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill. Click on this link to read a discussion by several writers and editors from The Atlantic about the significance of this change to American currency.
Shakespeare, Lincoln, and Ambition
Source: The New York Review of Books
Abraham Lincoln once wrote, “I think nothing equals Macbeth.” Learn about how Shakespeare’s dramatic exploration of ambition may have affected how Lincoln acted on his own ambition.
Theodore Roosevelt and the Environment
Source: PBS American Experience
President Theodore Roosevelt was brash, daring, and adventurous. He was also deeply committed to the cause of preserving America’s forests and wilderness. Explore the links in this American Experience website to learn more about what nature did for “TR” and what he did for nature.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas, “Mother of the Everglades”
Source: Oh, Ranger!
Read about how one dedicated voice turned the view of Florida’s Everglades from negative to positive.
Where would we be without George Washington?
Source: National Constitution Center
George Washington retired shortly after the American Revolution and re-emerged on the political scene several years later. In this essay, historian Edward Larson emphasizes the significance of these actions and makes a connection to modern global revolutions.
About Mark Twain
Source: PBS
Learn about Mark Twain’s life through this collection of texts, photos, illustrations, and other media.
Discovery Leads Yale to Revise a Chapter of Its Black History
Source: The New York Times
Recently found letters and documents have uncovered that Richard Henry Green, an African-American man, graduated from Yale in 1857, nearly 20 years earlier than the man who was believed to be the first African-American graduate from Yale.
Molly Shannon’s Emily Dickinson Is No Reclusive Spinster
Source: WBUR
Emily Dickinson is often thought of as a solitary figure who never intended for her poetry to be published. Click this link to read about a 2018 dramatic comedy that challenges these notions.
The Speech That Brought India to the Brink of Independence
Source: Smithsonian Magazine
In August of 1942, Mohandas Gandhi gave an influential speech urging Indians to stand up for their liberty. Read to learn more about India’s struggle for independence and the historical significance of Gandhi’s speech.