Social Networking, Media, Pop Culture, Internet Culture, and Technology in the Social Studies Classroom
August 18, 1774: Birth of Meriwether Lewis
On this day in 1774, American explorer Meriwether Lewis was born in the Colony of Virginia. Lewis was best known for his role as co-leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (a.k.a. the Corps of Discovery).
The Lewis and Clark Expedition contributed to the expansion of the United States and the understanding of indigenous nations and terrain of the far west.
Can you tell Lewis from Clark? Test your knowledge of major figures of the time period with this “Who’s Who in the West” quiz.
Fight German animals! We can and must destroy Hitler’s army.
This is probably my favorite propaganda poster I’ve seen so far.
Soviet propaganda poster, WWII
London, 1940s, in hi-res color: These photographs were taken using Kodachrome film by Chalmers Butterfield, probably in 1949.
I would die to see London like this in person.
I always think it’s amazing to see photographs from the past, pre 1960s, in color. It provides whole new perspectives.
See, people 100 years ago were just like us, taking pictures of silly things!
History + Music + Video = Entertained Students
I used this video in my classroom to compare and contrast primary source accounts of the battle with paintings and this song, and my students analyzed the differences and artistic interpretations.
August 11, 1921: African-American Writer Alex Haley Born
On this day in 1921, the author of Roots: The Saga of an American Family was born in Ithaca, New York. Alex Haley’s novel inspired the Emmy Award-winning 1977 television series, Roots, starring LeVar Burton as Kunta Kinte.
Alex Haley is also known for his co-authorship of The Autobiography of Malcolm X, a memoir based on a series of interviews he conducted with human rights activist Malcolm X.
Find out the tumultuous events leading up to the publishing of The Autobiography of Malcolm X with this American Experience timeline.
Photo: Alex Haley, U.S. Coast Guard Service
