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ABC's of American History

ABC’s of American History: X is for X-Ray into American Medicine

June 16, 2015 By Thaleia

X is for X-Ray into American Medicine

We’ve all had to go to the doctor at some point, but when
we’re getting poked and prodded, we don’t usually think about the history
behind the science. From cells and medicines to X-Rays and MRIs, America has played
a big role in making medicine what it is today.

Because history should be taught from a holistic point of view, I’m going to include some resources addressing the contributions of various groups, in addition to more traditional history lessons.

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Filed Under: ABC's of American History, Homeschool Resources, Homeschooling

ABC’s of American History: W is for George Washington

June 9, 2015 By Jen Altman

What’s more fun then learning about our first president George Washington! PicMonkey Collage

George Washington, the father of our country!  We all know George Washington was the first president of the United States of America, but, his story starts long before his inauguration!  …

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Filed Under: ABC's of American History, Homeschooling

ABC’s of American History: V is for Victory

June 2, 2015 By Thaleia

As an American, there are few things I love more than celebrating freedom. Sometimes a victory comes with the pull of the trigger, the raising of a white flag or the stroke of a pen. And, while I prefer victories to come without bloodshed I am always and forever grateful to those who sacrifice their hearts, minds and bodies for freedom.

 

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Filed Under: ABC's of American History, Homeschooling

ABC’s of American History: U is for Ulysses S. Grant

May 26, 2015 By Thaleia

Ulysses S. Grant is an interesting figure in American history. For many years historians had relegated him to the bottom of the presidential pile. And he still frequently is listed as the worst president of all time.

Ulysses_Grant

Laying all of that aside, if it weren’t for his military genius the United States would look very different today from how it looks now. Let’s take a minute and explore how his time remembers him.

 

Ulysses S. Grant portrayed in Lee’s surrender

Lee surrenders to Grant at Appomatox

 

Art is used to portray people’s opinions and what they think is important. So, let’s look at how artists of Grant’s time portrayed him.

Look at the drawing and answer a few questions:

  1. Who is in the light and who is in the shadows?
  2. Which side has greater numbers? (As a hint General Lee is on the left with the white hair, the Confederate generals are behind him)
  3. Who is given the focus of this drawing? (One way to tell, where are people facing)

Taking your answers to all of these questions, which side do you think the artist felt was right?

This illustration was commissioned by the owner of the house the surrender took place in. After the surrender soldiers took many of his possessions so they could have a souvenir of the surrender. He attempted to regain some of his money by commissioning and selling this drawing. Does this change some of your answers to the questions?

 

Ulysses S. Grant’s memorial

Ulysses Grant memorial studying art and history

 

After the Civil War, and after Grant’s presidency monuments were erected everywhere in honor of him. When he died thousands contributed money to build him an impressive monument in Washington D.C.

  1. Look at the statues surrounding President Grant on his horse. What aspect of Ulysses S. Grant do you think they are choosing to emphasize?
  2. Which statues did the architect put closest to him? What direction are the statues facing? Why do you think they are facing that way?
  3. Compare the close-ups of the soldiers with Grant’s face? What differences do you see?
  4. Compare the soldiers on the frieze to the statues flanking Grant’s statue. What are the differences?

Now compare Grant’s Memorial you’ve just been looking at to the Lincoln Memorial. What do the designers of the Lincoln Memorial want to imply about President Lincoln in comparison to President Grant?

 

Finally let’s look at Ulysses S. Grant’s name

 

Did you know his name was not originally Ulysses? When he went to West Point the admissions officer wrote his name down wrong, and he decided to keep the name. As a result of his name he earned several different nicknames.

  • U.S. Grant (which many said stood for United States Grant)
  • Unconditional Surrender Grant (after a battle where he demanded unconditional surrender)
  • Uncle Sam Grant
  • Useless S Grant (by his brother)
  • Of course he also earned the less than positive nickname of “The Butcher.”

Take a moment to look at your name and your initials what nicknames might you earn in your life? Which nicknames might you be proud of? Grant was very proud of being called Uncle Sam Grant, and US Grant.

 

More resources for Ulysses S. Grant

While these are some fun activities there is a lot more you can learn about US Grant, so here’s some more great places to look

  • Ulysses Grant history channel mini-documentaries
  • Ultimate Civil War guide
  • Disney the American Presidents US Grant
  • The Transformation of US Grant from farm boy to president

Another great installment of the ABC’s of American History series. Have you missed a few? Check out the entire series below:

abc American History series

Filed Under: ABC's of American History, Homeschooling

ABC’s of American History: S is for Segregation and Civil Rights

May 12, 2015 By Thaleia

S is for Segregation and Civil Rights

There are some ugly parts of American history and segregation is one of those. However, just because talking about that time period might make us uncomfortable, it doesn’t mean that we should skip it with elementary age students. Thankfully men and women came along who helped to bring an end to segregation in the Southern states. So while the initial discussion of segregation is difficult, the epilogue is inspiring!

 

Segregation and Civil Rights Unit Study

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Filed Under: ABC's of American History, Homeschooling

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