-Tour version of Alexander Hamilton (the musical) in Greensboro, NC. My wife and I loved it, but we did our homework...Students in my social studies classes got really excited about the musical. Learning about the founding fathers, once a dreary obligation for most teenagers, actually comes alive for many of them. They can sing and... Continue Reading →
and Greece. Rapidly modernizing, it evolved into a vibrant secular democracy. But today, Turkey provides a cautionary tale for the US. Both are in danger of losing their democracies. A deeply divided Turkish society is rife with conspiracy theories, and prison terms for people spreading “disinformation,” not coincidentally including investigative reporters who’ve uncovered corruption and critics of the... Continue Reading →
make a persuasive argument, students often want to tell me how they feel. Some take offense when I critique their arguments, point out logical fallacies, and tell them that feelings aren’t facts. Sometimes in challenging their liberal or conservative opinions, they seem to feel I have attacked their identity. And they often seem afraid to... Continue Reading →
famous phrase. Half the country believed that democracy wouldn't survive in the long run, and a substantial portion seemed to have lost faith in it, advocating for autocracy instead. This mini-course outlines the habits and obligations of good citizenship; reflects on the American creed and what citizens of all political persuasions hold in common; delves... Continue Reading →
passed the shack of a woman born into slavery, marveling that Liza, at 100 years old with a bent back and prune-like hands, managed to walk a mile into town and back nearly every day with a knapsack on her back to fetch vittles. We, children, made it a ritual, as we rode in the... Continue Reading →
The fate of the United States was intertwined with John F. Kennedy's life and the lives of all of us alive today. Judging from the many comments of readers on last week’s free post, those of us born so long ago that we can remember JFK’s assassination often have a sense that the following years... Continue Reading →
democracy works, American citizens need a close-up view of Congress. In pop culture, the images tend to be extreme. “West Wing” portrayed public servants as noble and heroic, whereas “House of Cards” depicted overly ambitious people who were positively evil. Most citizens tend to support or even love their member of Congress if they know... Continue Reading →
during February, Black History Month. Fortunately, there’s a free Crash Course series of 50 episodes on Youtube, just 10 to 15 minutes each, led by well-reviewed author Clint Smith. I’ve composed 16 questions about Black History since the 1940s, with links to each Crash Course lecture for the answers. Below these questions are links to 45... Continue Reading →
A course in “world history” was more likely to be a study of “Western Civilization,” or European history. The “strange” Ottoman Empire, or Turkey — where West and East came together — was only mentioned as it interacted or clashed with Europe. I had almost no conception of how other continents besides Europe and North... Continue Reading →
There is so much to learn and keep up with in the Middle East crises. For paying subscribers, I am offering a mini-course with analyses — some of the things I’ve learned over the last 15 years, nearly 10 of them living in the Middle East — and an aggregation of content from expert historians,... Continue Reading →
Jim Buie 