Immigration Debate (VIDEO)
Immigration is controversial today. And sanctuary cities are under attack from some citizens who feel they encourage lawlessness. But others say they help police focus on what they do best. We gathered at the Rumson Oceanic Library to hold a public debate on the status of immigration. It’s one of the central questions of our society. So, should America remain a….Read more
Useful Grading Rubric For a Mock Trial
Doing mock trials in humanities classes is one of the very best ways for students to experience real learning that lasts. Sending text messages back and forth will never improve their pubic speaking and critical thinking. But taking the witness chair in a murder trial and fending off hostile cross-examination in front of a room full of….Read more
A Simple Reform to Improve the School Day (VIDEO)
As teachers, we were hired to teach a curriculum, some field or discipline. Yet the schools are social institutions as well. Schools serve an important socializing function for young people. They should. We think that the problem arises when school as socializer undermines its other mission, imparting knowledge and skills that stick. Ask any teacher who has received an email….Read more
FISA: The Court That End Runs the Fourth Amendment
The government learned from a detainee in Guantanamo that terrorist Osama Bin Laden was doing business from his hiding places via couriers. The detainee supplied the code name and phone number of the courier, who turned out to be one of two brothers who lived with Bin Laden’s family and served as his personal bodyguards. Agents used electronic surveillance to….Read more
Engaging Distracted Students (VIDEO)
If you’re a teacher you know the distraction I’m talking about here. Even if you’re not a teacher, you’re probably aware of how difficult it is to compete with the allure of technology. Using their phones gives your students a hit of dopamine, so it’s no wonder they resist putting them away. We love what technology has brought….Read more
Another Runaway Slave Named Harriet (VIDEO)
Most Americans have heard of Harriet Tubman, the iron-willed “conductor” on the Underground Railroad who made hundreds of trips into the South before the Civil War to rescue escaped slaves. Tubman was so dangerous to slaveholders that they put a price on her head. But we know rather little of Tubman because she gave us no….Read more
Presidents’ Day Quiz: Answers about Washington and Lincoln
In case you took our deep dive last week into the lives of presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, we owe you the answer key. Was it George or Abe? As president, he once held an ax with his arm fully extended outward to the amazement of the troops he was visiting, none of whom could emulate him despite….Read more
Gimme Shelter: Sanctuaries, Runaway Slaves and Trump’s Orders
The fascinating story of Anthony Burns, runaway slave who was championed by Massachusetts abolitionists, has parallels with today’s immigration reform debate. Sanctuary cities and states refuse to help enforce federal laws they disagree with. Abolitionists did the same. With some differences. Burns, born a Virginia slave in 1834, escaped in 1853, in the tense years just before the Civil War. He fled to….Read more
Presidents’ Day: How Well Do You Know George and Abe?
In honor of Presidents’ Day, instead of selling you a mattress or car insurance, the History Dr. has what we hope will be an interesting challenge. While Presidents’ Day was originally dedicated to President George Washington, who was born on February 22, it’s now celebrated for all U.S. presidents. We include our favorite, Abraham Lincoln, here with Washington. Both Abraham….Read more
Defeating ISIS: Does History Teach Anything?
If America was able to annihilate both Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, whose armies numbered in the millions, why can we not defeat the Islamic State (ISIS) whose force is less than 50,000? ISIS is the most vicious jihadist army in the world that’s hunkered down in parts of Syria and Iraq. It came to control sections of both….Read more