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Tom Horn.  A simple name for a man yet it appears he lived a very complex life.   In fact, Tom Horn himself said of his life, “I have lived about fifteen ordinary lives.   I would like to have had somebody who saw my past and could picture it to the public.   It would be the most interesting reading in the country.” Once guilty, now innocent, but still dead – the description the New York Times gave Tom Horn in 1993. A man Steve McQueen chose to portray in a movie – though historians have several issues with the treatment’s accuracy. Tom Horn is an excellent historical figure for students to analyze while learning a little about the American Southwest during the late 19 th Century.    The details surrounding his life, the historical events swirling around him, and the issue of right and wrong regarding those events in relation to Mr. Horn’s actions could lead to a classroom of very engaged students on various levels. Upon running away from home at the ag...

Our greatest generation, those men and women who got us through World War II, keeps getting smaller as time marches on.   In fact, it is estimated 1,000 to 1,200 men and women who lived through the Great Depression and volunteered to serve during the war are dying every day.   In just a few short years we will see the sad story on the news telling us how the very last World War II soldier has passed on.     This really hits home with me since I firmly believe that one of the most important stories regarding World War II to get across to students has to be the various stories of the people who participated in the war effort.    They volunteered, they participated, and they sacrificed.   In today’s society of entitlement and sensationalism I think it’s important for students to see a different view regarding citizenship. Sonlight Pictu res Blog explains the importance of teaching about the greatest generation much more eloquently than I can stating, “Th...

I love the beach.   The sand, the sparkling water, the sound and smell of the pounding surf, walking the beach with my head down hoping….hoping…. hoping for the perfect shell find.   The beach at morning……the beach at night…….seafood…..even the sunburn…..I love it all. I miss the beach, and the beach misses me.  Seriously.... I hope we can reunite soon, until then I soothed my longing for the beach by doing a little research regarding Harry Truman’s White House at the beach. Yes!    Even Harry was able to have some beach time! Read my post over at American Presiden ts here !

We drove through a little town close to our house Sunday, and they had our nation’s flag everywhere - on buildings, houses and up and down the main street every few feet. Dear Son wondered aloud what was going on, and we immediately decided that it must be early decorations for the Fourth of July. It seemed a little early, but we had been to a family reunion all day and my mind was on other things. I had forgotten. There IS an important holiday for our nation in June every year. Flag Day….. ….and sadly, Flag Day is often rushed through or forgotten entirely. We remember Flag Day to commemorate the day the Second Continental Congress adopted the U.S. Flag in 1777. It is also the date they adopted the Continental Army. Perhaps the reason the date is often glossed over is the fact it’s not an official American holiday – government offices and banks don’t close. You still get your mail. President Woodrow Wilson declared June 14th Flag Day, but it has never been an official United States’ ...

Did you know….. 32 years today CNN made its debut with a lead story regarding the attempted assassination of civil rights leader Vernon Jordan. New to my blogroll here at History Is Elementary is the blog Text Message , the blog of the textural archives services division of the National Archives. The most recent posting deals with the education program during World War II getting people to save their kitchen fat known as the Fat Salvage Campaign. I wish my hometown of Atlanta would have its own free mobile app like Cleveland. The app, known as Cleveland Historical is free and developed by the Center for Public History and Digital Humanities at Cleveland State University. The app lets you explore the people, places, and monuments that shaped the city’s history per their website's “about” page. Here’s another did you know …..a cold snap in Greenland in the 12th century may help explain why Viking settlers vanished from the islands, scientist said earlier this week in a Reuter...