Civic Season

Your Ticket to the Inauguration
2023-05-03 19:19 UTC | Senator John Heinz History Center, United States
Presidential inaugurations are meaningful moments in our country’s political history. When a new president is elected in the fall, Americans watch on Inauguration Day as power transitions from one elected leader to another. Artifacts and documents in the Heinz History Center’s collection offer a glimpse into this special day.

The Good Fight: Oklahoma City Sit-Ins
2023-05-03 19:19 | Oklahoma Historical Society, United States
“The Good Fight: Oklahoma City Sit-Ins” tells the inspiring story of the Oklahoma City sit-in movement, which started in 1958. You’ll learn how students used non-violent protests to help end segregation in public places (like restaurants) across Oklahoma. It even includes interviews with sit-in participants!
Best to access this resource on desktop (not mobile).

The Impact of Westward Expansion on Native American Communities
2023-05-03 19:19 | National Archives, United States
In this activity, you will examine the impact of westward expansion and settlement on Native American communities following the Civil War. You will explore a variety of documents to get a sense of the issues faced by Native Americans due to settlement and U.S. Government Indian policy.

Seizing Freedom Podcast
2023-05-03 19:19 | Seizing Freedom, United States
Ending slavery in America required so much more than official declarations and battlefield victories.
Freedom gets built up over time—through a billion tiny, everyday acts. It’s there in the chance to enlist and fight for a cause. It’s there in the effort to reunite families torn apart by the cruelty of slave trading. It’s there in the right to learn to read or found a church or decide how you want to make a living. And it’s there in the insistence on the legal recognition of the right to do all these things.
That’s the freedom you’ll hear about on this podcast, and you’ll hear about it directly from the people who seized it. All of the stories on this show are drawn from archives of voices from American history that have been muted time and time again.

Stone on Stone: Sing Sing Stories
2023-05-03 19:19 | Sing Sing Prison Museum, United States
Stone on Stone: Sing Sing Stories lets you experience and learn about the extraordinary history of Sing Sing. We’ve curated six digital galleries of historic images, recordings, readings and video for you to explore. Also, for the first time, you can experience the historic 1825 Cellblock as well a 19th century prison cell in 3D.

Use this Confederate Monument Interpretation Guide
2023-05-03 19:19 | Atlanta History Center, United States
Interested in the debate about Confederate monuments in the United States? Check out this guide designed by the Atlanta History Center which offers resources about researching different monuments. You’ll learn how to better understand who erected the monument, when, and why, in order to inform thoughtful discussions.

Memory, Mourning, Mobilization: Part II: A More Perfect Union - The Modern-Day Struggle for Racial Equality
2023-05-03 19:19 | Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Monticello, United States
Slavery is fundamental to the American story. Monticello is simultaneously a place to remember, a place to mourn, and a place to inspire change. How can Monticello’s duality – the pain and beauty of one of America’s best-studied and preserved plantations – advance a national dialogue on race? What is the role of cultural monuments and sites in helping Americans learn from the past? Henry Louis Gates, Jr., moderates a discussion with Melody Barnes, Jamelle Bouie, Jon Meacham, and Bree Newsome.

Revolutionary Story Time: Mumbet's Declaration of Independence
2023-05-03 19:19 | American Independence Museum, United States
Did the Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution give all people the same rights? This might be a children’s story, but there are a lot of interesting questions to consider here – and ways for you to add your voice.

Take a Quiz about the Emancipation Proclamation
2023-05-03 19:19 | National Archives Foundation, United States
January 1, 2018 marked the 155th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. In celebration, the National Archives Foundation created this fun quiz about the document.

Monticello to Main Street Walking Tour
2023-05-03 19:19 | Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Monticello, United States
Enslaved men, women, and children not only built Monticello; they and their descendants also helped build the city of Charlottesville. This tour is based largely on the research of Monticello historian Lucia “Cinder” Stanton, and shares the stories of free and enslaved African Americans with ties to Monticello who left a lasting impact on Charlottesville history. With courage and perseverance, these individuals navigated the color line and triumphed in creating community despite the harsh realities of racism all around them.

Interpreting African American History: Q & A with Richard M. Josey
2023-05-03 19:19 | Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Monticello, United States
First-person interpretation can help the past come alive, but it can be a heavy responsibility—especially when sharing difficult history. Portraying an enslaved person can be especially challenging, both professionally and personally. Richard M. Josey discusses his years as a first-person interpreter, the lessons he learned, and how he now shares those lessons as a consultant for museums and historical organizations.

Of Many Strands and The 1701 Project
2023-05-03 19:19 | Society of Undergraduate Humanities Publications, United States
In June 2020, members of The Yale Historical Review (YHR) founded The 1701 Project, an initiative on racial injustice and social change. Although unrelated, we draw inspiration from Nikole Hannah-Jones and her colleagues’ examination of slavery’s legacies in The 1619 Project. The 1701 Project (a nod to the year of Yale’s founding) analyzes our university’s and our nation’s racist histories through an ongoing series of articles, interviews, and art. We have extended this conversation beyond New Haven, partnering with publications from other institutions across the country. This coalition, titled Of Many Strands (the name borrowed from the epilogue of Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man), has to create a central online repository for our journals. The 1701 Project and Of Many Strands seek to foster dialogue about our history in order to change our society today.

Realizing the Promises of the Declaration of Independence
2023-05-03 19:19 | Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Monticello, United States
Monticello’s Director of African American History Niya Bates discusses the descendants of Monticello’s enslaved community and their struggle over generations to make real the promises of the Declaration of Independence.

Watch "Walk Through the War: 1865 – Legacies of the War"
2023-05-03 19:19 | American Civil War Museum, United States
The conflict isn’t over after the the war in 1865. How do Americans reconcile with the weight and cost of the war while trying to reunify the nation and welcome people who have a newfound citizenship?

Read About Monument Avenue
2023-05-03 19:19 | American Civil War Museum, United States
At the American Civil War Museum, we see the complex, messy, and multifaceted history the monuments on Monument Avenue represent. Ultimately, history is never static, but always present. Each generation asks different questions of the past, and each generation finds different answers to make sense of the world it occupies. Our generation is no different. We believe that conversation rooted in evidence-based history is the best guide to discerning our place, and our future, in an alive and evolving narrative. To help explore the complex history of Monument Avenue, the Museum offers a document reader, an online exhibit, a select reading list, and a blog series.

What Does Memorial Day Mean To You?
2023-05-03 19:19 | American Civil War Museum, United States
What does Memorial Day mean to you? Is it just cookouts? Solemn appreciation for the nation’s dead? Do you think it has different meanings to different people? Explore what Memorial Day celebrations tell us about conflicting recollections and differences of opinion in American memory.

Stories from veterans, pilots and NASA leaders
2023-05-03 19:19 | Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, United States
Short oral histories of people connected to Intrepid’ s collections , including veterans, a Concorde pilot and the former head of NASA.

Who Were the Black Sailors of Gun Tub 10?
2023-05-03 19:19 | Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, United States
Hear from tour guide Annette Melendez, as she talks about the role of African-American sailors in World War II and the brave men of Gun Tub 10 who served on board USS Intrepid.

Taps at the Tower
2023-05-03 19:19 | National WWI Museum and Memorial, United States
Linking the beauty and simplicity of the Taps bugle call with the symbolism of the Liberty Memorial Tower, Taps at the Tower is presented each evening at sunset. People are invited to come and use the grounds each evening, have a picnic, play games and enjoy the outdoors. At sunset (8:45 p.m.) from June 20 – 26, people gather to experience Taps being played during a brief, moving ceremony.

Self-Guided Tour of Arlington National Cemetery
2023-05-03 19:19 | DC By Foot, United States
Established during the Civil War, Arlington National Cemetery is a testament to the incredible service and sacrifice of our many men and women in the Armed Forces. Our self-guided walking tour allows visitors to uncover the history of this cemetery and uncover the narrative of service and sacrifice across generations.

Our Words, Our Power Speech Workshop Series
2023-05-03 19:20 | Ford’s Theatre, United States
Explore how ordinary citizens and public figures use their words to engage in the civic process to effect positive change in the Our Words, Our Power Speech Workshop Series. To celebrate Pride, we’ll center our thoughts and discussion around LGBTQ+ rights. Ford’s Teaching Artist and actor Scott Abernethy will perform a speech (TBD), followed by a discussion for all participants facilitated by Scott and Master Oratory Fellow Ben Rivers.
Advance registration required. Time is EDT.

Pizza & Politics: Meeting Candidates of the NYC Mayoral Race
2023-05-03 19:20 | State of the Students, United States
A collection of videos from the series Pizza & Politics, plus some extra videos (our favorites!). State of the Students is a nonpartisan student-led organization that serves to bridge the gap between students & their elected officials and encourage youth participation in the civic process. We believe that a functioning democracy starts with impactful, experiential civic education.

Our Vulnerable Democracy: Past, Present, & Future
2023-05-03 19:20 | South Carolina State Museum, United States
Our democracy is vulnerable. Bringing together community members and experts, this series explores historical connections to recent events in our country that have revealed those vulnerabilities in our democratic framework and offer opportunities for discussion and dialog on how we can move forward together.
In collaboration with Historic Columbia, Richland Library, University of South Carolina Collaboration on Race, University of South Carolina Center for Civil Rights.

National Conversation on Civil Rights & Individual Freedom: President Jimmy Carter & Derreck Kayongo
2023-05-03 19:20 | National Archives Foundation, United States
On May 21-22, 2016, the National Archives presented a National Conversation on Civil Rights and Individual Freedom in partnership with the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, GA. This two-day event addressed the challenges to and future of civil rights and individual freedom, and featured a Q&A session with former President Jimmy Carter and Derreck Kayongo, CEO of the National Civil and Human Rights Center on Friday, May 20.

Historians Discuss: Founders to Civil Rights
2023-05-03 19:20 | Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Monticello, United States
How could the author of the Declaration of Independence own slaves? How did the Founders’ failure on slavery stunt the American Dream? What are some of the key lessons from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s? Ed Ayers, Marian Wright Edelman, Annette Gordon-Reed, Deborah McDowell discuss with Peter S. Onuf.

Our Common Purpose: Civic Media to Build a Better Society
2023-05-03 19:20 | Library of Congress, United States
What does civic media look like, and how can it compete with social media? What are the benefits to creating a platform that would help, rather than harm, our democratic society? Stream the conversation with experts.
In collaboration with the American Academy of Arts & Sciences

Monticello's Virtual 2020 Independence Day Commemoration
2023-05-03 19:20 | Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Monticello, United States
Join us as we commemorate both the powerful words of the Declaration of Independence and how generations have fought – and continue to fight – to make these ideas real. Pulitzer Prize-winning historians Annette Gordon-Reed and Jon Meacham reflect on our country’s founding principles, and the role Thomas Jefferson envisioned citizens playing in moving the nation forward; Spanish-American chef, José Andrés, shares his passion for being a “citizen of the world” through his non-profit, World Central Kitchen; and Annette Gordon-Reed interviews Velma Williams, the great-great-granddaughter of Peter Hemings, Jefferson’s enslaved cook and brewer. Ms. Williams turned 100 years old on July 4, 2020.

Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century
2023-05-03 19:20 | American Academy of Arts & Sciences, United States
Across the country, concerned citizens joined us for the release of the final report of the Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship. We heard from the Commissioners, dedicated Americans, and organizations who came together to make these recommendations and learned about the steps we can take to improve the resilience of our democracy by 2026, our nation’s 250th anniversary.

Playing the President: FDR's First Hundred Days
2023-05-03 19:20 | New-York Historical Society, United States
When Franklin D. Roosevelt assumed the presidency in 1933, America was in crisis. The Great Depression had spread economic turmoil and poverty. Play this game to explore the challenges FDR faced in his first hundred days in office as if you were the president.

Monticello LIVE with Jon Meacham and David Rubenstein
2023-05-03 19:20 | Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Monticello, United States
America’s Founders understood that a republic is fragile; for it to survive, citizens must be engaged, educated, committed and have a free press and voting rights. In this livestream Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and past chairman of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Board of Trustees, Jon Meacham, and philanthropist David Rubenstein discuss Jefferson’s remarkably modern advice on citizenship, encapsulated in Mr. Meacham’s new book, In the Hands of the People
