A responsible citizen is an informed citizen. Knowledge is power. Let’s teach our kids and grandkids how to be powerful. We hope you find these sites useful. Most have no ads. When they do have sponsors, you can usually bypass the commercial messages quickly. But please remember when you’re looking at good content that someone had to pay to get it there.
GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS AND SYMBOLS
Know the three United States of America foundation documents:
The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution and The Bill of Rights. This beautifully designed site also displays the other charters that laid the groundwork for the foundation documents of the United States of America. Meet the signers. View the originals, starting with the Declaration of Independence and download the texts.
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration.html
To learn more about the Constitution, visit the site of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. Located on Independence Mall, it teaches about the history of the constitution and what it means today in a series of interactive and highly engaging exhibits.
http://constitutioncenter.org
To learn about the American Flag go to this official Federal site. There are other interesting sites out there but this one is reliable, comprehensive and easy to navigate—a fine place to start! http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/misc/ourflag/titlepage.htm
Want to know more about the Statue of Liberty, a world heritage site, and one of the most photographed statues in the world? This iconic figure symbolizes American freedom and has greeted millions on their entry into America since she was created by a Frenchman and given to the US as a centennial gift. This entry and Ellis Island are National Park Service sites but we think they deserve their own listings. http://www.nps.gov/stli/index.htm
ABOUT OUR GOVERNMENT
This great primer on our government, packed with facts and content, helps you find out about our president, the first family, the White House, our administration and how our government works. Explanations and links could keep you busy for days. Drop down menus at the top are mapped out at the bottom. http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/
Ever wondered how to find Congressional current legislation and the debates around it, Supreme Court decisions, executive orders and our federal budget? Follow the current work of our three branches of government and past records as well. This is the official site of the government printing office. http://www.gpoaccess.gov
US HISTORY RESOURCES
Explore dozens of remarkable exhibits from our national archives ranging from our nation’s human and civil rights history, to the 1918 influenza epidemic to eyewitness accounts of dramatic moments in US history to New Deal Federal Art to exceptional panoramic US photos and much more.
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits
Discover a treasure trove of multi-media historical resources from explanations of national holidays, to footage of Presidential elections, to clips from speeches by great figures in American history. http://www.history.com
What sets us apart from all other nations? Our National Parks. Go on a virtual tour, encounter beauty and learn some history. For starters check out: Gettysburg, Fort McHenry, Antietam, Yosemite and the one that started them all—Yellowstone. When you’re finished your virtual visit, plan a family trip. This is our history and inheritance; if you take them there, they’ll know you care.
http://www.nps.gov/index.htm
Our founding documents set a standard of aspiration. We often fell short and sometimes still do. It took centuries to free our slaves and then another century to grant black Americans their full civil rights. The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis is adjacent to the Lorraine Hotel where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. Learn about his life, the movement he re-invigorated and led and the continuing civil rights struggle here and elsewhere. http://www.civilrightsmuseum.org
PILGRIMS AND AMERICAN INDIANS
Pilgrim Hall, our nation’s oldest continuously operating public museum located in Plymouth, Massachusetts sponsors this site. There’s no substitute for going there and seeing the actual artifacts, but you can start to learn about some of our earliest settlers from Europe. http://www.pilgrimhall.org
Check out a comprehensive guide to Native American histories and Native American facts.
http://www.kidinfo.com/American_History/Native_Americans.html
Visit the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian Institute. Home to over 800,000 artifacts and 300,000 images, the museum is committed to telling the story of the Native cultures of the western hemisphere. This includes our own country’s shameful and difficult history of encounter with Native American Indians.
http://www.nmai.si.edu
IMMIGRATION
Ellis Island was the first gateway into America for millions of immigrants. If your family entered America here you may be able to use their excellent search engine to find the official entry document, ship register listing your ancestor(s) and a picture of the ship they came in on.
http://www.nps.gov/elis
Could you pass the naturalization exam? What every new citizen needs to know: http://www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/100q.pdf
To learn more about immigration look at the statistics and other information provided by the Department of Homeland Security. If we aren’t Native Americans or descended from African slaves we were all immigrants at some point in our American story. The Yearbook of Immigration Statistics has an immigration table from 1820 to 2008. It’s a history lesson in itself.
http://www.dhs.gov/files/statistics/immigration.shtm
STORY-TELLING
Part of raising great citizens is telling them what we (their parents and grandparents) think is important. One of the best ways to do that is through stories. Not all of us are born storytellers. Get help at this great site. 50,000 Americans have recorded their stories at Story Corps studios for the Library of Congress or, you can do it yourself. This non-profit project of NPR, CPB, and The Library of Congress wants the day after Thanksgiving to become a national day of listening. We agree! Visit http://www.storycorps.org for the full story or http://www.storycorps.org/diy/ to do it yourself.
A much edgier story telling site, but with great demos from ex-cons to writers and celebs, it also gives tips on how to create your own story-telling groups and become a great story-teller. It’s mostly New York based but you can still learn and use what they offer. Why the moth? Go to the site and find out. It makes perfect sense. http://www.themoth.org
Another way to teach your kids what matters to you is to write it down. This site will inspire you with the reflections of thousands of people, ordinary and famous, who have been writing 500 word essays (or less) on their core beliefs since the 1950’s. The brilliant broadcaster, Edward R. Murrow, helped create it in 1951 at a time when he said his own beliefs were “in flux,” and “opinions can be picked up cheap in the marketplace, while such commodities as courage and fortitude and faith are in alarmingly short supply.” http://thisibelieve.org
Yes, it’s television but it’s PBS. Sesame Street got its start over thirty years ago through PBS (Public Broadcasting Service). PBS keeps churning out stories that challenge viewers to pay attention to life. Look for “PBS Parents” on the home page along the top banner. Click on it for a world of helpful insights and resources. Now, what if they had a “PBS Grandparents” for the first generation to parent kids who know how to get along better in a more diverse world because of Sesame Street? http://www.pbs.org
CIVICS
Civics education is no longer taught in most of our schools. Democracies need informed and educated citizens. Since 1969, The Center for Civic Education has been working to help all 50 states raise the standard and presence of civic learning for all of our children in all of our schools. This site, though full of excellent resources, is dense and occasionally hard to navigate. But if you care about civics education you should check it out. http://www.civiced.org
Civics is not taught in our colleges either. Since 1953, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute has been working to improve civic literacy on our college campuses. In 2007, only 54% of 14,000 graduating seniors from 50 schools nationwide could pass a 60 question multi-choice civics exam on basic American heritage knowledge. A random sample of 2508 adults did worse on a 33 question exam. 71% failed with an average score of 49%. What to do about it? Watch less TV. Read more and have conversations about history and current events. (That’s what Freedom’s Feast helps your family to do). Take the test and see where you come out. http://www.americancivicliteracy.org
Freedom’s Feast encourages civic engagement. We are also politically neutral. This site is provocative but not mean-spirited. It may elevate or irritate. The creators of “True Patriot, a pamphlet” are Democrats but they’re not partisans. Their claim is that America and its purpose from our beginning was inherently progressive. When we live that way our laws, our choices, our use of resources reflect that understanding. That’s what true patriotism is about. Do you agree?
http://truepat.org
VOLUNTEERING
Volunteering with your kids and grandkids is one of the best ways to show them what you care about and why. How else will we raise the next generation of citizen caretakers and stewards? Here are some great sites that help you to match your passions with your family’s location and capabilities.
http://www.serve.gov
http://www.volunteermatch.org
http://www.mygooddeed.org
http://www.dosomething.org
http://www.familycares.org
http://www.networkforgood.org
http://www.rootsandshoots.org
FOOD AND CELEBRATION IDEAS
Some of our most lasting memories come from the meals we share together and the time we spend gathered around a table. Make the meals good and families might stay at the table longer. Check out these rich (and varied) sites for holiday celebration suggestions and recipes.
http://www.realsimple.com
http://www.epicurious.com
http://www.bellaonline.com
http://www.marthastewart.com/holidays
SPECIAL THANKSGIVING RESOURCES
Designed for teachers, parents and kids this reliable vendor of educational content offers quality info for anyone who wants to learn more about the first Thanksgiving and early life in America. Start your journey there and see where your explorations will take you!
http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/
Tammy Payne, a social studies teacher at Leonardtown Middle School in Leonardtown, Maryland started using Freedom's Feast with her students in fall of 2003. She created a lesson plan based on her experience with the full version as her resource. http://freedomsfeast.us/files/TammyPayneLessonPlan.pdf
