And The Pursuit of Happiness: Maira Kalman Illustrates Democracy. By Maria Popova Yes, we love Maira Kalman. Last year, the iconic illustrator published a wonderful and quirky illustrated 12-part meditation on democracy in her New York Times blog and today, the series is released as an equally wonderful illustrated book. And the Pursuit of Happiness begins with Barack Obama’s inauguration on Chapter One, with each subsequent chapter representing a month in Kalman’s yearlong quest to explore the underpinnings of contemporary democracy. In February, she travels to both costs, so the respective chapter is dedicated to Abraham Lincoln. Brimming with Kalman’s childlike aesthetic, delightfully kooky typography and subtle wordplay, And the Pursuit of Happiness takes you on a playful yet philosophical journey into the human side of politics and democracy — a genuine treat for eye, mind and heart.
Donating = Loving Bringing you (ad-free) Brain Pickings takes hundreds of hours each month. You can also become a one-time patron with a single donation in any amount. Creating the Declaration of Independence - Creating the United States. Picturing America Home Page. From Invisible Ink to Cryptography, How the American Revolution Did Spycraft and Privacy-Hacking. By Michelle Legro What personal data has to do with George Washington’s dabbles in chemistry. Our personal data is among today’s most valuable information currency. It’s often hard to determine what part companies own, what part the government owns, and what part, if any, is entirely our own — provided a third party hasn’t already sold it to someone else. These intrusions of privacy aren’t new. For centuries, the post office had every intention of reading your mail.
Beginning in 16th-century France, the “black chamber” or cabinet noir was set up in governments throughout Europe to scan incoming mail for traitorous or politically useful correspondence. Invisible ink, far from the magical compound pop culture has made it out to be, has been around for ages — a book on invisible writing was published in 1653. Instead of heat, George Washington used a chemical form of agent and reagent, and he was quite often on the verge of running out of one or the other as he moved from camp to camp.
Archives Highlights. I Edward Steichen at The Family of Man, 1955. The Museum of Modern Art Archives, NY: International Council/International Program Exhibition Records Family of Man (SP-ICE-10-55; Berlin): Box VII.145.5 Edward Steichen at The Family of Man, 1955 The Family of Man (MoMA Exh. #569, January 24-May 8, 1955) was composed of 503 photographs grouped thematically around subjects pertinent to all cultures, such as love, children, and death. The Family of Man circulated internationally under the auspices of the Museum's International Program, founded in 1952 to develop and tour circulating exhibitions, including United States Representations at international exhibitions and festivals, one-person shows, and group exhibitions.
The Museum's long-standing interest in photography grew out of founding Director Alfred H. Document Library: Select a Document. The People, Yes - Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site. The Depression years provoked in Sandburg a profound desire to console “the people of the earth, the family of man,” and to lift the hopes of the people. Sandburg relinquished his Chicago Daily News job in 1932 to devote his full time to writing biography and poetry; he began to take a “detour” from work on the last stages of Abraham Lincoln: The War Years to write a long, innovative poem based in part on the lessons he had learned from Lincoln and American history.
The People, Yes, an epic prose-poem, is in many ways the culmination of Sandburg’s work as a poet and is believed by Lilian Sandburg to be his favorite work. He crafted it over an eight-year period, fusing the American vernacular with the details of history and contemporary events. Sandburg’s immersion in the Lincoln era had given him an informed sense of history, and he saw striking parallels between Lincoln’s time and the Depression years. The people is the grand canyon of humanity and many many miles across. Picturing America. The Freedom Riders and the Popular Music of the Civil Rights Movement. Activity 1. Setting the Stage Begin with a discussion where students define and understand the goals of the civil rights movement and the concept of equal rights.The Freedom Riders website, under the section Issues, contains short essays on aspects of the movement most relevant to the Freedom Rides.This essay from the PBS documentary Eyes on the Prize by Bernice Johnson Reagon gives useful framework for music’s meaning in the civil rights movement.
Activity 2. Understanding the Message Have students analyze the lyrics to a song and analyze the message behind them. o Possible Songs o "If I Had a Hammer"- Pete Seeger (1949) o “I’ve Been ‘Buked and I’ve Been Scorned”- Mahalia Jackson at the March on Washington (1963) o “This Little Light of Mine”- Various Artists and Performances (1950s and 1960s) o “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize”- Various Artists and Performances (1956) o “Get Your Rights Jack”- C.O.R.E Freedom Singers (early 1960s) o “Blowin’ in the Wind”- Bob Dylan (1963) Activity 3. Activity 4. Summer in the Parks » MiddleWeb. A MiddleWeb Resource Roundup Most of us live within driving distance of one or more national parks.
The National Park Service can help educators across content areas enrich their lessons by bringing some direct summer experience back to the classroom. And if you don’t have time to get face-to-face with these preserved and honored pieces of America, Park Service web pages often describe the history, culture or geology underlying the parks. America on a Grand Scale Learn about educational opportunities for all ages provided at major parks from the Park Service’s Institutes and Field School page. The Civil War, 150 Years Later Moving east, educators can observe the Civil War Sesquicentennial. The 1862 Peninsular Campaign that centered around the Confederate capital is being commemorated by the Richmond National Battlefield Park through June.
The War of 1812: The British were coming, again Of course, this year also marks the 200th centennial of the War of 1812.