One of the most common complaints about history curriculums is the lack of diversity. When companies only want to summarize “key” points or people, they leave out important parts of the story. In attempts to cram large stretches of history into only a few page, we lose the people and events who make history interesting. Of course, learning about George Washington is important for every American, but we should also learn about heroes like Salem Poor and Catherine Barry. We sho

William Jennings Bryan was born on March 18, 1960, to Mariah Jennings and Silas Bryan in Salem, Illinois. After graduating from Union Law School in 1883, he left Illinois and moved to Nebraska. Then in 1890, Bryan was elected to Congress as a Democrat, and that began his political life. On July 9, 1896, William Jennings Bryan gave his famous “Cross of Gold” speech to the Democratic Party about “free-silver.” One of the most remembered lines from his speech was “you will not

Sometimes, even with the most interesting time period, it can be hard to remember what happened or who did what. One way to help students (and anybody really) increase their retention of historical information is to bring history to life. But what exactly does that mean? Since we can’t travel back in time, it means visiting reenactments, living history museums, or performing reenactments in your home! Visiting historical sites and reenactments can make the past more real to y

Long ago, a strong stone fortress was constructed by a man known as Herod the Great. The fortress was called Masada, which when translated through the Hebrew language, means “strong fortress.” Masada was built on a mesa above the dead sea. It was originally built to serve as a castle complex and a safe place during the winter, but when Romans took it over, it was then treated as a place where Jewish people could stay. According to History.com, one man, by the name of Josephus

Recently, on a visit to a chain retail store, I wandered into the education section. It was brimming with books on math, science, and reading, but something felt off. The more I looked, the more I realized that the books about history were missing! But why should that matter? Isn’t it more important to learn math and science over something trivial like history? When do we use history for in our everyday lives anyway? What’s the big deal? Well, history explains who we are and