Christian Nussbaum

Annotated Bibliography

Hello! All my sources are divided into the Following Categories:

- Technology in the Classroom

o Online American History Museum
o Online Native American Art Exhibit
- Primary Documents
o Journal of Christopher Columbus
o Declaration of Independence
- Inquiry Based and Controversial Issues
o Cornerstone Speech
o Triangle Waist Factory Fire
- Culturally Relevant Teaching
o Duke Ellington, Black and Tan Fantasy
- Discourse and Discussion Materials
o American Progress by John Gast
o Memorial: Letters from American Soldiers
o Is This Tomorrow?

Obviously, some sources fit into all categories, however I placed them where
I best saw fit. The Native American Art Museum is considered culturally relevant
teaching and all sources can be used for discussion. The sorting is simply made for
you to easily navigate the sources and how they could be used in the classroom.
 Technology in the Classroom:

1. Online American History Museum

 https://americanhistory.si.edu/exhibitions/online

This online museum has dozens of online exhibits for students to explore. Each exhibit
has a short summary of what the exhibit was, and an image of the actual exhibit displayed in its
museum. Within each online exhibit is a link to more detail on the subject being discussed.
Exhibits focus on topics such as civil rights, the electric guitar, polio and many more. The online
museum has many practical uses due to the broad range of topics it discusses. The online
museum has multiple exhibits that discusses groups of people who fought for equal rights.
Exhibits on Women’s suffrage, the civil rights movement and the LGBTQ community fighting
for equality are all found on this online museum. The teacher could give students time during
class to explore this website and find all sections discussing people fighting for equality in
America, which aligns with standard SS.H.7.9-12.

2. Online Native American Art Exhibit

 https://www.indianartsandculture.org/online-exhibitions/

This is yet another online museum for students to explore. This exhibit allows for
students to explore art creative by Native Americans. There are numerous beautiful online
exhibits for students to observe. The teacher could simply allow students to explore the museum
on their own, and choose a certain exhibit and piece of artwork that catches their idea. They
could then do further research on the artist and their purpose behind the painting. This would
expose the students to the world of Native American art. Too often, marginalized groups are only
shown in schools as people who were oppressed by white European American’s, and their
contributions are overlooked. With this source, students are shown artistic contributions of
Native Americans. It also helps the students achieve state standard SS.H.8.9-12, which is to
“Analyze key historical events and contributions of individuals through a variety of perspectives,
including those of historically underrepresented groups”
 Primary Documents:

3. Journal of Christopher Columbus

 https://www.latinamericanstudies.org/columbus/Columbus-Journal.pdf

The journal of Christopher Columbus follows Columbus’ journey from Spain to America
when he initially set off for India. His journal provides a deeper understanding of what the
journey to America was like from Columbus’ perspective. This helps students succeed at state
standard SS.H.8.9-12. Although we know that Columbus did not discover America, Columbus
accidentally stumbling across the America’s and relaying his journey back to Spain changed the
world. Columbus Day was a holiday celebrated in America for decades. Eventually, the
controversial holiday was changed to Indigenous Peoples Day. Columbus personal journal shows
his experience of the ‘discovery’ of America, but also gives the reader a deeper understanding of
who Columbus was. This primary source would be useful in gaining a deeper understanding of
the 15th century events that transpired. It would also be useful while discussing the reasons to
which why Columbus Day is no longer nationally celebrated. It would not be practical to have
students read the journal in its entirety. Rather, the teacher could have students read different
short excerpts, and come together and share what they learned about Columbus and his journey
to America, like a jigsaw.

4. Declaration of Independence

 http://uscode.house.gov/download/annualhistoricalarchives/pdf/OrganicLa
ws2006/decind.pdf

There are clear benefits to using the Declaration of Independence within the classroom.
The Declaration of Independence holds significant historical value in US History, marking the
initial attempt to separate from the British Empire and become the independent United States.
The Declaration can be split up into 5 parts and 1320 words, making it possible for students to
read and break down the historic document within class, and could even be done in one day. The
body portion of the Declaration lists the abuses of the British government on America, which
provides an excellent summary as to why the founding fathers decided to declare independence.
The document was constructed by a committee of founding fathers and using it in class allows
students to see the war from their perspective and read the words they wrote. In class, the teacher
could simply go section by section together, summarizing what each section said in their own
words to help comprehension of the students, and construct a worksheet of comprehension
questions to help students follow along. Seeing what influenced the perspectives of the founding
fathers helps students reach state standard SS.H.5.9-12.
 Inquiry Based and Controversial Issues:

5. Cornerstone Speech
 https://iowaculture.gov/history/education/educator-resources/primary-
source-sets/civil-war/cornerstone-speech-alexander

The Cornerstone Speech was a speech delivered by Vice President of the Confederacy
Alexander H. Stephens on March 21st, 1861, in Savannah Georgia. This speech is delivered by
Stephens to emphasize the reasoning as to why the Confederate “revolution” began and what the
‘cornerstone’ to the Confederacy was. Stephens clearly states that the cornerstone is slavery.
This is very useful to a classroom because it comprehensible primary source that is capturing the
mentality of the Confederacy. It also is a great source to combat the misinformation that sprung
from the Lost Cause, which was an attempt to change the narrative that the South was fighting
for slavery. The Cornerstone Speech is on the longer side, so the class would only read portions
of the speech, however this source would also help students understand what influenced the
decisions of the Confederacy, accomplishing standard SS.H.5.9-12.

6. Triangle Waist Factory Fire Newspaper Article-

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045433/1911-03-26/ed-1/seq-
1/#words=SHIRTWAIST+BURNS+FACTORY

The Triangle Waist Factory fire was a factory fire in which 146 women died in 1911. The
story itself shows what conditions were like for American workers amid the Industrial
Revolution, in this case in a factory that produced garments, and mostly operated by women. The
story itself is a tragedy, and students will be able to see how although the Industrial Revolution
brought a lot of good, it did not mean everyone lived easy lives. This article shows students that
there still was hardship in the early 20th century, and the booming factory industry had different
effects on different social classes. Also, it is interesting to see how the world would react to such
a disaster. Students are able to analyze the event through the lenses of early 20th century
journalists instead of their own 21st century eyes. Newspaper articles are a great way for students
to see life through a different lenses and look back in time. Students could read what the initial
response was in 1911, and this would spark further discussion such as; What would the response
have been like today? Is this still an issue in America? Is this an issue in other parts of the world?
This inquiry based discussion and these questions would help the students succeed in standard
SS.IS.3.9-12.
 Culturally Relevant Teaching:

7. Duke Ellington, Black and Tan Fantasy

The purpose behind including music within my class is to show how Black American
musicians influenced and impacted the culture around them. Jazz and soul had significant
cultural influence on the United States, and I believe it would be both educational and engaging
to listen to this music in class. It is also easy to tie in the Civil Rights movement, as these
musicians also had to deal with the combination of critical acclaim and racial segregation in
America at the same time. I believe listening to the music and then doing a deep dive into the
lives of various artists could show students a new story of racial segregation that they may not be
so familiar to. In Duke Ellington’s case, there are ways he blends musical genres together to tell
stories about social justice. This source is both memorable, engaging and unique and I believe
that is why it would be valuable in the classroom. This would also help students understand the
fight for social justice, achieving standard SS.H.7.9-12.
 Discourse and Discussion Materials:

8. American Progress
 https://picturinghistory.gc.cuny.edu/john-gast-american-progress-1872/

The famous painting “American Progress” was painted by John Gast in 1872. It shows white
American settlers moving westward across a great plain. These settlers are guided by an angel,
and they are also pushing Native Americans back. This image is supposed to represent Manifest
Destiny and how white settlers were ordained by God to expand westward, taking the land from
the Natives. This was a dark spot in American history, and students must understand the nature
of the relationship the settlers had with their religion, the land, and the indigenous people at that
time. This famous painting depicts all three. There are so many intricate details in this painting
that students could spend an entire period at least looking for new portions of the painting and
describing what they think as to why Gast painted it. This could also be done as a class using the
‘magic magnifying glass’ trick Dr. Southall showed us with the projector. Students could find
numerous secondary sources that are historians’ commentary on the painting itself as well, which
is the goal of standard SS.H.9.9-12 . Short or long essays could be written about the purpose
behind the painting, how it reflects America at that time period and how it depicts settlers and
Native Americans. It also helps students achieve multiple standards including SS.G.6.9-12 which
discusses historical events contributing to distribution of people, and SS.H.6.9-12 which tasks
students with analyzing the pursuit of the American Dream.

9. Memorial: Letters from American Soldiers

 https://vimeo.com/198314213

This Oscar nominated documentary has actors read real letters from American soldiers they
wrote to their home while they are away at war. This film is engaging and emotionally charged,
and captures what life was like for an American Soldier during the First and Second World War,
as well as the Korean, Vietnam and Gulf Wars. It allows the students to feel the emotion and
tone of the letters as the actors bring the soldiers real stories to the screen and visually students
are shown images of soldiers during their time overseas. Students see the effect the war had on
the individual level, after already being exposed to the effects war had on a global scale Students
are encouraged to discuss this film and identify what details stuck out to them the most. They
could also compare the different stories throughout the different 20th century war and compare
and contrast the soldiers letters. There are a lot of differences in these wars, including motive of
the countries, technology, fighting styles, etc. this single film would be an engaging way for
students to see life as a soldier. Comparing different perspectives from different historical times
fulfills standard SS.H.5.9-12.
 10. Is This Tomorrow?
 https://archive.org/details/IsThisTomorrowAmericaUnderCommunismCat
echeticalGuild

This final source is from the Cold War era in America. It is a propaganda comic
distributed to Americans to warn them about what life may turn out like in America if
Communists were to invade American society and gain political power. It is a clear piece of
propaganda used to persuade the American masses to feel a certain way about a topic using fear.
This comic seems directed at a younger audience, but it covers complex issues and could be
consumed by all ages. It has interesting illustrations and an outlandish storyline with an
unrealistic ending, but the exaggeration is simply another tool to instill fear. This comic would
be a great lesson to students about propaganda, the Red Scare, and on reliable sources. Students
would be given an opportunity to share how the comic makes them feel, and theorize how
propaganda like this might have worked during the Cold War. While discussing reliability of
sources, students would be achieving standard SS.IS.4.9-12. They could gather information from
this source and other sources, evaluate them, and decipher which ones may be reliable and which
were spreading false information.