Exploring the Life of James Madison

Classroom Help, Informative

Written by Julia E. Colloms

For the past two years, my son and I have studied United States history. History in and of itself had never been very interesting to me until I began to teach. I have learned that there is not another subject that can grab your attention more than a story about a “real life individual.” Therefore, when our school year was close to being wrapped up and vacation was on the horizon, I began to think about what locations our family could explore to make all that we learned come to life. We were headed to Virginia to visit family, so my possibilities were limitless.

The obvious answer would have been Mt. Vernon. My son adores stories about General George Washington leading his men to victory over the British. However, as I looked at all that Virginia had to offer, I focused my attention on the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Montpelier, the home of former President James Madison.

I have to admit that in our two-year study of the United States, James Madison was a subject we had yet to cover. We may have discussed his work as Secretary of State for President Jefferson, but it would have been brief. I could not, however, shake this urge to see Madison’s home. I am very thankful that I chose to satisfy my curiosity about James Madison, and I urge you to visit Montpelier. The scenery is breathtaking. The house is beautiful. The hands-on learning is wonderful for children. James Madison was an intriguing person, and it was a pleasure to learn about his life and career. (more…)

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Early American History Through Literature

Classroom Help, Informative

Published with Permission
Written by Rea Berg
www.reaberg.com

“The creation of the United States of America is the greatest of all human adventures. No other national history holds such tremendous lessons, for the American people themselves and for the rest of mankind. It now spans four centuries, and, as we enter the new millennium, we need to retell it, for if we can learn these lessons and build upon them, the whole of humanity will benefit in the new age which is now opening.”1

The words of the renowned British historian, Paul Johnson, remind us as Americans that the story of our country is a good story and one worthy of retelling. Despite our many foibles as a nation and a culture, what occurred on the eastern shores of this rich land in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was remarkable in the annals of human history. The confluence of the streams of spiritual freedom birthed in the Reformation, the revival of Greek and Roman philosophical thought in the Renaissance, and the advance of civil and social notions in the Enlightenment allowed a full flowering of religious and civil liberty to be realized here.

Since many of us are products of an institutionalized educational system where this remarkable story has been blandly presented through the pages of standardized textbooks, it is not surprising that we often approach teaching our country’s history with dread rather than enthusiasm. Fortunately, there is a wonderfully simple remedy for this malady that is guaranteed to inspire even the most reluctant student of history. Here it is:  teach history through literature. As Pulitzer prize-winning author David McCullough advises about teaching history: “Tell stories.”2

The story of America’s founding really begins… (more…)

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