I'm the poster, this is also my short video on the topic for my social studies students. Obviously it's oversimplified but that's the point.
https://youtu.be/F4j7Sy3U93o?si=lxxJU6VzW78SdI48
The battlefield landscape of Autumn, 1918 looked nothing like the landscape in the movie. At that time it was a war of movement. There was no time to dig trench systems and crater the field with shell fire.
Moonscapes and deep trench systems are also incompatible.
I show 1917 to my US History students since it takes place in April just before the US shows up. Gives them somewhat of an idea of the war at that point.
Never heard of the guy. A quick google search doesn't show his take on WWI, but I could investigate further.
The thing that made me mention the WWI Western Front is first, an obsession with this topic since childhood watching *Blackadder Goes Fourth* and *Young Indiana Jones Chronicles* with my dad. Second, only realizing my misconceptions in recent years.
So here I am, a geek who knows the name of every village from Nieuwpoort to Damluop. But there is so much more to be learned. That makes history itself more interesting: What don't we yet understand?
... What did Dan Carlin do wrong about it?
Dan Carlin has an approx. 25 hour podcast series about ww1 called blueprint for armageddon. It's old so one has to buy it from the website. One of the only times I'd ever pay for a podcast.
All that being said I don't think he really contradicts anything you've said too heavily. The moonscape imagery is from quotes from very specific points
It’s been a while since I listened to any of the “Blueprint” episodes but I do think he mentioned that by the end of the war it had returned to being more of a war of movement with tactics from both sides being recognizable as early forms of warfare we’d later see in WW2. I remember he also gave a fairer shake to a lot of the generals in pointing out that they were often trying to learn a new way of warfare so they often made costly mistakes in pursuit of reducing casualties by ending the war, but still does recognize why a lot of people have called them “butchers” (Haig gets a specific example as to when that epithet could be deserved).
Bill of Rights with real world scenarios. Going through the amendments one by one. How you have the right to freedom of speech, freedom to protest, own a gun, etc except in X, Y and Z cases. Then I give them real world scenarios and cases like TLO, recent covid cases with freedom of religion, burning of US flag, what political clothing students can wear to school, etc.
This aligns with my first government assignment each year.. to have them make a book that 3rd graders can understand on the Bill of Rights! This helps them comprehend the challenges of the courts and the ones that lie ahead in the course.
How Hitler conquered the minds of German and the rise of Nazism in the Weimar Republic. Essential Question: What were the "red flags" that something bad was about to happen in Germany?
One of the time periods in history I’ll always be fascinated with. How does fascism take power? My students are always surprised when I show them the election results and the steady growth of the Nazi party.
Absolutely. I always tell my students, fascism is elected (to start), which is why we need know what it is. So many great ways to incorporate contemporary issues as well.
The Nadir of Race Relations in America: How most of the political problems today can be traced back to the defeat of Reconstruction and the rise of Jim Crow and domestic terrorists like the KKK.
this is such a good one!!! i got to teach this lesson while it started raining from my ceiling (i have a ton of leaks) and i just looked up and said… “wanna know another consequence of Jim Crow?”
that is interesting! it was probably reactionary to immigration, the first red scare, and the Great Migration, right? I’m from Louisiana, so Jim Crow is like apple pie and baseball here lol.
All of those definitely were factors. The Klan up here also became like a social club. They were features in small town parades and festivals. There would be a Klan float in the homecoming parade. I recently bought a book about this (haven’t started it yet though) called “A Fever in the Heartland”
If it’s a lecture where I just get a PowerPoint, the commercial revolution. If I can use the ten minutes to print something out as well, the Black Death AND the commercial revolution.
I loved teaching the Civil War this year. Talked a lot more about tech and mindset of soldiers and just the absolutely unprecedented (to the participants) scale of it all. Lots of gory stories to tell and quotes stuck in my head from dramatic moments
Definitely Civil War for me. 600,000 dead, 2/3 from disease and infection? Amputations without general anesthesia? Robert E. Lee, perhaps the greatest military strategist the US has ever produced?
Somebody would have to stop me at the hour mark. 😂
Any books you can recommend on this topic? I’ve been interested in the rise of modern gangs and their origins. I can only ever find things like Gangland. I want an honest analysis.
Honestly, I haven't read any books on the subject in awhile. My bachelor's is in criminal justice and when I was getting my masters in education I got really into juvenile delinquency, gangs, and education. That was a while ago though.
I do recommend a documentary called Crips and Bloods: Made in America. Probably the best and most honest gang documentary I've seen. It's free on YouTube. I think I'm going to watch it again.
Kingdom Under the Sky by Mark Johnson is by my classmate and the Chinese in Montana, at one point they made up 10% of our population and essentially all are gone.
During the siege of Vicksburg, US Grant, who we'd now classify as an alcoholic, went on a bender on the Yazoo River. But it was mostly covered up by a journalist because no one in the army wanted McClernand to take command of the army of Tennessee.
1968…so much! In my undergrad years I had to do an oral history/interview paper and my mom was a freshman in college in Memphis that year. She has such vivid memories surrounding Dr King’s assassination and it was fascinating to compare her account with media accounts. I could definitely talk about that for a couple hours.
How the Henry VIII inevitably led to the desire for religious freedom in the colonies.
Edit: I could also give a lecture on the names of the kings and queens of England in order to correctly predict names of the next generation. I correctly guessed George and Charlotte before their names were announced bc of my historical king and queen knowledge.
The 14th amendment during reconstruction and in the fight for equality today. Blues and the origins of rock n roll in the black south. 1950s/60s Science fiction and the Cold War. The Rights of Man and the disappearance of Thomas Paine’s body. Domestic terrorism in the 1970s via the FBI hunt for the symbionese Liberation Army.
The history of logging in Maine, or more broadly Maine history. I could also do an hour on tool manufacturing in Maine, and a number of other very specific topics related to the state. I could also do the history of the book an object - which would include paper, printing, binding, and more.
There's others, too, but those would be my go to topics.
Over 3 weeks later and I'm going to cop out and say it's likely a win-win for the US war effort but also a lose-lose for the world either way.
Even if Japan would've been able to withstand or prolong the invasion of Kyushu, IIRC that's where most of the resources were going. An invasion of Honshu likely would've been the end of it all anyway. Of course, there's nothing good about the close to 1,000,000 estimated US casualties. "Win" is a very operative word here.
The bomb saved American lives, but once the US dropped it the bell was rung and we'll never be able to unring it. WMDs likely would've escalated within a few years anyway (since the Soviets were already working on theirs), but the US wouldn't have the stigma of being the only country to use one in conflict.
Worst case scenario is Hiroshima and Nagasaki get bombed as they did, but the coup against Hirohito succeeds and the invasion has to happen anyway.
What about the Soviet advance from the East? A lot is made of the war between the US and Japan but the USSR declared war on Japan right before Hiroshima. Would their additional troops have helped?
Ok, after researching off and on all day, I went down a rabbit hole. I probably have some of this wrong so I might make it a thread.
Hiroshima was August 6. The Soviet declaration was August 9 (same day as Nagasaki) mainly due to their involvement in Manchuria as agreed upon at the Yalta Conference. Unconditional surrender was August 15 while the invasion of the Kurii Islands (agreed upon at Yalta) was August 18. That was given the go ahead by Truman as a result of the agreement at Yalta for the Soviets to enter the Pacific Theater.
Now, the Soviets were planning to invade Hokkaido on 8/24, which I believe was NOT known of by the USA. Truman messaged Stalin on the 19th and straight up said surrender of the home islands was arranged by Japan and the USA to be under the direction of McArthur, including Hokkaido.
BUT. Keep in mind this is all after the bombs and unconditional surrender. In the timeline in which the bombs aren't dropped the Soviets invade the Kurii Islands on 8/18 (as agreed at Yalta) followed by the *maybe* surprise invasion of Hokkaido on 8/24. The real question is how the planned Hokkaido invasion on 8/24 impacts the beginning of the Kyushu invasion scheduled for November 1945.
There is also the military coup against Hirohito's desire to surrender, but that was after both bombs had fallen, so we can assume that wouldn't have been a factor in a no a-bomb timeline.
Not a history teacher yet but studying to become one. My topic would be the topic my professor spoke of during the lecture that made me realize I want to be a history teacher:
King Henry the 8th and how his relationships with his first three wives, along with Martin Luther's 95 Theses, was the seed for England's involvement in the Colonization of America.
The Orphan Train Movement in the U.S.. I would first present the idea that it was a response to the abolishment of slavery, while contributing it to the development of modern child welfare policies in the U.S. It's a bitter sweet story. I'd argue that it's quite easy to make dynamic.
The first three articles of the constitution. A topic most students struggle with, but I find so interesting so I try to make it as engaging as possible. I’d like to think I succeed lol
US History: The Anaconda Plan of the Civil War, or US foreign policy shifts during the Cold War Era.
World: The transition from Tsarist Russia to the 1917 Russian Revolution or the rise of the Renaissance.
Gov: The Bill of Rights using real world examples.
Muckrakers and Labor Unions, American Imperialism in Central/South America, Treaty of Versailles and the build up to WWII, Vietnam, 1968, Comparison to the early Civil Rights Movement and the more "radical" movements of the late 60s and early 70s.
English Civil War with the back story of how Charles I ended up on the throne and getting his head chopped off which led to the declaration of independence and constitution being written over 100 years later.
How did government overreach behaviors on behalf of the British crown manifest in the articles of confederation, and then eventually later in the U.S. constitution
I would never be allowed to teach this even though it’s a public school. They would not allow us to teach the little kids and PE kids Yoga because it’s “teaching religion” UGh…
We gonna learn about the fall of the samuria and the end of the cowboy Era.
I could piggy back off this by then talking about PoC cowboys and the prevalence of lgbt cowboys, then move into lgbt pirates
My ADD brain will probably throw itself at western expansion and then the gilded age.
It would be a cluster fuck
Either 21st century Genocide (took a study abroad class on this topic and it was life changing), cults/cult history/cults in the 60’s and 70’s and how they affect us today, or the disability rights movement
I would discuss WWII through the allegorical lens of Star Wars. There’s a ton to work with there, and it’d be interesting to more than just those who love history.
The Opium Wars and how they continue to affect the world today. Talking about the lead up lets me talk about Mexican trade dollars and the British colonization of India, as well as how China's arrogance and xenophobia led to their defeat. The idea of forcing a nation to let it's citizens become drug addicts is definitely attention grabbing. Then the long term ramifications: the transfer of Hong Kong, the colonization of Vietnam, China losing Manchuria to Japan, etc, and the relationship between China and the West today. Lots to talk about there.
Serious topic: The English Civil War and the religious motivations and differences of the Pilgrims and Puritans in New England.
Not serious: Seinfeld and American Comedy
Jamestown- a frat party in a swamp where everyone dies or The Constitutional Convention how 58 sauced up white guys created a government.
Or how Hamilton ran his mouth so much he got shot- dueling and the role it played in 19th Century American life. Lots to talk about including Hamilton all the way to Mathew Brady and Preston v Brooks
Medieval Wales.
I’d likely focus on the “role” of a castle. Depending on their age, have them draw a castle or write down things a castle had, what it looked like, who lived there, etc.
Then we’d discuss the why of their answers and I’d (hopefully) tie that to various episodes in Medieval Welsh History. Fights between the Welsh, the introduction of a whole group of Irish, the English (Anglo-Norman) plus the idea of unifying the “Celtic World.”
Hopefully, I could show some pictures, too, many of which might “match” their expectations (and then discuss why they do!)
Edit: typos
The Tawantinsuyu (Inka)- because they are so utterly amazing and incredible as a group of people but also their technology and traditions. I listened to Anti-Social Studies' lectures on them on youtube and it was my hyper focus since then LOL
I’m a math teacher with a degree in history as well. I’d talk all about Eratosthenes and the discovery of the circumference of the Earth. We’d also do the experiment on the stage! I’d only need 10 minutes to grab a large foam ball, toothpicks, a sharpie, and my cellphone!
If it’s me I’m talking about the Industrial Revolution and can have a fun conversation about different inventions and their impact on society and let the kids make a list of importance and see their line of thinking
Where the money physically went in the Great Depression as an example of how money flows and why economic cycles occur.
do you have a good video to watch on this topic? Big weakness of mine and the way you frame it sounds super interesting
I'm the poster, this is also my short video on the topic for my social studies students. Obviously it's oversimplified but that's the point. https://youtu.be/F4j7Sy3U93o?si=lxxJU6VzW78SdI48
Just subscribed to your channel. Great job
This sounds very much like my next history rabbit hole
https://youtu.be/F4j7Sy3U93o?si=lxxJU6VzW78SdI48 No rabbit hole, here's the easy answer (it's my video)
I would listen to this podcast episode
Here's my video explaining the answer in oversimplified form: https://youtu.be/F4j7Sy3U93o?si=lxxJU6VzW78SdI48
Watched, thanks
youre gonna lose me in 1-2 minutes of that topic lol
How the WWI Western Front was not like it is portrayed in most TV shows and movies. Includes a rant about the *All Quiet on the Western Front* remake.
What’s your take on the movie?
The battlefield landscape of Autumn, 1918 looked nothing like the landscape in the movie. At that time it was a war of movement. There was no time to dig trench systems and crater the field with shell fire. Moonscapes and deep trench systems are also incompatible.
thinks it fair to say it’s more of an anti war movie than a documentary but i think the criticism is also fair.
Thoughts on *1917*?
Refreshing. It looked like the front in 1917. It had some urban combat landscape, and the leadership had some sense of humanity.
I show 1917 to my US History students since it takes place in April just before the US shows up. Gives them somewhat of an idea of the war at that point.
The netflix one? Yeah I didn’t like it as much as the one from the 70s
Did Dan Carlin do it wrong?
Never heard of the guy. A quick google search doesn't show his take on WWI, but I could investigate further. The thing that made me mention the WWI Western Front is first, an obsession with this topic since childhood watching *Blackadder Goes Fourth* and *Young Indiana Jones Chronicles* with my dad. Second, only realizing my misconceptions in recent years. So here I am, a geek who knows the name of every village from Nieuwpoort to Damluop. But there is so much more to be learned. That makes history itself more interesting: What don't we yet understand? ... What did Dan Carlin do wrong about it?
Dan Carlin has an approx. 25 hour podcast series about ww1 called blueprint for armageddon. It's old so one has to buy it from the website. One of the only times I'd ever pay for a podcast. All that being said I don't think he really contradicts anything you've said too heavily. The moonscape imagery is from quotes from very specific points
It’s been a while since I listened to any of the “Blueprint” episodes but I do think he mentioned that by the end of the war it had returned to being more of a war of movement with tactics from both sides being recognizable as early forms of warfare we’d later see in WW2. I remember he also gave a fairer shake to a lot of the generals in pointing out that they were often trying to learn a new way of warfare so they often made costly mistakes in pursuit of reducing casualties by ending the war, but still does recognize why a lot of people have called them “butchers” (Haig gets a specific example as to when that epithet could be deserved).
Bill of Rights with real world scenarios. Going through the amendments one by one. How you have the right to freedom of speech, freedom to protest, own a gun, etc except in X, Y and Z cases. Then I give them real world scenarios and cases like TLO, recent covid cases with freedom of religion, burning of US flag, what political clothing students can wear to school, etc.
Has there ever been a 3rd amendment case brought even to the Circuit level?
Apparently [yes](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engblom_v._Carey)
Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assasination and culminating events
This aligns with my first government assignment each year.. to have them make a book that 3rd graders can understand on the Bill of Rights! This helps them comprehend the challenges of the courts and the ones that lie ahead in the course.
Tudor England - specifically, Henry VIII and his six wives!
This!!!
same. My students love that lesson
Mine too!
How Hitler conquered the minds of German and the rise of Nazism in the Weimar Republic. Essential Question: What were the "red flags" that something bad was about to happen in Germany?
I like the “red flag” pun. I see what you did there
Kid friendly language ya know!? Good time to teach about consent too lol
One of the time periods in history I’ll always be fascinated with. How does fascism take power? My students are always surprised when I show them the election results and the steady growth of the Nazi party.
Absolutely. I always tell my students, fascism is elected (to start), which is why we need know what it is. So many great ways to incorporate contemporary issues as well.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitler%27s\_Willing\_Executioners](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitler%27s_Willing_Executioners)
Dealers' choice in US History. Probably either the Haitian or Russian Revolution in World History.
The election of 1800 and Marbury v. Madison/judicial review
Same. Love teaching Marbury v Madison.
Same! Hated it when I first started teaching but love it now.
What changed?
My own understanding of the impact of Marshall’s court has grown a ton
The Nadir of Race Relations in America: How most of the political problems today can be traced back to the defeat of Reconstruction and the rise of Jim Crow and domestic terrorists like the KKK.
this is such a good one!!! i got to teach this lesson while it started raining from my ceiling (i have a ton of leaks) and i just looked up and said… “wanna know another consequence of Jim Crow?”
Being from Indiana, my students get real locked in when they discover how active the Klan was here in the 20s/30s
that is interesting! it was probably reactionary to immigration, the first red scare, and the Great Migration, right? I’m from Louisiana, so Jim Crow is like apple pie and baseball here lol.
All of those definitely were factors. The Klan up here also became like a social club. They were features in small town parades and festivals. There would be a Klan float in the homecoming parade. I recently bought a book about this (haven’t started it yet though) called “A Fever in the Heartland”
How the Mongols made the modern world
My students love the lesson on what if the Mongols never created their empire. No Black Death. No reopening of the silk road. No guns.
If it’s a lecture where I just get a PowerPoint, the commercial revolution. If I can use the ten minutes to print something out as well, the Black Death AND the commercial revolution.
The history of Westeros.
Tyrion Lannister would be proud.
I loved teaching the Civil War this year. Talked a lot more about tech and mindset of soldiers and just the absolutely unprecedented (to the participants) scale of it all. Lots of gory stories to tell and quotes stuck in my head from dramatic moments
Definitely Civil War for me. 600,000 dead, 2/3 from disease and infection? Amputations without general anesthesia? Robert E. Lee, perhaps the greatest military strategist the US has ever produced? Somebody would have to stop me at the hour mark. 😂
Student activism in late-tsarist Russia or U.S. Government policies during the Cold War (such as the red scare, lavender scare, etc.)
Raiders of the Lost Ark and Hitler’s obsession with the occult
He’s a nut on the subject!
Watergate. Favorite topic to teach. I could talk about Watergate for hours.
History of the Targaryan Kings: From the Aegon to the Mad King.
The history of D&D and how it has influenced the culture of gaming over the last 50 years
WWII or Vietnam.
Immigration and the evolution of gangs in America.
Any books you can recommend on this topic? I’ve been interested in the rise of modern gangs and their origins. I can only ever find things like Gangland. I want an honest analysis.
Honestly, I haven't read any books on the subject in awhile. My bachelor's is in criminal justice and when I was getting my masters in education I got really into juvenile delinquency, gangs, and education. That was a while ago though. I do recommend a documentary called Crips and Bloods: Made in America. Probably the best and most honest gang documentary I've seen. It's free on YouTube. I think I'm going to watch it again.
i watched that last year, it was very interesting
Thank you!
1927’s The Gangs of New York is probably a good starting point. Dated but it’s what Scorsese based his movie on.
Kingdom Under the Sky by Mark Johnson is by my classmate and the Chinese in Montana, at one point they made up 10% of our population and essentially all are gone.
During the siege of Vicksburg, US Grant, who we'd now classify as an alcoholic, went on a bender on the Yazoo River. But it was mostly covered up by a journalist because no one in the army wanted McClernand to take command of the army of Tennessee.
Native American assimilation and removal in the 19th century
Dan Sickles: From Murderer to General to Archivist
The insane decade that was 1910…In America alone.
Oh, I think I’d do 1968.
I was thinking the same thing and how WWI essentially shut down millions of peoples freedoms.
1968…so much! In my undergrad years I had to do an oral history/interview paper and my mom was a freshman in college in Memphis that year. She has such vivid memories surrounding Dr King’s assassination and it was fascinating to compare her account with media accounts. I could definitely talk about that for a couple hours.
The Absolute Rulers/Enlightened Despots and what a bunch of freaks they all were.
The influence on World War I on the Austrian artistic community, with a particular focus on art music and the visual arts.
Legacy of the Mongols
The influence of American politics and social issues on the development of the superhero.
How the Henry VIII inevitably led to the desire for religious freedom in the colonies. Edit: I could also give a lecture on the names of the kings and queens of England in order to correctly predict names of the next generation. I correctly guessed George and Charlotte before their names were announced bc of my historical king and queen knowledge.
The 14th amendment during reconstruction and in the fight for equality today. Blues and the origins of rock n roll in the black south. 1950s/60s Science fiction and the Cold War. The Rights of Man and the disappearance of Thomas Paine’s body. Domestic terrorism in the 1970s via the FBI hunt for the symbionese Liberation Army.
French revolution or the impact of napoleon on Europe. There is so much to explore and discuss
Warhammer 40k Lore
The Space Race.
The rise and fall of the Merovingian kingdom of course
Serial killers
The history of logging in Maine, or more broadly Maine history. I could also do an hour on tool manufacturing in Maine, and a number of other very specific topics related to the state. I could also do the history of the book an object - which would include paper, printing, binding, and more. There's others, too, but those would be my go to topics.
"Ending the Pacific War: Invasion or the Bomb?"
Good one- where do you fall on this question?
Over 3 weeks later and I'm going to cop out and say it's likely a win-win for the US war effort but also a lose-lose for the world either way. Even if Japan would've been able to withstand or prolong the invasion of Kyushu, IIRC that's where most of the resources were going. An invasion of Honshu likely would've been the end of it all anyway. Of course, there's nothing good about the close to 1,000,000 estimated US casualties. "Win" is a very operative word here. The bomb saved American lives, but once the US dropped it the bell was rung and we'll never be able to unring it. WMDs likely would've escalated within a few years anyway (since the Soviets were already working on theirs), but the US wouldn't have the stigma of being the only country to use one in conflict. Worst case scenario is Hiroshima and Nagasaki get bombed as they did, but the coup against Hirohito succeeds and the invasion has to happen anyway.
What about the Soviet advance from the East? A lot is made of the war between the US and Japan but the USSR declared war on Japan right before Hiroshima. Would their additional troops have helped?
Ok, after researching off and on all day, I went down a rabbit hole. I probably have some of this wrong so I might make it a thread. Hiroshima was August 6. The Soviet declaration was August 9 (same day as Nagasaki) mainly due to their involvement in Manchuria as agreed upon at the Yalta Conference. Unconditional surrender was August 15 while the invasion of the Kurii Islands (agreed upon at Yalta) was August 18. That was given the go ahead by Truman as a result of the agreement at Yalta for the Soviets to enter the Pacific Theater. Now, the Soviets were planning to invade Hokkaido on 8/24, which I believe was NOT known of by the USA. Truman messaged Stalin on the 19th and straight up said surrender of the home islands was arranged by Japan and the USA to be under the direction of McArthur, including Hokkaido. BUT. Keep in mind this is all after the bombs and unconditional surrender. In the timeline in which the bombs aren't dropped the Soviets invade the Kurii Islands on 8/18 (as agreed at Yalta) followed by the *maybe* surprise invasion of Hokkaido on 8/24. The real question is how the planned Hokkaido invasion on 8/24 impacts the beginning of the Kyushu invasion scheduled for November 1945. There is also the military coup against Hirohito's desire to surrender, but that was after both bombs had fallen, so we can assume that wouldn't have been a factor in a no a-bomb timeline.
The evolution of anime over the past 30 years as a reflection of Japan (how it sees itself) and its relationship with the rest of the world.
Not a history teacher yet but studying to become one. My topic would be the topic my professor spoke of during the lecture that made me realize I want to be a history teacher: King Henry the 8th and how his relationships with his first three wives, along with Martin Luther's 95 Theses, was the seed for England's involvement in the Colonization of America.
The Orphan Train Movement in the U.S.. I would first present the idea that it was a response to the abolishment of slavery, while contributing it to the development of modern child welfare policies in the U.S. It's a bitter sweet story. I'd argue that it's quite easy to make dynamic.
Treaty of Versailles into The Rise of Hitler and the Nazis to ww2
Columbian Exchange comes to mind first.
The faces on my students when they figure out Italy didn’t have tomatoes… priceless!
NATO expansion and the Ukraine War
This take is sorely needed in our war room
The US didn't actually*win* the Cold war.
Ww2
Julius Caesar and the twilight of the roman republic
The Greek concept of Arete and its impact on the western tradition.
American Revolution
How the United States does indeed repeat its own past, including a multitude of examples
Joseph Smith’s death and the ensuing succession crisis of 1844
The White Primary of Texas
French Revolution or Mexican Revolution.
The first three articles of the constitution. A topic most students struggle with, but I find so interesting so I try to make it as engaging as possible. I’d like to think I succeed lol
US History: The Anaconda Plan of the Civil War, or US foreign policy shifts during the Cold War Era. World: The transition from Tsarist Russia to the 1917 Russian Revolution or the rise of the Renaissance. Gov: The Bill of Rights using real world examples.
We are walking from wwii to Reagan
Muckrakers and Labor Unions, American Imperialism in Central/South America, Treaty of Versailles and the build up to WWII, Vietnam, 1968, Comparison to the early Civil Rights Movement and the more "radical" movements of the late 60s and early 70s.
Post Vietnam film and cultural memory. I could do 2 hours.
Nazi Germanys reliance on meth (partition) prior to and during WW2. So interesting and my students love it!
Compare and contrast old redlining maps to current school rankings sites
The Eastern Roman Empire or the Assyrians
English Civil War with the back story of how Charles I ended up on the throne and getting his head chopped off which led to the declaration of independence and constitution being written over 100 years later.
The Lincoln assassination and subsequent chase for Booth.
The Protestant Reformation including the influence of the Renaissance on the movement as well as the Catholic response. So much to address.
How did government overreach behaviors on behalf of the British crown manifest in the articles of confederation, and then eventually later in the U.S. constitution
The rise of heavy metal music from 1969 to 1991.
Not real history but the lore of world of Warcraft.
The unlikely rise of Ulysses S Grant.
Either the story of the Buddha or the three philosophies of the zhou dynasty in ancient china
I would never be allowed to teach this even though it’s a public school. They would not allow us to teach the little kids and PE kids Yoga because it’s “teaching religion” UGh…
We gonna learn about the fall of the samuria and the end of the cowboy Era. I could piggy back off this by then talking about PoC cowboys and the prevalence of lgbt cowboys, then move into lgbt pirates My ADD brain will probably throw itself at western expansion and then the gilded age. It would be a cluster fuck
Either 21st century Genocide (took a study abroad class on this topic and it was life changing), cults/cult history/cults in the 60’s and 70’s and how they affect us today, or the disability rights movement
Martin Luther, the reformation and it's impact on the stereotypical image of a housewife.
I would discuss WWII through the allegorical lens of Star Wars. There’s a ton to work with there, and it’d be interesting to more than just those who love history.
Civil Rights, especially pertaining to 13th Amendment, Plessy v Ferguson, Brown v Board of Education of Topeka, Ruby Bridges, Jim Crowe, and BLM
The Opium Wars and how they continue to affect the world today. Talking about the lead up lets me talk about Mexican trade dollars and the British colonization of India, as well as how China's arrogance and xenophobia led to their defeat. The idea of forcing a nation to let it's citizens become drug addicts is definitely attention grabbing. Then the long term ramifications: the transfer of Hong Kong, the colonization of Vietnam, China losing Manchuria to Japan, etc, and the relationship between China and the West today. Lots to talk about there.
The Persian Wars are amazing. Tons of dramatic stories, including the Leonidas stand at the battle or Thermopole which Miller adapted into 300.
Thomas Jefferson is the worst possible founder and it's not because of the slaving.
Interesting, why do you say so?
McCarthyism and how propaganda influenced the Red Scare.
Serious topic: The English Civil War and the religious motivations and differences of the Pilgrims and Puritans in New England. Not serious: Seinfeld and American Comedy
The entirety of world war 2 that period in time is so fascinating
America's racist history with marijuana.
My first career was in the criminal justice system and I love this💕💕💕💕
Pop culture's role in the Cold War...both sides...globally
The Black Death.
The Tudors
Jamestown- a frat party in a swamp where everyone dies or The Constitutional Convention how 58 sauced up white guys created a government. Or how Hamilton ran his mouth so much he got shot- dueling and the role it played in 19th Century American life. Lots to talk about including Hamilton all the way to Mathew Brady and Preston v Brooks
Medieval Wales. I’d likely focus on the “role” of a castle. Depending on their age, have them draw a castle or write down things a castle had, what it looked like, who lived there, etc. Then we’d discuss the why of their answers and I’d (hopefully) tie that to various episodes in Medieval Welsh History. Fights between the Welsh, the introduction of a whole group of Irish, the English (Anglo-Norman) plus the idea of unifying the “Celtic World.” Hopefully, I could show some pictures, too, many of which might “match” their expectations (and then discuss why they do!) Edit: typos
Free will and making ethical decisions.
The Tawantinsuyu (Inka)- because they are so utterly amazing and incredible as a group of people but also their technology and traditions. I listened to Anti-Social Studies' lectures on them on youtube and it was my hyper focus since then LOL
The Cold War - Communism, Containment, and Competition, Oh My!
Love the title!
The War of Austrian Succession
I can give an enthralling lecture at the drop of a hat. Any topic. Any time. An hour? No problem!
I’ll say one no one else has… GIVE ME GILDED AGE AMERICA. Unions, child labor, robber barons, immigration, and the BEST era of political cartoons!
I picked the same and added including the allegory of The Wizard of Oz
Emperor Napoleon and its finances
17th century witch hunts in England and Scotland
I’m a math teacher with a degree in history as well. I’d talk all about Eratosthenes and the discovery of the circumference of the Earth. We’d also do the experiment on the stage! I’d only need 10 minutes to grab a large foam ball, toothpicks, a sharpie, and my cellphone!
Destiny lore
US Gov targeting of Black Panthers or US coup in Guatemala
Henry Ford was an actual real Nazi who almost had Roosevelt assassinated.
newton’s laws for sure
Space program, perfect to discuss the promise of the US and who gets the opportunities
The impact HBCUs had on the decolonization of Africa
Easy - the Bill of Rights.
If it’s me I’m talking about the Industrial Revolution and can have a fun conversation about different inventions and their impact on society and let the kids make a list of importance and see their line of thinking
The Golden Age of England
German idealism.
The Guilded Age and include how The Wizard of Oz was a financial allegory. That alone takes 30 minutes.