The Influence of "The Birth of a Nation"
The three-hour silent film The Birth of a Nation did “incalculable harm” to Black Americans by creating a justification for prejudice, racism, and discrimination for decades to follow.
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A Lifeline for Democracy
In her 2005 commencement speech at the University of Vermont, Ruth Simmons describes experiences that helped her escape the poverty and discrimination of her youth to become the president of Brown University.
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Louisiana White League Platform (1874)
The White League was a paramilitary group responsible for widespread violence against black and white Republicans in Louisiana and Mississippi. The group’s platform from 1874 is articulated here.
![Book cover of American flag with faces over it.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Reconstruction_cover_large.jpg?h=51bee232&itok=yY8xN3AK)
Teaching The Children of Willesden Lane: Introducing the Universe of Obligation, Middle School
Teacher Sheila Huntley leads a discussion on the concept of a universe of obligation.
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Teaching The Children of Willesden Lane: Upstanders and Bystanders
Teacher Nancy Parrish explores the concept of upstanders and bystanders with her students.
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Telling Fact From Fiction on Social Media
Journalists and media professionals discuss the benefits and challenges of using social media to report and understand any fast-moving story.
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Testimony of Resistance at Auschwitz
Holocaust survivor Helen K. recalls an act of courageous resistance by inmates at Auschwitz.
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The Courage to Care
This film profiles both Jews who were rescued during the Holocaust and individuals who rescued Jews in France, Holland, and Poland, and raises questions about the moral and ethical dilemmas that rescuers confronted.
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The Danger of a Single Story
In her TED Talk, writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie describes the effects that labels can have on how we think about ourselves and others.
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The Origins of Lynching Culture in the United States
Paula Giddings, professor of Afro-American Studies at Smith College, discusses the history and origins of lynching.
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The Role and Challenges of a Free Press
Reporters and media professionals discuss the functions and importance of a free press in a democracy.
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