1950s/Cold War Teacher Resources

In February, my U.S. History students were immersed in the fast-moving, lucrative world of 1950s USA! The early years of the Cold War is an interesting period to study since so much in society, politics, and the economy were changing; this era is officially the start of what historians call "modern history", since much of the cultural elements introduced in the 1950s still exist today (including highways, credit cards, & fast food). I streamlined my lessons to ensure that all my students mastered the themes and state standards of the 1950s; lectures, notes, engaging assignments, and productive table-partner review sessions were used to achieve a high content-retention rate among students. The classroom resources that I created and used to resounding success are found below, free for my fellow educators!

An image of a man waving at his wife and child as he prepares to travel out of the suburbs and to work in the 1950s. I thoroughly enjoyed discussing the creation and evolution of suburbs in America, considering I have recently started a research project on the history of Coppell, a residential community in North Dallas.

Lectures (created by Mr. Chanin, 2023) - these colorful and informative presentations were used as the "skeletons" of my 1950s lessons, incorporating the state standards and academic vocabulary my students were tasked to become familiar with over a 3-week period. Students were responsible for taking notes on the lectures, which were later used during small-group review sessions. After the lecture and a teacher-led discussion on the significance of that specific portion of the 1950s, students were assigned an interactive activity or assignment that paired well with the material they had just learned. Each lecture has a brief synopsis/recap at the end. 

Origins of the Cold War Lecture - 1st lecture in the 1950s series includes content on Stalin, capitalism v. communism, Iron Curtain, containment, Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, NATO & the Warsaw Pact

Cold War Expands Lecture - 2nd lecture in the 1950s series includes content on Eisenhower, Berlin Airlift, fall of China, Korean War & Douglas McArthur, the Arm's Race, H-Bomb, and brinkmanship

Cold War at Home Lecture - 3rd lecture in the 1950s series includes content on communism in the streets, House Un-American Activities Committee, Alger Hiss & the Rosenbergs, McCarthyism, and Atomic Age

Peace & Prosperity Lecture - 4th lecture in the 1950s series includes Truman's Fair Deal, McDonalds & consumer culture, baby boom, Levittowns, "Sunbelt", Interstate Highway System, & poverty inequality

-----------

Assignments (created by Mr. Chanin, 2023) - these tasks range from notes templates (which students diligently complete during the lectures) to engaging worksheets that further develop students' mastery of the content. Each worksheet has simple, purposeful instructions.

Cold War Map Activity - since the early years of the Cold War occurred in post-WWII Europe, I believe it is best to introduce the unit with a map activity to give the students a spacial awareness of where these events happened (geography is a key tool to master in social studies classes).

McCarthyism Worksheet - this modified C-Span worksheet partners well with the third lecture on Senator Joseph McCarthy and his impact on Cold War politics. Students grasp a greater understanding on traitors, suspicion, and McCarthyism via 1950s newsreel clips.

Witch Hunt Activity - this engaging activity is always a treat for students after they have become familiar with McCarthyism. Students are given either a "Communist" or a "Loyal" notecard as well as an 1950s occupation (housewife, actor, movie director, etc.). They are then placed into groups - the objective of the game is to avoid being accused of being a Communist spy while also attempting to rid your group of suspects who have aligned themselves to the Soviet Union. My students enjoy these fun, interactive ploys where they are able to move around, have a chuckle, and learn a key concept in a meaningful, memorable fashion. Instructions to the activity should be given before the students are given notecards/in groups.

Origins of Cold War Notes - this is the first notes document of the Cold War lecture series.

Cold War Expands Notes - this is the second notes document of the Cold War lecture series.

Cold War at Home Notes - this is the third notes document of the Cold War lecture series.

Peace & Prosperity Notes - this is the fourth and final notes document of the Cold War lecture series.

My American Dream Activity - my students thoroughly enjoyed this interactive activity and thought it was a "blast"! This is a simulation game (not created by me, yet I found it online and created a worksheet) that puts the students in the shoes of either a man or a woman in the 1950s. Students are then able to make consequential choices in their virtual life (including going to college, getting married, having babies, buying a car, etc.). In completing this activity, my students were able to better visualize the prosperous culture of 1950s America. Students should individually play this game after the 4th lecture.

100th Blog Post: U.S. History Teacher Resources

This is my 100th blog post!! Wow! Time flies by when you are having fun researching and writing about American history - it's been three years since I started this blog! I have recently compiled a bunch of worksheets and activities that I have created for my on-level and AP U.S. history classes at Coppell High. I always enjoy sharing my classroom materials with other teachers and intend to do so in this blog and in the future. With each worksheet/activity, I provide a brief synopsis and teacher directions. If you are a new high school U.S. history teacher, you may use these worksheets with my permission. Enjoy!!

Mr. Chanin and his 2nd period APUSH students in May 2022. Author's collections.

Great Depression/New Deal Worksheets

I place great attention on the 1930s in my on-level and AP history classes - this period, commonly known as the Great Depression, was dramatic and transformed the way citizens saw the responsibilities of their government. Government involvement steadily increased once Franklin Roosevelt was elected president in the early 1930s, yet many were still homeless and financially struggling until the end of the decade. Also, many minorities did not benefit greatly from FDR's New Deal programs, and I ensure my students understand this inequality in government service. The first worksheet is used as an introduction to the 1930s - students are tasked to identify what is happening in each picture and associate each image with a word from our Unit 5 word wall (which includes key terms, such as bank run, broker, malnutrition, living wage, and desertification, among others). A picture tells a story, and these images give students the chance to visualize what Americans saw and how Americans lived during the most disastrous economic recession the country has faced in history. The second worksheet is given to students after we discuss the decline of Herbert Hoover and the rise of FDR. One of FDR's first presidential actions was reopening the banks after a "bank holiday". In a soothing and confident tone, FDR talked directly to the American people via radio shortly after he was sworn in - the first "Fireside Chat" reassured Americans that their money would be safe if they were to redeposit notes in the bank. The scheme worked and Americans deposited their money in the banks, once again stimulating the economy. Students will analyze FDR's fireside chat and examine various letters citizens wrote to the president in response to the chat - this activity gives students various perspectives on how ordinary citizens responded to the new government approach (later called the New Deal) to the terrible depression. Both activities take about 30 minutes to complete.

Great Depression Images Worksheet (created by Mr. Chanin, 2022)

Fireside Chat Activity: Letters from Listeners (created by Mr. Chanin, 2022)

Sam Rayburn Graphic Organizer

In Texas, the state requires students to learn the significance of important Texans who had a positive and profound impact on the people of the United States. One of these individuals is Sam Rayburn, the East Texas politician who represented TX-4 in Congress for over 48 years and holds the record for the longest non-consecutive tenure as speaker of the House of Representatives, serving for 17 years. Rayburn (who I have read a lot about owing to his schooling at William Mayo's East Texas Normal College in Commerce) played a notable role in passing much-needed legislation for Texas farmers, scientists, and working-class families during the Progressive Era, Great Depression, World War II, and early Cold War years. Since I had recently discussed the 1930s and 1940s with my standard U.S. History classes, I found it appropriate for my students to study Rayburn's noteworthy political contributions during the New Deal and World War II. In this assignment, students are tasked to read a biography on Rayburn and create a graphic organizer, showcasing the Texas congressman's impressive legislative record. The completed graphic organizer is on paper or iPad (using Notability, Canva, Keynote, Pages, etc.) and should include illustrations, color and a bold title. My students appeared to really enjoy this small activity I fabricated one day when I was bored - this engaging experience allows students an opportunity to demonstrate their research skills and artistic abilities to their peers and teacher. I have attached instructions and screenshots of students' example (link is below for teachers to access). The activity takes about 45 minutes to complete.

Rayburn Graphic Organizer Instructions & Examples (created by Mr. Chanin, 2023)

America In Color Videos

I am a visual learner and appreciate the opportunity to watch a video about a topic to fully comprehend that topic - I have found out that a majority of my students are also visual learners. Thus, whenever I have a chance to supplement my content-heavy lectures and student-led class activities with an entertaining yet informative video, I take it! This past year, I discovered the fascinating and eye-opening U.S. Smithsonian documentary series America In Color on Amazon Video. The series surveys a history of the United States between 1920 and 1969 using restored video highlights and newsreels - but, instead of original black-and-white footage, the moving pictures are in COLOR! The narration is flawless, the music for each episode is memorable, and I admire the wide range of topics in each episode - the documentary series makes a point to show the accomplishments of and challenges minority groups have faced in the history of the United States. I show these episodes at the start or end of each unit in my AP and on-level U.S. History classes - in my opinion, the videos give students a solid introduction or conclusion to each decade. I have created worksheets for each episode (links are below for teachers to access) - these worksheets are not your basic fill-in-the-blank nor short-answer-questions templates; instead, students are given the freedom to jot down their own notes about each historical person/event/place that is listed on the worksheet (note the worksheet box template). In my classes, students are tasked to handwrite their answers (using Notability on the iPads, which further develops their core writing skills), complete the worksheet during the video, and engage in a fruitful teacher-led class discussion on what they learned/any answered questions from the video. Each episode is roughly 48 minutes in length (half of the 90 minute class block that Coppell High uses). 

1920s in Color Worksheet (created by Mr. Chanin, 2022)

1930s in Color Worksheet (created by Mr. Chanin, 2022)

1940s in Color Worksheet (created by Mr. Chanin, 2022)

1950s in Color Worksheet (created by Mr. Chanin, 2022)

1960s in Color Worksheet (created by Mr. Chanin, 2022)

National Museum of American History - D.C.

One of my favorite Smithsonian museums to visit in D.C. is the National Museum of American History. I was gobsmacked at the wonderful and informative exhibits and artifacts the museum housed, including a large statue of George Washington in a Roman robe (that was once located under the Capital's Rotunda). The museum showcases the evolution of our nation's history (including economic growth, presidents & political discourse, and military/foreign affairs) and melting-pot culture. Below are several photographs of exhibits from the museum that I found particularly interesting. Enjoy!

Washington D.C. was an enjoyable trip - I am definitely going to visit our nation's capitol in the future! I am pictured outside the Cannon House Office Building on the U.S. Capital grounds. Author's collections.

The museum had a superb exhibit on boats/sea vessels throughout American history. I was fascinated at the model of the RMS Titanic and a steamboat named J.M. White (pictured above). Steamboats were an important mode of travel in the early days of the nineteenth century - during the first Industrial Revolution in America, steamboats carried foods, manufactured goods, and people (enslaved Africans) up-and-down the Mississippi River. Steamboats would later be replaced by the railroads. Author's collections.

The museum also had a wonderful exhibit on Julia Child, an American cook and television personality in the 1960s and 1970s. Child's television programs inspired many citizens to cook "fancy" yet simple and tasty international meals in their own kitchens -- these were the days before the popular Food Network programs. Julia Child received the Legion of Honor, the highest civilian decoration given by the French government, in 2000 for introducing French cuisine to millions of Americans via her cooking shows and books. Author's collections.

Since its inception in the early 1950s, fast food has evolved into one of America's multi-million dollar industries. Pictured here are McDonald's food boxes from the latter decades of the twentieth century. At first, fast food establishments were walk-up facilities, where patrons would "walk up" to a counter and receive their greasy food. By the 1970s, since commuters and fast food fans wanted to save time, fast food facilities began installing drive-thru windows -- then, Americans could order and receive their food within minutes without needing to leave the car. The drive-thru craze took the nation by storm... by 2014, one study estimated that 20% of all meals in the United States were eaten in a car. Author's collections.

Pictured is a fascinating exhibit the museum had on the history of supermarkets - local grocery stores and vegetable markets in American small towns have existed since this country was established in the 1600s, yet the first grocery store chain in America was Kroger, created by Ohio businessman Barney Kroger in 1883. Since then, grocery stores have increased in size and number of products. Author's collections.

Lady Bird Johnson, wife of President LBJ, is one of my favorite First Ladies to read about. She was a tough cookie who pursued her own political agenda in the White House while supporting her husband. Lady Bird raised environmental awareness by promoting visitation to America's national parks, lobbying Congress to regulate highway billboards, and encouraging teenagers to partake in local conservation projects. She once described her "beautification" program in the 1960s as "the whole effort to bring the natural world into harmony, to bring order, usefulness, and delight to our whole environment." She was particularly invested to the preservation of the Giant Redwoods in California. Pictured is one of Lady Bird's dinner dresses. Author's collections.

Every First Lady since Abigail Adams has decorated the White House with lavish furniture items and gorgeous silverware (Martha Washington and her husband never lived in the executive mansion). Pictured are the plates, pitcher, and wine glasses purchased by Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of our 16th president. The luxurious silverware was produced by the American firm E.V. Haughwout. The Lincoln White House also used crystalized table pieces manufactured by the Dorflinger Glass Company. Author's collections. 

Pictured is George Washington's portable writing case. Washington wrote many letters to politicians, military generals, and civilians during his tenure as commander of the Continental Army (with assistance from Alexander Hamilton, Washington's private secretary during the American Revolution). Washington was later elected the first president of these United States. Author's collections.

A colorful pennant from Herbert Hoover's inauguration, spring 1929. Hoover, the successful commerce secretary for most of the 1920s, served only one term as an underperforming president. He is best known for overseeing the government and economy during the early days of the Great Depression. Like his predecessors, Hoover did not believe in federal hand-outs and did not endorse economic relief. Unemployment soared after the October 1929 Stock Market crash and many were evicted from their homes - people's make-shift houses made out of tin and cardboard were suitably named "Hoovervilles". Historians and scholars usually consider Hoover to be one of our worst presidents. Author's collections.

The military uniform worn by Dwight D. Eisenhower during World War II. Eisenhower, born in Denison, enjoyed a distinguished military career and quickly rose through the ranks. Prior to the June 1944 D-Day invasion of France, Eisenhower was named the supreme commander of all Allied armies in Europe. After the war, Eisenhower continued military service and was elected president in 1952, serving two terms and guiding the nation through the early days of the Cold War. Author's collections.

I recently finished teaching about FDR and the Great Depression in my standard U.S. History classes so this artifact is quite familiar. When Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president in 1932, he reversed his predecessor's "laissez-faire" policies and gave hope to the starving, unemployed American public via the radio. FDR's first "fireside chat" on banking reform was delivered on March 12, 1933. It was a resounding success - people began to deposit their savings back into the banks a week later. Pictured is a CBS News microphone that was used by FDR during one of his chats. Author's collections.

I thoroughly enjoy wandering around museums and examining various artifacts - one of my favorite (& strange) artifacts in the National Museum of American History was a cast of Abraham Lincoln's hands, created on May 20, 1860, two days after the Illinois lawyer received the Republican Party's presidential nomination. The cast was produced by Leonard Volk. Lincoln's hands were swollen from shaking hands with many congratulating supporters. Author's collections.

National African American History Museum - D.C.

One of the most interesting museums my wife and I visited in Washington D.C. during our March 2022 trip was the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The facility is operated by the Smithsonian and is the newest museum on the National Mall. Opened by President Obama in 2016, the African American history museum showcases a variety of fantastic exhibits on the history of the Atlantic Slave Trade, Civil War, segregation and the Civil Rights Movement, black veterans and politicians, and African American schools. Since this was the only Smithsonian museum that I had not been to in the past (I visited our nation's capital with my family in 2007), the African American history museum was on my to-go list. I thoroughly enjoyed walking the floors and absorbing historical and cultural content that I can weave into my future lesson plans -- as a dedicated U.S. history teacher I am constantly looking for new ways to "beef up" my diverse curriculum. I enjoy discussing African American history with my students since blacks greatly contributed to the creation of the United States we know of today. Below, I have posted some of the museum artifacts I found to be fascinating. I would highly recommend visiting this marvelous treasure trove of black history and culture!!

One of the biggest exhibits at the museum was one on Barrack Obama, the first African American president. I distinctly remember when Obama was elected president in November 2008 -- this was a big moment for African Americans, who had faced much racial discrimination in the South fifty years prior. Also, Obama provided a fresh, charismatic (and brave) approach in the American government when the country slumped into one of the most disastrous economic recessions. The exhibit included international newspapers on Obama's historic election, Obama campaign buttons, Michelle Obama's inauguration dress, and many posters and photographs. Author's collections.

After the Civil War, the South employed Jim Crow Laws, which segregated public facilities and transportation. Pictured is a Southern Railway Company car -- I had the opportunity to walk through this vehicle. Large compartments with luxury seats and spacious bathrooms and water coolers for white passengers were at the front of the railway car, while smaller compartments and shared toilets for black passengers were located at the rear. African Americans were not permitted to ride in the white section of the train. Author's collections.

The outfit of a Pullman Train porter. African Americans had few job opportunities in the 1920s & 1930s -- one was a porter/attendant on the Pullman Trains, which crisscrossed the nation. Although the pay was inadequate, many blacks were blessed to be employed. When laborers began unionizing and demanding better working conditions (Knights of Labor, etc.), African Americans mobilized and created Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first black union in the United States (1925). Author's collections.

Pictured is a block that was frequently used at slave auctions in the South during the first-half of the nineteenth century. After traveling the "Middle Passage" in chains, enslaved Africans would be showcased to plantation owners and potential buyers from this block. The tired and sick slaves would experience fear, humiliation, and uncertainty -- enslaved Africans were usually separated from loved ones and family for life. These blocks were found in public squares, hotels, courthouses, and at the docks. Author's collections.

Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson's initial draft included discussions of slavery, however, the drafting committee omitted the subject since slavery would have contradicted the idea that America was a land filled with independent people. Thus, the Founding Fathers passed the issue of slavery on to the second generation of politicians (Henry Clay & Daniel Webster), who sought methods of compromise to resolve the burdens of slavery. Eventually, it would be during the time of the third generation of politicians (Abe Lincoln & Jefferson Davis) when a civil war, brother against brother, erupted to finally rid the sin of slavery from the United States. Author's collections. 

The museum also highlighted the numerous athletic accomplishments of African Americans. Pictured is a statue of two African American Olympians (200m runners Tommie Smith and John Carlos) who silently saluted Human Rights with a raised black-glove fist at the 1968 summer Olympics. This was a powerful moment and the demonstration is widely considered one of the most overtly political statements in the history of the modern Olympics. I am quite familiar with the history of John Carlos since he ran track at East Texas State College for one year prior to transferring to a college in California. Author's collections.

Pictured is a jacket of an Alpha Kappa Alpha member. AKA was the first collegiate black sorority in the United States, established in January 1908. Today, there are more than 300,000 active members. Did you know? -- Hillary Clinton and Eleanor Roosevelt were both honorary AKA members. Author's collections.

The museum had a wonderful collection of artifacts from black schoolhouses and colleges. Pictured here are student desks and a classroom warmer from Hope School, a 19th-century black academy in the South. Schools in the South remained segregated until the 1970s. Black schools and colleges frequently received less funding from state and local governments than white schools and colleges. Author's collections.

This may look like an ordinary church pew, but this object has an illustrated history. The pew was part of the original furnishings of the Twelfth Baptist Church in Boston's Beacon Neighborhood. The facility was led by Reverend Leonard Grimes, a staunch abolitionist, who welcomed fugitive slaves into the black congregation. The museum also had a Bible that belonged to Hattie McDaniel, the first African American receive an Oscar -- for her role in Gone with the Wind (1939). Author's collections.

A list of African American-friendly establishments in the South. During the Jim Crow Era, African Americans travelers usually looked at published "Green Books" to find restaurants, hotels, gas stations, and other public facilities in the South that were safe and accommodating to blacks. Author's collections.

A Spanish edition of Uncle Tom's Cabin, the immensely-popular, anti-slavery book by Harriet Beecher Stowe that was used as an abolitionist propaganda tool prior to the Civil War. Author's collections.

Goodbye 2022, Hello 2023!

2022 was a fantastic year! Here is a sum of what happened: Professionally, I had three online articles published (in French Quarter Magazine, North Texas e-News & Texas Escapes Magazine), partook in two podcast interviews, presented research on the City of Coppell at a history conference, and my ebook on a photographic history of A&M-Commerce was published. In 2023, I plan to write a scholarly article on a history of Coppell ISD (the school district I currently work in - I am incredibly blessed to have a great job and surrounded by incredible veteran educators!). Personally, I proudly watched my wife graduate with her PhD in statistics from Rice University, we purchased our first house (and paid too much for it owing to the messy housing market in the 2022 summer, but we love it), and I officiated my best friends' wedding in Rockwall. Since I am a hard-working individual, I intend to continue giving back to my community and giving advice/inspiration to future generations of leaders in 2023. After a much-needed winter break (I did not work much on my laptop, to much surprise), I am ready to roll into the new year with an unlimited amount of enthusiasm for teaching, eagerness to learn from peers and scholars, and continue to fuel my passion for history!! It was a fun year (with minor challenges) and am tremendously excited for the next year!

Happy New Year! (I will continue to post on this blog regularly in 2023)

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from the Chanin family (plus our cute pets)!! (author's collections)

I officiated my best friends' wedding in the 2022 fall in Rockwall. I have been an ordained minister since 2017. It was a windy day (and I had to shorten my speech) but I thoroughly enjoyed the event! Best wishes to Tyler & Maria - the happy couple!! (author's collections)

Besides traveling to Washington D.C. and Boston with my wife, one of my 2022 highlights was meeting Bill Brooke Webb, grandson of Sallie Brooke Capps. Mr. Webb praised the research I had done on Capps, a pioneer in women's education in Texas. It was great chatting to him about his family ancestry! I plan to write more Texas history in 2023. (author's collections)  

I am an avid fan of the British Royal Family and watched most of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee festivities on the TV in summer 2022. The Queen, my idol and an icon in British culture, celebrated 70 years on the throne- a feat no other British monarch has achieved. Unfortunately, she peacefully passed away in September. Despite her death, her eldest son, King Charles III (pictured here on her left) has done a bang-up job reuniting the country through a tough political transition. God save the King! (author's collections) 

Washington D.C. Photographs (from March 2022)

In March 2022, my wife and I traveled to Washington D.C. We thoroughly enjoyed visiting the museums and touring the nation's capital, absorbing the bustling culture and appreciating the vibrant history of the United States. I realized that I have not shared photographs of that trip on this blog, so this post is a photo "dump" of my trip to D.C. in the spring of 2022 - it is a city I highly recommend a history buff or cultural enthusiast to visit!!

My wife snapped this photograph of me admiring the Capitol. The House of Representatives and Senate are located in this premier building - unfortunately, owing to Covid regulations and the January 6 attack on the facility, we were not allowed to see the interior of the Capitol... this will be achieved in the future! I am happy, giddy and full of emotions that I get to live and work in a country that protects individual liberties and is proud of its heritage! I love teaching history and inspiring future generations to change the world one step at a time... and, maybe one day I'll be able to continue giving words of advice to thousands of constituents as a politician... (author's collections)

Dwight Eisenhower was the commander of allied forces during the D-Day landings and later president during the 1950s. There is a memorial in D.C. (dedicated in 2020) that honors this brilliant military general and strategic politician. Did you know... although Ike grew up in Kansas, he was born in Denison, Texas! My wife and I have visited his birthplace. (author's collections)  

Standing beside a statue of George Mason, America's forgotten Founding Father. Mason wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights in May 1776, the first document to protect individual liberties in the United States. Jefferson was inspired by Mason's work and wrote the Declaration of Independence several weeks later. Mason's patriotic ideas were also heavily borrowed by James Madison during the writing of the Bill of Rights. (author's collections)

A photograph of the Jefferson Memorial in D.C., commemorating the distinguished legacy of our 3rd president and primary author of the Declaration of Independence (which my wife and I got to see in person at the National Archives - you can barely see the writing since the ink has faded over time). (author's collections)

Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of FDR, is one of my favorite first ladies! She was a fierce advocate for women's suffrage and professional advancement (and took a keen interest in global politics - she was America's delegate to the United Nations prior to her death). This statue of Eleanor is located at the FDR Memorial. (author's collections)

One of my favorite sightseeing hotspots in the capital was the memorial honoring Franklin D. Roosevelt, president during the Great Depression and WWII. As an educator, historian, and citizen, I admire FDR for his strong and stable leadership during America's darkest days. The memorial was dedicated by Bill Clinton in 1997 and showcases FDR's presidential accomplishments over his four terms. Here I am standing in front of an elderly 1945 FDR with his beloved dog Fala. (author's collections)

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial was dedicated by Barack Obama in 2011 and honors the profound legacy of the Civil Rights activist from Georgia. The inspiration for the memorial design (a large granite statue that measures 30 ft) came from MLK's "I have a dream" speech: "Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope." (author's collections)

Standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial in D.C. - the statue was very impressive! In 1867, Congress passed the first of many bills creating a commission to erect a monument for our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. Owing to insufficient funds, the issue of a Lincoln memorial lay dormant until the early twentieth-century when Senate Bill 9449 in 1910 charged President William H. Taft and a newly-conceived Lincoln Memorial Commission to propose a location and design. A plot of land west of the White House on the Potomac River was approved as its location. As for the design of the memorial, a national competition ensued, where many renowned artists submitted drawings of what they believed the memorial should look like to the commission. The commission settled on a simple, yet elegant design, fitting for the man who had led the nation through its darkest day. The memorial “temple” that we see today was created by Henry Bacon (1866-1924) and the massive seated Lincoln statue (which measures 19 feet in height) was sculpted by the Piccirilli Brothers. Construction finished in early 1922 after more than 7 years of labor, and the memorial was dedicated on May 30, 1922 - Robert Todd Lincoln, Abe’s eldest son, attended the ceremony. (author's collections)

I do not know much about the Korean War, yet I was eager to see and learn more about the Korean War Veterans Memorial. George H.W. Bush conducted the groundbreaking ceremony in 1992 when he was president and his successor Bill Clinton opened the memorial in 1995. Despite being a war that many overlook, the Korean War (1951-1953) saw over 36,500 Americans lose their lives as well as major political changes in Asia at the height of the Cold War. (author's collections)

The District of Columbia War Memorial is a monument not many known about. This is located next to the Lincoln Memorial and honors the United States soldiers who died during World War I. The structure - funded by D.C. citizens and organizations - was built in 1931 and opened by Herbert Hoover (many know Hoover as the president who presided over the early years of the Great Depression). (author's collections) 

A beautiful shot of the Washington D.C. Mall, the stretch of grass/paths between the Capitol and Lincoln Memorial. This is where the audience stands during the presidential inaugurations. Note the Smithsonian Castle in the foreground - next year I will be posting a couple of blog posts on the D.C. museums we visited. (author's collections) 

Mini-cheeseburger meal in D.C. - YUM!! (author's collections)

My wife and I took a liking to the D.C. monuments at night, especially the Washington Memorial. Built to commemorate the tremendous legacy of our first president, the memorial stands at a whopping 555 feet tall and was the tallest structure in the world for five years (prior to the construction of the Eiffel Tower in Paris in 1889). We did not go up the memorial but would like to in the future. (author's collections)

Every sitting president has lived in the White House except George Washington (who approved the final design). The executive mansion has evolved and expanded over the years, and now visitors can no longer get really close to the house... tall fences and extra security have beefed up in recent times, for obvious reasons. I tried to wave to Joe, yet I am not so sure he saw me... (author's collections)

The Blair House, across the street from the White House, has been used as the president's guest house since the 1940s. Harry Truman famously stayed in the residence when the White House was being renovated in the early 1950s. It appeared that an Irish ambassador was staying at the Blair House during our visit. (author's collections)

We walked around Lafayette Square outside the White House on the first evening of our trip and I snapped this beautiful photograph of St. John's Episcopal Church. The parish was established in 1815 and the classical facility was built a year later. Owing to its close approximate to the Oval Office, every sitting president since James Madison has attended a service at the church. In recent memory, the church is best remembered as the backdrop to Donald Trump's Bible photograph during the 2020 summer Black Lives Matter movement. (author's collections)

I am a fan of steak and my wife & I ate at a delightful restaurant in D.C. called Founding Farmers. (author's collections)

Food was definitely part of our trip to Washington D.C. - here, I am about to indulge myself in some hot, powered beignets (great but not as delicious as the donuts I had in New Orleans). (author's collections)

A&M-Commerce History Book (Go Lions!)

A black-and-white drawing of Whitley Hall before it was built, c. 1966. I was Whitley Hall's community director between 2018 and 2020. (Author's collections)

I worked in the housing department at Texas A&M University-Commerce for 3 years (2018-2021) and thoroughly enjoyed my job as a residence hall/student apartments housing manager. While immersing myself in the world of higher education/student affairs, I began an intensive research project on the story of the university. I examined hundreds of photographs and primary documents in the library's archives, as well as interviewed many campus colleagues and alumni during the research process. I discovered many interesting and unique facts about the institution I worked at, and desired to share my research with my colleagues. The end result was a detailed, yet simple-to-read history of William Mayo's school from its founding in 1889 to the present (then-2019) using 213 black-and-white photographs and captions. The book surveys a variety of events and groups in the campus's 130-year history, including changes in the student body demographics, modifications to the institution's rigorous curriculum, campus infrastructure renovations, and the successful (and turbulent) moments of thirteen presidential administrations. My research (which came from material already written by East Texas historians, alumni interviews, my personal collections of photographs, and primary sources from the university archives) was presented to the institution's housing department in 2021. Since there were limited print copies, I have decided to share my scholarship with my online audience for free - a .pdf ebook copy is found below. My hope is that my scholarship on William Mayo and his innovative institution brings joy and thoughtfulness to Commerce Lions in the past, present, and future... My fascination and curiosity in studying Texas's education history stemmed from this fascinating project. Enjoy!

*Click on this link to access my free PDF ebook copy of A Photographic History of Texas A&M University-Commerce (published in print in fall 2021)*

**I also wrote an article about Whitley Hall, one of the university's residence halls and the tallest structure in East Texas, for Texas Escapes Magazine in April 2021 - click to access the Whitley Hall article**

Booker T. Washington School in Gainesville, TX

On my way back from meeting Mr. Bill Webb, Sallie Capps's grandson, in Oklahoma City, I stopped by a couple of historical locations in the quaint, steadily-growing North Texas City of Gainesville. While eating a double cheeseburger from McDonalds, I walked around the former location of the Booker T. Washington School, the old Gainesville Colored School. Although only a pile of loose bricks and a historical marker remain (the facility was sadly demolished in 2014), I felt as if I had stepped back in time and was able to mix among the ghosts. In this blog post, I intend to provide a brief history of the institution that left a significant mark on Gainesville.

A photograph of the Booker T. Washington School during demolition in 2014. The brick structure was built by the WPA in 1939. (photograph from The Living New Deal)

Island Sparks, a young mulatto whose passion for learning was infectious, began tutoring the colored children in the City of Gainesville in the early 1880s since there was only a school for white children - during the Reconstruction Era, this was the case in many Texas cities. The city's school district (created in 1882) ultimately decided to erect a school specifically for African American children in 1886. A $450 plot of land on the west side of Gainesville was chosen as the location, and the city spent $5,000 to construct a spacious two-story, wood-framed building, which was later equipped with student tables, chalkboards, and pencil boxes. Originally called the Gainesville Colored School, the facility was one of the only 19 black schools operating in Texas in the late 1880s. 186 students, ranging in ages between 5 to 17 years-old, were enrolled on the first day of classes, yet only three teachers presided over the crowded classrooms... a tragic nightmare for any educator that has faced a large, overbearing class. Despite the impressive facility, the city only allocated $5,000 for the colored school's annual budget - 1/3 of the white schools' budgets.

A photograph of the grassy site where Booker T. Washington School once stood. Notice the church and gymnasium in the background. (photograph from author's collections)

The school's initial graduating class had four seniors. The city's renowned newspaper, the Gainesville Daily Hesperian (now known as the Gainesville Daily Register) noted the significance of the festivities: "This quartet will be the first colored graduates of the Gainesville School and will mark a noted epoch in the history of public education in the city, so far as the consideration of the colored people goes, that will forcibly remind the people of the North that the educational welfare for the colored children in Gainesville is carefully looked after by the city Board of Education." Since not many graduated from the colored institution - as students left their classes after a few years of schooling to work and support their families - exiting the school with a high school diploma became a prestigious and rare ritual. The motto for the class of 1947 reflects the school's seniors' desire to graduate and join the rank of "distinguished alumni": "Not by Brawn, by Brain." The colored school was appropriately renamed Booker T. Washington School in 1927, in honor of the esteemed African American educator and Civil Rights activist (who had peacefully died in November 1915).

The base of flagpole that once sat outside of the Booker T. Washington School can be seen in this photograph. The school's historical marker is in the background. (photograph from author's collections)

The modernizing student body outgrew the original building, and a new brick structure was erected by the laborers of the Works Progress Administration in 1939 (this was part of FDR's New Deal plan to revive the American economy during the Great Depression). The Booker T. Washington School "was the center of our world, education wise and socially..." alumnus Don Williams once said in an interview. "We knew the teachers and they knew us. They were a part of our lives before, during and after school." The school had become part of the larger Gainesville story, influencing the scholarly pursuits of many talented young adults... thus, it was a tough time for students and teachers when the school closed and merged with the white schools in the city. After the monumental Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision in 1954, which required all American public schools to integrate, the Gainesville School Board decided to "abolish" Booker T. Washington School and transfer its black students to the white Newsome Dougherty Memorial High School in 1965. The African American students suddenly found themselves in a different world, one that was not comforting nor supportive at first. Mr. Williams noted the difficult transition in his interview: "...it was the end of a community in which black students were suddenly in a world they did not know." The white teachers were not adequately prepared for the new black students, and their white peers often had mixed feelings on integration. The African American teachers from Booker T. Washington School were found jobs in the school district, but not necessarily in their area of expertise, initiating a significant amount of challenges for them too. In spite of the challenges, the students and teachers from the Booker T. Washington School soon thrived in their new environment as dedicated intellectuals and community leaders.

Although the Booker T. Washington school building was demolished 8 years ago, you can still notice the brick outline of the facility. (photograph from author's collections)

After Gainesville's integration of schools, the Booker T. Washington School was boarded up and fell into disrepair. The city erected a historical marker on the property in 1986, 100 years after the colored school had opened. Alumni and staff reconvened and attended the marker ceremony. The building was razed in 2014 and most of the bricks were recycled. The surviving objects that remain in place serve as a reminder that the City of Gainesville gave young black children a quality public education when many areas of the state did not.