Front Page Archives

Good news! We're back online! A-a-a-n-n-d…we didn't loose the website files I at first thought we had. I'll still be updating the look of the site in the future, but the pressure is off for now. Whew! Karen is off to Branson (Search) with her mom and sister and I'm here "batch-ing" it for the rest of this week. Branson is an interesting place and in the future I will do an article with links to various places of interest there. But to re-enter the posting today, I chose to bring to you something I came across just today at work.

A copy of US News came through my hands today and I was intrigued by the cover article so much I came home and looked it up on the Internet. Impressed by what I found and having always felt Americans are too lacking in historic perspective and knowledge of their country, I wanted to make the article as

well as the documents referred to a click away for those visiting us.

The article, titled "100 Documents That Shaped America, " is in the Sept. 22 issue and investigates and comments on the 100 milestone documents of the United States. The list is compiled by the developers of a site called OurDocuments.gov and is sponsored by National History Day, The National Archives and Records Administration, USA Freedom Corps and Siemens Corporation.

According to the site, the sponsors want "all Americans to participate in a series of events and programs to get us thinking, talking and teaching about the rights and responsibilities of citizens in our democracy… At the heart of this initiative are 100 milestone documents of American history. These documents reflect our diversity and our unity, our past and our future, and mostly our commitment as a nation to continue to strive to "form a more perfect union." We want everyone-students, teachers, parents, and the general public-to read these milestone documents, consider their meaning, discuss them, and decide which are the most significant and why."

This is initially meant as a teaching tool for teachers and students, but the documents presented are important if not vital for all Americans to be familiar with to be able to understand the history our nation. While you may not agree with the intent or purpose of all of them, that is part of the greatness of our nation, that we can voice our dissenting

opinions. The 12 articles in US News begin with "A nation made of paper" by Michael Barone and consist of overviews and background on selected documents, with some concealed opinion slipped in, for instance, the article by Teresa Riordan, "Home and Hearth." Overall, US News seems to fairly represent the documents and their history.

The articles on Our Documents list a view of the original document, a transcript and the background and historical context of the document. I urge you to take time to read the US News articles and follow up by taking time over the next few weeks to read the documents and historical context.

There are available classroom resources on the NARA Digital Classroom site such as the Signers Gallery interactive area where you can learn about the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Additional resource links can be found at Our Documents Resources page. If you are or know a teacher or have interest in your local public or private school,let them know of the information and resources available to support them in the classroom. The site is a great source for homeschoolers as well as opportunities for parents and their children to learn together. Take time to share and learn together with your kids, or browse on own. It's your country, your history and the benefit of knowing these documents is yours too.