“"Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt." Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founder of Special Olympics, recited this oath at the first Special Olympics International Summer Games, held in Chicago in 1968. In her opening ceremonies address, she emphasized that children with inte

Civil rights legend Robert Moses, Marshall Ganz, activist and professor at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, students, and others participated in a panel discussion about Freedom Summer, the 1964 youth-led effort to end the political disenfranchisement and educational inequa

Studying the presidency offers students a new way to explore the democratic political process and to expand their understanding of how this process has shaped the nation's history and continues to influence their own lives. What does it mean to be the president of the United States of America? Wh

Studying the American presidency offers students an unparalleled opportunity to explore the democratic political process and to deepen their understanding of how this process fits into the whole of American history. While learning about subjects as diverse as campaigns, the media, and presidentia

Studying the presidency offers students a new way to explore American history. What does it mean to be the president of the United States of America? What is the relationship of the presidency to the American people? Using artifacts and documents, students can begin to uncover this uniquely Ameri

In this lesson plan students will examine primary sources to determine the level of threat caused by the buildup of Soviet nuclear missiles and weapons sites in Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis and will analyze President Kennedy’s response.  This resource was produced to accompany the

In addition to artifacts and background information on the first ladies, this website features thematic overviews of the many roles of the first ladies, a timeline of first ladies, and behind-the-scenes details on the history of the first ladies exhibitions at the Smithsonian. The Smithsonia

This resource, designed by Learning Technology Center in the University of Texas at Austin College of Education, features an interactive timeline that tells the stories of the American presidents of the twentieth century, from Herbert Hoover to William Jefferson Clinton. Each presidents biographi

In this section of the online exhibition entitled Treasures of American History, students will learn how biographies of important Americans can reflect the circumstances of their times, provide a personal perspective on the past, and make up a fascinating and multifaceted portr

This website, from the New York Times, allows students to read the texts of every American president’s inauguration speech.  The site creators clarify each address by highlighting words that appear the most often in each president’s speech.  The site also includes related multimedia