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Resource Spotlight: Veterans in the U.S. & Native American Heritage Month

On November 11, 1921, an unnamed World War I soldier was buried on a hillside overlooking the Potomac River. His burial, like many other ceremonies and burials held on the 11th of November, was a solemn recognition and honoring of the fallen and surviving soldiers who fought in WWI from the first day on July 28, 1914, until the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. These ceremonies were first recognized as “Armistice Day,” but were changed after World War II to commemorate all soldiers. As we celebrate the 250th year of the United States and its soldiers, it is important that we also consider wars and how they impacted nations, citizens, and the world. 

Each November we also observe Native American Heritage Month. These observances, falling in the same month, invite deeper reflection. In WWI, more than 12,000 Native Americans served despite not being granted full U.S. citizenship until 1924. In World War I and II, Indigenous Code Talkers used various languages to prevent the interception of messages from opposing forces. To secure Allied victories in both wars, Code Talkers used languages that boarding schools had tried to violently erase. It was also the U.S. military that launched wars of conquest and removal that cost Native nations their lands and lives. These resources provide educators with lesson plans, primary source sets, and methods to explore the historical impacts of war on various peoples.

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Native American Heritage Month Resources

U.S. Veteran Lesson Plans

  • Monuments Lesson 
    • This lesson slide deck asks “how do we remember the past?” Focusing on monuments, this lesson explores how and why we remember certain wars, people, and occurrences. 
  • Indian Wars (UCBHSSP) 
    • This 8th  and 12th-grade primary source analysis and paragraph outline centers on excerpts from the Treaty of Fort Laramie. 
  • Was the Civil War a War for Freedom? 
    • This 8th-grade unit of study focuses on the events leading to the Civil War, the perspectives of those who fought in or lived through the war, and the effects of the war on individual citizens and the nation. 
  • Civil War (UCBHSSP)
    • This 8th and 11th-grade lesson plan asks “How did issues surrounding slavery lead to the Civil War?” It explores how social, economic, and political beliefs of different regions led to the Civil War. 
  • Effects of WWI - Middle East Maps
    • This 10th-grade lesson explores the aftermath of World War I and the Paris Peace Conference on territories in the Middle East. Conflicting promises to Arab and Jewish leaders led to a division of territory into mandates and created nations and borders that continue to cause conflict to this day. The texts and maps in this set support students’ inquiry into the creation of the modern map of the Middle East. 
  • US in WWI
    • This 11th-grade resource focuses on World War I, an important event that started a century-long growth of the federal government. It explores the draft, organization of the war at home, the promotion of civilian support for the war, the Espionage and Sedition Acts, Black people’s military experience, and returning injured soldiers. The set asks, “How did America change because of World War I?
  • World War II and Movements for Equality 
    • This 11th-grade primary source set introduces students to the ways in which World War II served to advance movements for equality. 
  • World War II Homefront Diary (UCBHSSP) 
    • This 11th-grade lesson and primary source set asks, “How did [World War II] affect the individual American at home?” It focuses on how Americans experienced fear and insecurity, an increased sense of national unity, and changes to their daily routines. 
  • Why and How Was the Cold War Fought?  
    • This 10th and 11th-grade unit study focuses on the ideological, diplomatic, military, and cultural struggle that started between the Soviet Union and the United States in the post-World War II era. 
  • The Cold War 
    • This 10th and 11th grade multi-lesson gives students multiple opportunities to evaluate complex written arguments for their use of evidence and overall persuasiveness through the conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union. 
  • The Vietnam War (UCBHSSP)
    •  This 11th-grade lesson plan asks, “How did the Vietnam War affect the American service members?” It focuses on how service members experienced a new form of awareness about themselves, their government, and their world. 

#KatesBookClub Reads:

  • Arlington: The Story of Our Nation’s Cemetery 
    • Written and illustrated by Chris L. Demarest.  An older publication, but so very good.  The story of the national cemetery--from the Revolutionary War to the present.  This title recounts the complicated history of one of the nation's most famous and most-visited national monuments and its fascinating daily life. The watercolor paintings capture the spirit and pathos of the last resting place of more than 300,000 Americans who have served their country. 
  • Cloaked in Courage: Uncovering Deborah Sampson, Patriot Soldier 
    • Written by Beth Anderson, illustrated by Anne Lambelet.  The remarkable story of Deborah Sampson, a woman who fought in the American Revolution disguised as a man—and who ends up finding her true identity and purpose in life.  Deborah Sampson didn’t like being told what to do, especially by the King of England. Fiercely independent, 18-year-old Deborah enlists as Robert Shurtliff in George Washington’s Continental Army to fight for her country’s independence. But being a soldier is hard, dangerous work. Can she fight for her country and keep her identity a secret? Can she also discover who she really is and find her true purpose? An inspiring story for young readers and a must for the fifth-grade classroom.  A brief biography of Deborah Sampson from the National Women’s History Museum can be found here.
  • Day for Rememberin’: Inspired by the True Events of the First Memorial Day
    • Written by Leah Henderson, illustrated by Floyd Cooper.  Describes the little-known history behind the first Memorial Day on May 1, 1865.  Told through the eyes of a young boy in Charleston, South Carolina, who joins the crowds of abolitionists, teachers, and military officers who march and sing for all those who gave their lives during the Civil War.  Shines a light on the history of this important holiday and reminds readers to never forget the people who put their lives on the line for their country.  Terrific back matter with archival photos and timeline.  Click here to view more information from a Smithsonian exhibition on the first Memorial Day in Charleston.
  • Fearless Flights of Hazel Ying Lee, The 
    • Written by Julie Leung, illustrated by Julie Kwon.  Hazel Ying Lee was born fearless--she was not afraid of anything, and the moment she took her first airplane ride, she knew where she belonged. When people scoffed at her dreams of becoming a pilot, Hazel wouldn't take no for an answer. She joined the Women Air Force Service Pilots during World War II. It was a dangerous job, but Hazel flew with joy and boldness.  Fabulous story about a groundbreaking figure in Chinese American history who will inspire young readers to challenge barriers, and a nice addition to classroom libraries.  A short film on the life of Hazel Ying Lee can be found here.  
  • Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines
    • Written by Jeanne Walker Harvey, illustrated by Dow Phumiruk.  As a child, Maya Lin loved to study the spaces around her. She explored the forest in her backyard, observing woodland creatures, and used her house as a model to build tiny towns out of paper and scraps. The daughter of a clay artist and a poet, Maya grew up with art and learned to think with her hands as well as her mind. From her first experiments with light and lines to the height of her success nationwide, this is the story of an inspiring American artist: the visionary artist-architect who designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. A fabulous example of arts integration.  For more information about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, visit the National Park Service site.
  • O Captain, My Captain:  Walt Whitman, Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War 
    • Written by Robert Burleigh,  illustrated by Sterling Hundley.  Walt Whitman and Abraham Lincoln shared the national stage in Washington, DC, during the Civil War. Though the two men never met, Whitman would often see Lincoln's carriage on the road. The president was never far from the poet's mind, and Lincoln's "grace under pressure" was something Whitman returned to again and again in his poetry. Whitman witnessed Lincoln's second inauguration and mourned along with America as Lincoln's funeral train wound its way across the landscape to his final resting place.  The book includes the poem "O Captain! My Captain!" and an excerpt from "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd," brief bios of Lincoln and Whitman, a timeline of Civil War events, endnotes, and a bibliography.  Hands-down one of my favorite poems.  Pairs nicely with any number of picture books on Abraham Lincoln, including Abe Lincoln’s Dream by Lane Smith.  This exhibit from the Library of Congress describes the period of mourning after Lincoln’s assassination.
  • Revolutionary Prudence Wright: Leading the Minute Women in the Fight for Independence 
    • Written by Beth Anderson, illustrated by Susan Reagan.  Prudence Wright had a spark of independence.  Annoyed when the British king held back freedoms in colonial Massachusetts, feisty and fearless Prudence had enough. She said no to British goods and was determined to rely on her resourcefulness and ingenuity to get by. When British troops continued to threaten the lives of her family and community, she assembled and led the first and only group of "minute women" from Pepperell to fight the British and make history in the process.  An image of the lantern that Prudence carried on April 19, 1775, when she encountered the British soldiers at Jewett’s Bridge, Massachusetts, can be found here.  
  • Sergeant Reckless: The True Story of the Little Horse Who Became a Hero 
    • Written by Patricia McCormick, illustrated by Iacopo Bruno.  When a group of US Marines fighting in the Korean War found a bedraggled mare, they wondered if she could be trained as a packhorse. They had no idea that the skinny, underfed horse had one of the biggest and bravest hearts (and biggest appetites) they’d ever known. Soon Reckless showed herself more than willing to carry ammunition too heavy for the soldiers to haul. As cannons thundered and shells flew through the air, she marched into battle—again and again—becoming the only animal ever to officially hold military rank—becoming Sgt. Reckless—and receive two Purple Hearts.  A short film about Sergeant Reckless can be found here.
  • Soldier for Equality: Jose de la Luz Saenz and the Great War
    • Written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh.  Jose de la Luz Saenz is one of only two known Mexican Americans in World War One to have documented his experience in a diary.  Using first-person diary entries, Duncan Tonatiuh (a CHSSP favorite!) tells the inspiring story of de la Luz Saenz and his fight for equality and Mexican American civil rights.  Today, the League of United Latin American Citizens, created in part by de la Luz Saenz, is the largest and oldest Latinx civil rights organization in the nation.
  • Twenty-One Steps:  Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier 
    • Written by Jeff Gottesfeld, illustrated by Matt Tavares.  There is nothing more moving than experiencing the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.  Keeping vigil at the tomb are the sentinel guards whose every step and turn honors and remembers America’s fallen soldiers.  These guards protest their fellow soldiers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice, making sure they are never alone.  The sentinel guards have stood guard in uninterrupted service since July 2, 1937.  A virtual tour of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier can be shared with students here.  

NPR Podcast 

  • 'Fresh Air' Honors Veterans with Interviews with Two Men Who Served in WWII

    • This episode of the FRESH AIR podcast, hosted by professor of television studies at Rowan University, David Bianculli, highlights interviews with two veterans who served in World War II. In 1943, college student Robert Kotlowitz was drafted to fight Nazi Germans in France. In a few minutes, Kotlowitz explains what it was like as a Jewish soldier who, in one battle, experienced the death of the majority of his platoon. The podcast also includes an interview with Robert Williams, one of the celebrated Tuskegee Airmen from the 332nd fighter group. He gives a first-hand account of how the Tuskegee Airmen had to fight the war on two fronts: against the Germans and racial prejudice. 

Secondary Literature 

  • Aune, Stefan, Indian Wars Everywhere: Colonial Violence and the Shadow Doctrines of Empire (University of California Press, 2023). 
    • Stefan Aune shows the deeper history of worlds and images referring to Indigenous Americans as linked with warfare. Through Indian War Everywhere, Aune shows that the spread of the militaristic American Empire can be linked back to the “savage wars” of the nineteenth century.
  • Goodwin, Gerald F., Race in the Crucible of War: African American Servicemen and the War in Vietnam (University of Massachusetts Press, 2023).
    • When Black soldiers went to fight in Vietnam, racism and prejudice shaped their military experiences. Drawing on oral interviews and archival research, Goodwin informs us about how Black servicemen experienced service in the throes of racial tensions. 
  • Guglielmo, Thomas A., Divisions: A New History of Racism and Resistance in America’s World War II (Oxford University Press, 2021). 
    • Guglielmo provides one of the first comprehensive looks at racism within the US military during World War II. This monograph explores the divisions between African Americans, white Americans, Asian Americans, Latinx Americans, and Native Americans. 
  • Rother, Tanya L., Her Cold War: Women in the U.S. Military, 1945–1980 (University of North Carolina Press, 2021).
    • Rother details the experiences of women in the military from the passage of the 1948 Women’s Armed Services Integration Act–which promised to honor permanent positions and pay women equal pay in the military–through the early 1980s. Rother argues that before civilian feminists took up workplace discrimination issues, servicewomen pushed for changes and rights in the military. 
  • Gordon, Lesley J. & Huebner, Andrew, Race and Gender at War: Writing American Military History (University of Alabama Press, 2024). 
    • Editors Lesley J. Gordon and Andrew J. Huebner compiled a series of essays that illuminate how race and gender have persistently shaped the military history of the United States. The essays showcase historians of various research interests within the field of “war and society.” This edition chronicles more than 150 years of American history.