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BRI's US history curriculum, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
Historical documents including the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution on aged parchment paper.
Group portrait of NASA astronauts in blue jumpsuits with helmets, posed in front of an American flag.
Ronald Reagan sitting at a desk, looking down at a piece of paper in an office setting with windows in the background.

Teaching the 20th Century

14 items

BRI's US history curriculum, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
Page

Page

In our resource history is presented through a series of narratives, primary sources, and point-counterpoint debates that invites students to participate in the ongoing conversation about the American experiment.
Historical documents including the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution on aged parchment paper.
Principles and Virtues
Resource

Resource

How do We the People are better able to protect and advance freedom and opportunity for all?
Group portrait of NASA astronauts in blue jumpsuits with helmets, posed in front of an American flag.
The Space Shuttle Program and the Challenger Disaster
Essay - 2187 Words

Essay

2187 Words

Explores the tragic Challenger space shuttle disaster.
Ronald Reagan sitting at a desk, looking down at a piece of paper in an office setting with windows in the background.
Ronald Reagan, Address to the Nation on the Challenger Disaster, January 28, 1986
Activity

Activity

40 Min

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.
Two security cameras mounted on a pole against a clear blue sky.
Does the Threat of Terrorism Justify Increased Surveillance?
Activity

Activity

40 Min

After September 11th, 2001, is there justification for the increase in surveillance or does it an unnecessary violate individual liberties? Rebeccah Heinrichs and Artemus Ward debate this question.
Ronald Reagan sitting at a desk, looking down at a piece of paper in an office setting with windows in the background.
Executive Power in Times of Crisis
Lesson

Lesson

Use this lesson at the end of the unit to have students review executive powers throughout U.S. history.
Historical black and white photo of three men seated outdoors in wicker chairs, with greenery in the background.
Dropping the Atomic Bomb
Essay - 2638 Words

Essay

2638 Words

By the end of this section, you will explain the causes and effects of the victory of the United States and its allies over the Axis Powers.
A black and white aerial photograph of a volcanic eruption with smoke and ash clouding the sky.
Was the Use of the Atomic Bomb Justified? DBQ
Lesson - 1 Activities

Lesson

1 Activities

65 Min

Use this lesson with The Manhattan Project Narrative and the Dropping the Atomic Bomb Decision Point to show the development of the United States' nuclear program and subsequent use in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.
65 Min
A promotional graphic featuring Edward Lengel for a talk on World War II hosted by the Bill of Rights Institute.
Edward Lengel: Thinking Through World War II | BRI Scholar Talks
Video

Video

45 Min

BRI Senior Teaching Fellow, Tony Williams, and guest scholar Ed Lengel will be discussing Lengel's compelling essays in BRI's new Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness Digital Textbook on the dramatic Pacific theater of World War II. Lengel will narrate the captivating story of Japan’s aggressive expansionism during the 1930s in the lead-up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the brutal fighting in the Pacific, and the consequential dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the summer of 1945.
45 Min
A protest scene with a young woman offering a flower to military police during a demonstration.
Chapter 14: 1960-1968 Inquiry Organizer
Resource

Resource

How did internal and external political and cultural tensions shape the years 1960–1968?
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speaking to a large crowd during the March on Washington, with the Lincoln Memorial in the background.
Civil Disobedience across Time
Lesson - 1 Activities

Lesson

1 Activities

90 Min

Use this lesson with the Freedom Riders Narrative; The March on Birmingham Narrative; the Black Power Narrative; the Martin Luther King Jr., "Letter from Birmingham Jail," 1963 Primary Source; the Martin Luther King Jr., "I Have a Dream," August 28, 1963 Primary Source ;The Music of the Civil Rights Movement Lesson; and the Civil Rights DBQ Lesson to discuss the different aspects of the civil rights movement during the 1960s
90 Min
A woman playing guitar and singing, while a man with an acoustic guitar looks on in a public performance setting.
The Music of the Civil Rights Movement
Lesson

Lesson

Use this lesson with the Freedom Riders Narrative; The March on Birmingham Narrative; the Black Power Narrative; the Martin Luther King Jr., "Letter from Birmingham Jail," 1963 Primary Source; the Martin Luther King Jr., "I Have a Dream," August 28, 1963 Primary Source; the Civil Disobedience across Time Lesson; and the Civil Rights DBQ Lesson to discuss the different aspects of the civil rights movement during the 1960s.
Book cover for "The End of History and the Last Man" by Francis Fukuyama, featuring bold yellow and black text.
Francis Fukuyama, “The End of History?”, 1989
Activity

Activity

40 Min

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.
A smiling man with short black hair, wearing a dark suit and light shirt, standing outdoors.
Has Francis Fukuyama’s “End of History” Thesis Been Proven Correct?
Activity

Activity

40 Min

Since the end of the Cold War, has the world shifted towards democratic governments similar to the United States? Rebeccah Heinrichs and Chester Pachdebate this question.