Facing History helps educators expose students to sophisticated historical and literacy texts, including an impressive array of primary source materials. We deal with a variety of intellectual and philosophical concepts in our resources. Choose a Theme or Concept below to view the resources that are associated with that aspect of our work.
Produced by the National Coalition Against Censorship, this site links to a wide variety of monuments and memorials constructed in response to the events of September 11, 2001.
An e-mail from Betty Bardige: (Written September 11, 2001) "What we as a country most need now is calm and caring as we attempt to figure out what we can do for those whose lives were....
One of the cornerstones of civil society is the capacity to live with more than one identity. People speak to us so much when we are young about finding our identity, or the search for our....
In the aftermath of the September 11th atrocities many scholars have commented that states and nations have become less important. What do we need to live in a world where, as political....
Tensions between secular culture and a religious practice often focus on education. How should governments balance the right to religious freedom and the best interests of the state, its....
We begin to learn our culture - the values of our society - as soon as we are born. This process is a central element of socialization and involves far more than just formal education.....
The Taliban, a name that translates into English as religious students, gained control of almost all of Afghanistan in 1996. As the Taliban consolidated their power they forged their....
In the aftermath of the September 11th atrocities many scholars have commented that states and nations have become less important. What do we need to live in a world where, as political....
Economist and humanitarian, Amartya Sen writes about his multiple identities. He believes “the main hope of harmony lies not in any imagined uniformity, but in the plurality of our....
September 11th was not the first time violence has been clothed in religious rhetoric, but as University of Virginia Islamic Studies professor Abdulaziz Sachedina writes in an essay, "Where....
Since September 11th reporters have searched for explanations for the attacks on the United States and the murder of almost 3,000 innocent men, women, and children from over 80 nations.....
In the wake of the September attacks, many religious leaders tried to use their position to help heal the world and to advocate for peace and social justice. This reading highlights a few of....
In the introduction to these readings, Professor Marc Gopin writes about the complexity of identity and religion and its ability to shape human behavior. He writes, “It turns out that since....
The tension between religious identity and national loyalty has become the focus of much of the world’s attention since the attacks on September 11th. In the first three readings we explored....
In democracies that strive to be pluralistic, there are often questions about the role of religion in public life. Those questions are often compounded in times of stress. What role do....
Since the events of September 11th many people in the United States have begun to re-examine their relationship to the rest of the world. People and places that once seemed far away have....
In the aftermath of the September 11th attacks on the United States there was an outpouring of support for the families and victims of the atrocities. People around the country donated food,....
Reflections on September 11, 2001, by Dr. Paul DiPietro: I teach at a Catholic High School with 700 students in Dover, NH. I am married and have two sons ages 8 and 12. I am currently....
In times of crisis, cherished ideals like freedom of speech often collide with issues of national security. Since the horrific events of September 11, 2001, some patriotic Americans have....
In times of crisis, cherished ideals like freedom of speech often collide with issues of national security. Since the horrific events of September 11, 2001, some patriotic Americans have....
Since September 11, 2001, many people have taken the time to stop and think, to reexamine their priorities. Others have been shocked by how little they know about their neighbors. That lack....
Facing History and Ourselves is devoted to teaching about the dangers of indifference and the values of civility by helping schools confront the complexities of history in ways that promote....
After the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., many Americans asked, “Why do they hate us so much?” It is not a new question but one that....
The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 have been likened to Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. There are differences,....
Writing is a way of examining ideas. Author Joan Didion explains, “I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means.” Writing can also reveal how
An e-mail from Lee Daniels: "Our offices are at the foot of Wall Street and the East River, a mile almost due east of Ground Zero. Most of our staff had already arrived that morning as the....
Margot Stern Strom is the Executive Director. Her letter to the Facing History staff, immediately following September 11th, is reprinted here. September, 2001 I am deeply grateful to....
"Two years have passed since that ironically serene day, when nature seemed to try to comfort us. Two years have passed and things are back to normal, aside from two wars, life in constant....
8 episodes (total running time 1040 minutes)
Source: PBS Video 1. The Country and the City, 1609-1825
The series begins by identifying the key themes that shaped New York’s history: commerce....
50 minutes
source: Discovery Channel Join three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman as he tries to answer two of the most complex questions to come out of....
This archive uses electronic media to collect, preserve, and present the history of the 9/11 attacks on New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, as well as the public responses to them. The....
Sol Gittleman is Senior Vice President, Provost, and Gantcher Professor of Judaic Studies at Tufts University. He is also a Facing History and Ourselves Board of Trustees Member. We asked....
Sonia Weitz is a survivor of the Holocaust. Her book, I Promised I Would Tell, is a blend of reminiscences and poetry, and is available from the Facing History Resource Center. Her poem....
