The Murders of Freedom Summer

While on my latest road trip I battled the rain and a somewhat curious guy dressed in camouflage gear to visit the locations related to the murders of James Chaney, Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman.  Yeah, the guy kept passing by me in a truck giving the the stink eye.  Probably thought I was trespassing but I wasn't.  At least I didn't see the sign.

There was one location that I could not go to which was the site where they found the bodies.  That is on private land and I was warned not to even attempt going there.

The Road to Civil Rights

16th Avenue Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama

Over the last two weeks I journeyed out to visit my dad in Arkansas.  People always look at me strangely when I tell them that I usually drive up rather than fly.  The simple reason is that it gives me the opportunity to visit historic sites and also the odd places that make up our national landscape.

Over the last two weeks I decided to focus on issues related to the Civil Rights Movement.  I guess it only makes sense, since I would be traveling through the heart of Dixie.  On this trip I spent a day in Birmingham studying the sad events that took place there, visited the former home of Medgar Evers, payed tribute to Emmett Till and conducted my own investigation into the murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner.

I found visiting these sites to be very emotional because in terms of history the events are so close to us.  In many of my travels I am visiting sites where the history happened so long ago that the personal connection is just not there.  There was something about visiting the civil rights locales that had a feeling of newness to it, almost like the residual energy was still present.

One question that often entered my thoughts is just how much the places had actually changed.  How has society progressed or not progressed in the last 50 years?  Although I had been to the site where Emmett Till had "flirted" with a white woman, I was drawn back there because I had heard Mississippi had put up new memorial markers paying tribute to the young boy.  A portion of the highway is now even named after him.  Progress? Yes, but then I was disheartened to learn about vandalism of the signs.  One of them was spray painted with KKK while another marker showing the spot where Emmett's mangled body was discovered, apparently was pulled out of the ground and supposedly dumped in the Tallahatchee River.

While touring the sites I did come to the conclusion that we have come very far as a nation concerning civil rights, but there is still much that does need to be done.  We might not have the KKK as a solid entity anymore, but there still are prejudices that are still harbored within some.  I'm sure there always will be.

More to come....

Blown Away by Plimoth Plantation

One of the most rewarding experiences I have as a teacher is taking students to historic sites and using the locations as my classroom.  In fact, it is the whole reason that One if By Land Adventures even exists.  I have always felt the classroom walls to be confining, but by having the kids walk in the footsteps of those that came before, short of building a time machine, I think it makes it come alive much more.

For the past several years, it has been a privilege to take my students to Boston to discover the roots of the American Revolution.  Along the way, we also hunt down witches in Salem and venture out to Plymouth to hang with the pilgrims at Plimoth Plantation.


Each trip brings its own unique experiences and this year was definitely one that I will not soon forget.  First off, we saw snow!  To many of you reading this that may not seem all that mid blowing, but to a bunch of Florida kids it was like an alien environment.  For many, it was the first time they had ever seen snow and they delighted in running around in it and trying to make their very first snow balls, which of course they ended up throwing at me.

Despite the snow, I think the thing that the kids will remember the most is the experience we had at Plimoth Plantation.  Being from Florida, we had lived through a number of hurricanes, but the noreaster that blew through on Plimoth day was truly memorable.  Winds were lashing us at about 60 miles per hour and ponchos were literally being shredded left and right.  We were all running around trying to find the pilgrims who had taken cover in the homes.  I have to give the kids alot of credit though, even though it was probably the worst weather we had ever experienced on a Boston trip, they hung in there and tried to learn as much as possible.  One kid biffed in the mud and a group of kindly pilgrim ladies sat him down by the hearth and let him dry off while telling him and the others stories about their lives at Plimoth.  I will never forget the site of the kid as steam was rising up all around him.  Luckily we were able to change our clothes before the flight home.

It is my hope and dream that One if by Land Adventures will allow me to broadcast live field trips like this to classrooms across the United States.  For many, actually going to the sites might not be a possibility, but it is my intention with One if by Land to bring the field trip to them.  Am seeking support and like minded people to get the adventure off the ground!  Please contact me to join up!

Lincoln Lives!

Well, I finally came full circle and finally got to see Lincoln.  I have been anticipating the film for the last few years even when it was in the development stages and Liam Neeson was attached to pot ray Lincoln.  A couple of years ago I visited the Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois and just missed Daniel Day Lewis researching.  Apparently he was walking out the door as I was walking in.  I have always had a knack for somewhat bad timing.

Anyway, did I like the film?  Absolutely!  Steven Spielberg and the crew managed to pull off quite a feat in having history come alive without resorting to crazy embellishments.  History was allowed to speak for itself.  Was it all totally accurate?  Of course not, but the minor inaccuracies do not do much to warrant the film trash.

What we have is a Lincoln that is accessible to us all.  We have Lincoln as a leader, a husband, and a father.  What we see is a vulnerable Lincoln wrapped in a blanket, deep in thought, not the Disneyesque version with the booming baritone voice.  We are able to see Lincoln as an actual human being and not as some "historical figure" devoid of flaws and human emotion.

I think film can be a powerful medium to help in teaching history.  Let's be honest, for the average American, film is the most accessible medium.  I have sometimes been criticized for using movies in my teaching, but I think even bad or inaccurate films can lead to healthy discussion and debate about the importance of the real story.   The Patriot is a perfect example of this.  Yes, it is a very entertaining movie, but can one get beyond the dramatic imagery and special effects to get to the real heart of the actual event?  It is something that I have long shared with my own students.  GO BEYOND and discover the real story rather than what Hollywood dramatizes.  What I have always tried to get across to students is the importance of critically analyzing what they are watching.

I also believe that the true power of films like Lincoln and others is the fact that it might provoke people to actually learn more about the subject.  How great is it that "Team of Rivals" upon which Lincoln is based is currently enjoying renewed popularity?  Perhaps it will also encourage people to visit Springfield as well.

All in all, I believe Lincoln was well worth the wait and will only get better with a repeated viewing.  A second go round will most likely make me appreciate it even more.  Get your tickets!

Etched in History

One of the things that I love about visiting historic sites are the personal things that are sometimes left behind.  While visiting the Old Manse in Concord, Mass. I was drawn to a window while on the tour.  It was an etching by Nathaniel Hawthorne and his wife done while they were renting the property.  I reads;

Man's accidents are God's purposes. Sophia A. Hawthorne 1843

Nath Hawthorne This is his study

The smallest twig leans clear against the sky

Composed by my wife and written with her diamond

Inscribed by my husband at sunset, April 3 1843. In the Gold light.

SAH

The Old Manse is an extraordinary place to visit because of the amazing history it has witnessed and the people that have walked its halls.  The home is where Ralph Waldo Emerson penned Nature which helped give birth to the Transcendentalist movement, and it is also with just yards of the iconic Old North Bridge where some of the opening shots of the American Revolution occurred.  Henry David Thoreau and Louisa May Alcott were also frequent guests to the home and often engaged in very deep conversations about the nature and purpose of life.

Honestly, the old phrase 'if these walls could talk' never seemed more appropriate.

Gotta be better than that vampire flick

I am a a tad bit embarrassed to admit that I was really excited to see Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter last summer.  I had enjoyed the book so I was expecting the movie to be pretty darn entertaining.  I found the movie to be simply just ok.  It was well made and had good production values but they left out too much to make it truly enjoyable.  What was up with changing the ending?

Anyway, I have much higher expectations of Steven Spielberg's new movie about Abraham Lincoln, titled simply "Lincoln".  It is based upon "Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin and chronicles the last 4 months of Lincoln's life. 

Check out the theatrical preview below!

A little AWWWWWW at Shiloh

Today while visiting Shiloh Battlefield I was really excited to see their new film in the visitors center that replaced the depressingly outdated one that they had been showing since the 1950's.  I'm sure that there were quite a few purists that were upset that the old film was scrapped but honestly it was pretty laughable even though I'm certain it was a labor of love for those who made it.

Anyway, as I was sitting there waiting for the film to begin a little kid that was at most 5 or 6 ran in with his grandparents.  To be perfectly honest I was secretly praying the kid would not sit anywhere close by because I have had many a movies be spoiled by crying or talking kids.

They sat down right behind me and I was easily charmed by the little guy's sheer enthusiasm.  He had the map out and was excitedly pointing to all the places they would go to on the battlefield.  In his ultra thick southern accent he kept asking "Paw can we go here?".  His grandfather just smiled and nodded each time, obviously enjoying the boys happiness.  When the film began he got so excited that he practically bounced out of his chair.

After the movie I saw all of them again in the museum exhibit area.  As if the kid's energy was not already infectious enough, the little guy was wearing a smaller matching version of his grandfather's boots and clomping around in them looking at all the guns and other artifacts.

I never saw them again on the actual battlefield but I can pretty much guarantee that he wore his grandparents out.  I am also sure that when the grandfather goes to bed tonight, he will do so with a big smile on his face knowing that he shared a memory that the little boy will resonate with him the rest of his life.