Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Friends of the Judiciary History Center Annual Meeting and Speaker



We're delighted to pass along word that the Friends of the Judiciary History Center will be holding its annual meeting soon. 


The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 10, 2012, 5:00 pm - 6:00 p.m., in Aliiolani Hale, home of the Hawaii State Supreme Court.


This year the event will feature Dr. Douglas Askman of Hawaii Pacific University. 


Dr Askman has researched and visited various national and provincial Supreme Courts around the world. His presentation will focus on countries in the Pacific rim, examining the organizational, historical, and architectural features of those courts and the buildings that house them. 


This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.


For more information and where to register online click this link



Sunday, June 24, 2012

July 4th in Hawaii: Honolulu, 1863

The Fourth of July.
Source: The Friend. Honolulu, July 1863.  
Published by Rev. Samuel C. Damon.

“The 4th.”
“All men are born free and equal,” so declared the Signers of the American Declaration of Independence, eighty-seven years ago. Washington and his compatriots vindicated and established this great truth during the Revolutionary War, with reference to the Anglo-Saxons, or white races, scattered over North America. Unfortunately, the negro, or black race, was not included among those to whom this principle was applied, that, “all men are born free and equal.”

The time has now come when the negro race must be admitted into the enjoyment of the same rights as the white man. This we honestly believe to be the decree of Heaven, notwithstanding Jeff Davis and his fellow rebels declare that negro-chattel slavery is, and shall be, the cornerstone of the Southern Confederacy.

Here lies the grand secret of this fearful struggle. Some writers may throw dust in the eyes of the people and the reading public, by declaring that this is not the cause of the war, but facts speak, in language not to be misunderstood.

We are glad that Americans in Honolulu are disposed to observe the day, and we hope, in the midst of their festivities, they will remember their countrymen who are struggling to maintain the flag of the Union.

Agreeable to a programme, which we have seen, the following Order of Exercises will be observed at the Fort Street Church, at 10 o’clock, A.M.

Voluntary..........By the Choir.


Prayer..........By. Rev. S.C. Damon.


National Ode..........“America.”


Oration..........Rev. E. Corwin.


National Ode..........“Hail Columbia.”


Benediction..........Rev. R. Anderson, D.D.





Picnic at Oahu College.


-Raising of United States Flag


-Singing, “Star-Spangled Banner.”


-Reading, “Declaration of Independence.”


-Singing, “Charleston Ode.”


-Impromptu, “Flag of our Union.”


A History Teacher's Brilliant Idea... Teach with Tournaments!

William J. Bennett is a contributor to CNN, a published author,  served as U.S. secretary of education from 1985 to 1988 and director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under President George H.W. Bush. CNN recently featured a commentary that we at History Education Hawaii call to your attention. We think it's worth reading, and hopefully you'll concur. Click here. 

The first paragraph of Bennett's piece is excerpted below. We've linked an article he references as well as an innovative teaching curriculum by Josh Hoekstra, Teach with Tournaments:

In a typical, unassuming classroom at Rosemount High School in the suburbs of Minneapolis, U.S. history teacher Josh Hoekstra had a very novel idea about how the subject is taught. The 39-year-old husband and father of three has been teaching U.S. history for 13 years. He's seen firsthand the demise of U.S. history education, now our high school seniors' worst subject. This school year, after watching his students' intense interest in college basketball's March Madness tournament (rather than school), Hoekstra invented his own teaching curriculum, called Teach With Tournaments, to transform U.S. history content into a similar competitive, student-driven tournament.






NHC: America In Class Fall 2012 Seminar Schedule

America in Class is a continuous program of online seminars from the National Humanities Center (NHC). Even though summer is now underway it's never too early to plan your Fall schedule. 

These seminars focus on teaching with primary sources — historical documents, literary texts, visual images, and audio material. Emphasizing critical analysis and close reading, they address the Common Core State Standards while giving teachers the opportunity to deepen their content knowledge.

Seminar texts are provided free online. The Center draws texts from a variety of sources, including America in Class® primary sources and lessons, and attempts to select fresh material that will invigorate classroom instruction.

Indeed, the NHC has released a fascinating series of online seminars! The Fall 2012 seminars are listed here. Please  click here for the comprehensive list

Slavery in the Atlantic World. 
Teaching the Slave Narrative: The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano.
Teaching the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.
Consumer Politics in the American Revolution.
Deism and the Founding of the United States.
The Work of Slavery.
Teaching Poe's 'The Raven' in Context.
Teaching Flannery O'Connor.
Teaching 'Bartleby, the Scrivener.'
Art and American Identity: 1670-1789. 
Winslow Homer's Civil War Art.
The Civil War in Global Context. 
Teaching In Our Time in Our Time.



Hawaii history teachers, historians, history buffs and students are strongly encouraged to register. Please be sure to inquire about special rates today!

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

July 4 in Hawaii: USS Constellation and Hawaii Day, 1926


The year 1926 coincided with the 150th sesquicentennial anniversary of American independence. Far from the shores of the Hawaiian Islands a special celebration was held in Baltimore Harbor.

'Hawaii Day' was celebrated aboard the frigate Constellation. We present to our readers the text of a front page story that was published in the July 8, 1926 edition of the Honolulu Advertiser (today's Star Advertiser). The Constellation visited Hawaii as the frigate circumnavigated the world 1840-1845. Go to the links above the learn more about its remarkable history.

Today, the U.S.S. Constellation is a maritime museum open to the public in Baltimore. It is the sister-ship of the U.S.S. Constitution in Boston, Massachusetts.

CONSTELLATION IS HAWAII DAY CLOSING SCENE
Source: Honolulu Advertiser: Thursday, July 8, 1926.

Large Flower lei Draped Over Gangway; Visitors Given Leis.
(By The Associated Press)


PHILADELPHIA July 3 -The exercises tonight on the wooden decks of the frigate Constellation climaxed the Hawaii Day celebration at the Sesquicentennial exposition, reviving the memories of the incident 83 years ago. Miles Cary, chairman of the exercises, read the official greetings, pledging anew the fidelity of Hawaii to America in the form of a message from Acting Governor Raymond C. Brown.

Miss Palmyra Beie, chairman of the Hawaii delegation, delivered a tribute to the Constellation on behalf of the citizenry of the islands, at the close of which she handed a large lei of Hawaiian flowers to Admiral Thomas P. McGruder, U.S.N., who placed it at the entrance to the gangway.

Three native teachers distributed five hundred leis to the visitors. Each lei is the work of a school child, whose name is attached with the request that the recipient of the floral wreath write to Teachers Mrs. Phoebe Amoy, Honolulu; Gertrude Leong, Lahaina; and Mrs. Nora Marcham, Honolulu.

Marked by all the color and classic dancing and depiction of life in those tropical islands, Hawaii Day was celebrated today at the sesquicentennial here.

The exercises were the first held by a territory of the United States at the exposition for observance of the 150th anniversary of the mother country.

A delegation from Daughters and Sons of Hawaiian Warriors marched in a colorful procession from the exposition grounds to the frigate Constellation in the nearby navy yard, where a pageant was presented re-enacting the boarding of the Constellation in 1843 by King Kamehameha III, and the raising of the Hawaiian flag by the commander of the Constellation as a mark of friendship for the island government. A lei was presented to the old ship by the "Warriors" in memory of the day when the Constellation lay at Honolulu with her guns facing a British frigate and when commander Kearney protested the hoisting of the British flag over Hawaii.

The Hawaiians later gave a reception aboard the ship to a number of guests, including Admiral Thomas P. Magruder, USN, naval and military officers and sesquicentennial exposition officials and their wives.

Hawaiian exhibits at the exposition are displayed at the transportation building.

Miles Cary of Honolulu is general chairman of the day for Hawaii.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Fourth of July in Hawaii: Maui, 1863


The anniversary of American independence has been celebrated in Hawaii since the early decades of the 19th century. As we count down to the Wednesday, July 4, 2012 celebrations we will be featuring news stories from Hawaii's history.

Below is the text of an 1863 news story from the Pacific Commercial Advertiser of how the Fourth of July was celebrated on Maui.

Stay tuned! We will have an important announcement of a new, unique and exciting educational program very soon!


It was gratifying to one who has witnessed the decline of trade in our little seaport towns, to take an occasional tour through the country proper, to mark the growing importance of the interior of Hawaii nei. It would seem that some mighty enchanter, some Genii of the land, new risen from the sleep of ages, had extended his magic wand over mountain and valley, stream and plain, calling back to life the soul of enterprise, long dead. Where but yesterday, all was bare and barren –where, in the checkered soil, nothing but the foot prints of the industry of the former generations was visible –the plow and harrow have been run; and in many places we find the old land marks obliterated, and the earth covered as with a green mantle.

To-day, with an agreeable company of ladies and gentlemen, I had the pleasure of riding over the lands of Waikapu and Waihee. Many were the green fields we passed. Cane rows, lofty and low, were rejoicing in the sun; and one could not help rejoicing with them, while something seemed to say, as they nodded to the distant sea, “This is the salutation that an infant Agriculture is now offering to Commerce.”

But it was the Fourth of July, the glorious Fourth!  and when, from afar, we caught sight of the Star Spangled Banner waving over the Torbert Plantation at Waihee, high in the air, and broad and beautiful, the sight was so unexpected and so agreeable that for a time everything else was forgotten –even SUGAR; and the company were soon filled with as much patriotism as our horses could well carry.

This evening we paid a visit to the Waikapu Plantation, having received from Messrs. Louzada & Cornwell, its worthy proprietors, an invitation to attend an exhibition of fireworks at their place. Here we found quite a large company of ladies and gentlemen assembled from Wailuku and the immediate neighborhood, besides a host of natives who at an early hour had congregated en masse, to see “the sights.” The necessary preparations had been made upon the lawn in front of the house. The night was favorably dark, and at 8 o’clock the exhibition commenced. It occupied about one hour, during which time there was a constant succession of cracks, pops, bangs, and whizzes. Everything, from the fire-fly cracker to the comet-tailed rocket, was visible. The ladies enjoyed the fun exceedingly, taking an active part throughout, and never was vestal virgin more intent upon preserving the “sacred fire,” and making night luminous with Roman candles, blue lights, etc.

To most of the natives it was a “new thing,” and judging from the number of saucer-eyed faces exhibited upon the occasion, it was to them a wonder that will not be soon forgotten.

After the fire works were done, the company went in to refreshments; which were succeeded by national airs upon the piano. While we were expressing our thanks for the evening’s entertainment, so delightful to all, and were about to depart, the moon, that had waited the while, like a lady, as she is, rose up from behind the summit of Haleakala, and insisted upon seeing the company home.

                                                                                                                        A RAMBLER
In the Saddle, Maui, July 6th, 1863

HEH Salutes Puakea Nogelmeier and Awaiaulu, Inc.


A remarkable project is underway in Hawaii, one that should be heartily greeted and supported by Hawaii's history educators, historians, students, history buffs, indeed, everyone.

Today's Honolulu Star Advertiser features an editorial on the outstanding work by Puakea Nogelmeier and Awaiaulu. See our news-blogs list of links. Nogelmeier and volunteers are transcribing to electronic format the contents of Hawaiian language newspapers published since the 19th century.

The editorial, 'Support effort to fill in blanks on Hawaii history,' in part says:

Newspapers have been called the first draft of history. However, many of our islands' first drafts have been virtually inaccessible, locked away in musty, bound volumes and written in a language most of us don't understand — Hawaiian.


But the history and knowledge hidden in those volumes are vast and priceless. Thanks to the early adoption of a written alphabet, Hawaiians developed a high level of literacy less than 60 years after Capt. James Cook's arrival in 1778. As a result, these newspapers, dating from the 1830s, contain a "written record of the whole transition from stone age into modern age," said Puakea Nogelmeier, executive director of Awaiaulu Inc. The hard part will be preserving and unlocking those treasures for future generations. 

Note: You will need paid online access to read the entire text of the editorial. 

History Education Hawaii, Inc., salutes the efforts of all those involved in the Awaiaulu project. It's on-going mission to preserve the Hawaiian language and its history deserves our support. 

Thursday, June 14, 2012

The Star-Spangled Banner: The Flag That Inspired the National Anthem from the Smithsonian





On this year's Flag Day and bicentennial of the War of 1812 we wanted to call to your attention an online exhibit, courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.


'The Star-Spangled Banner: The Flag That Inspired the National Anthem' can be viewed at this link. 


On September 14, 1814, U.S. soldiers at Baltimore’s Fort McHenry raised a huge American flag to celebrate a crucial victory over British forces during the War of 1812. The sight of those “broad stripes and bright stars” inspired Francis Scott Key to write a song that eventually became the United States national anthem. Key’s words gave new significance to a national symbol and started a tradition through which generations of Americans have invested the flag with their own meanings and memories.

Images of the actual flag that was hoisted on that day are featured. Also, click this link for the new gallery that was created for the flag in 2008.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

'The Song of Freedom' and the 2013 NCHE Annual Conference

(Photo Credit: Library of Congress)

In March 2013 the National Council for History Education will be holding its annual conference in Richmond, Virginia. The theme is 'Emancipation & Human Rights in History.' We remind our Hawaii history teachers and historians that the deadline to submit proposals is September 24, 2012.

Recently we were perusing historical editions of Hawaii's newspapers. The July 23, 1863 edition of the Pacific Commercial Advertiser featured this poem, 'The Song of Freedom. It was penned just after the reading of President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation:



Thoughts suggested by hearing the President’s Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863.

1. Yes, swell the song of Freedom. For to-night
Our land was wakened to its sense of right; -
What were but things, have now become freemen;-
Sound forth the song through every vale and glen.

2. We love to sing to-night, and well we may;
For God has brought to us that happy day,-
The day we’ve hoped and wished so long to see,
When He should say-“BE FREE, Oh man. BE FREE!”

3. We’ll sing it here: but, in that Southern land
Where long has lived that suffering, bleeding band-
Let the grand song in fuller chorus rise,
Bearing, with praise, its burthen to the skies.

4. Yes, from those bleeding hearts, the song of Love
Will rise on wings and join the hymn above,
Of praise to Him whose loving hand has led
His people from the land where they have bled.

5. -“Happy New Year.” Has the sun shone on
A happier one? And ‘tis but just begun.
Oh! may we never see or never know
The days of gloom we saw in years ago.

6. ‘Tis true, our hearts are now with sorrow rent.
Fear not. The storm of war will soon be spent;
For He who guides our way in life, knows best
When we are pure-then God will give us rest.

7. And oh!  when next wee we the New Year’s light,
May all around be peaceful, happy, bright,
And may the time soon come when wars shall cease,
Nations be subject to the Prince of Peace.

8. Oh, God, we praise Thee! To the choirs on high,
These glorious tidings bear, -while Heaven’s broad arches ring
With hymns of praise to the Almighty King.

Oberlin, Jan. 2nd, 1863                                    M.A.C.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Honolulu's Pacific Commercial Advertiser, 1862: 'The American Flag,' by Joseph Rodman Drake




Flag Day is marked annually in the USA. In 2012 Flag Day falls on Thursday, June 14. 

We perusing some of Hawaii's historical periodicals. On Thursday, July 3, 1862 the publishers of Honolulu's Pacific Commercial Advertiser featured a poem, 'The American Flag,' by Joseph Rodman Drake (1795-1820). Click here for his  biographical information. 

Below is the text of Drake's poem: 

When Freedom, from her mountain height,
Unfurled her standard to the air,
She tore the azure robe of night,
And set the stars of glory there;
She mingled with its gorgeous dyes
The milky baldric of the skies,
And striped its pure, celestial white
With streakings of the morning light;
Then, from his mansion in the sun,
She called her eagle bearer down,
And gave into his mighty hand,
The symbol of her chosen land.

Majestic monarch of the cloud!
Who rear'st aloft thy regal form,
To hear the tempest-trumpings loud,
And see the lightning-lances driven
When strive the warriors of the storm,
And rolls the thunder-drum of heaven--
Child of the sun! to thee 't is given
To guard the banner of the free,
To hover in the sulphur smoke,
To ward away the battle-stroke,
And bid its blendings shine afar,
Like rainbows on the cloud of war,
The harbingers of victory!
 
Flag of the brave! thy folds shall fly,
The sign of hope and triumph high,
When speaks the signal-trumpet tone,
And the long line comes gleaming on:
Ere yet the life-blood, warm and wet,
Has dimmed the glistening bayonet,
Each soldier eye shall brightly turn
Where the sky-born glories burn,
And, as his springing steps advance,
Catch war and vengeance from the glance;
And when the cannon-mouthings loud
Heave in wild wreaths the battle-shroud,
And gory sabres rise and fall,
Like shoots of flame on midnight's pall;
Then shall thy meteor-glances glow,
And cowering foes shall shrink beneath
Each gallant arm that strikes below
That lovely messenger of death.

Flag of the seas! on ocean wave
Thy stars shall glitter o'er the brave;
When death, careering on the gale,
Sweeps darkly round the bellied sail,
And frighted waves rush wildly back
Before the broadside's reeling rack,
Each dying wanderer of the sea
Shall look at once to heaven and thee,
And smile to see thy splendors fly
In triumph o'er his closing eye.

Flag of the free heart's hope and home,
By angel hands to valor given;
Thy stars have lit the welkin dome,
And all thy hues were born in heaven.
Forever float that standard sheet!
Where breathes the foe but falls before us,
With Freedom's soil beneath our feet,
And Freedom's banner streaming o'er us?

Friday, June 8, 2012

Kamehameha Day is Monday, June 11


This coming Monday, June 11, marks Kamehameha Day in Hawaii. It is a state holiday. Public libraries, state offices and schools will be closed.

Go to this link to learn about the Kamehameha Festival. Go to this link for the King Kamehameha Celebration Commission, including a schedule of events this coming weekend. We also recommend visiting the official Facebook page at this link.

Monday, June 4, 2012

Free Webinar: Teaching for Human Dignity: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Facing History will be holding a free webinar entitled Teaching for Human Dignity: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The webinar is scheduled for this coming Wednesday, June 6, 2012, 6:30 p.m.- 8:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. 


Fundamental Freedoms examines Eleanor Roosevelt’s pivotal role in creating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in the aftermath of World War II. In 1945, Eleanor was appointed chairperson for the United Nations’ Human Rights Commission with representatives from eighteen nations. The committee’s objective was to create a document that answers the deceptively simple question,"What rights should belong to every human being on earth?"

Our 90-minute live webcast will include a facilitated discussion about essential questions when teaching this subject, and feature video clips from our online resource collection. It will also feature a live discussion with historian
Allida Black, founder of The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, a project designed to preserve, teach and apply Eleanor Roosevelt's writings and discussions of human rights and democratic politics.



For more detailed information go to this link today. 






Saturday, June 2, 2012

Today's Star Advertiser: UCC Speech by Tom Woods to Give Missionaries their Due


Today's Honolulu Star Advertiser reported in its 'Keeping Faith' section regarding the New England missionaries who arrived in Hawaii in 1820.

Tom Woods, executive director of the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives, is scheduled to deliver the keynote speech at the 190th annual Aha Pae'aina of the Hawaii Conference of the United Church of Christ:


The first missionaries to the islands in 1820 should be appreciated for helping the Hawaiian monarchy ward off European conquest, using literacy and Christianity as tools, says Tom Woods, director of the historic Mission Houses Museum.

Woods will speak about positive contributions missionaries made to Hawaii in his keynote speech next week to the 190th ‘Aha Pae­‘aina, the annual statewide meeting of the Hawaii Conference of the United Church of Christ.

The full text of this story is available in the print edition, or at this link in the online edition of the paper. Please note: you need to be a paid subscriber to access the full article online. You can also purchase a 24-hour pass on the same page. Click this link.



Friday, June 1, 2012

Amy Lutz, Student: The Dangers of Grade Inflation for Young America

The Dangers of Grade Inflation for Young America
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POSTE
D AT 7:07 PM ON MAY 31, 2012 BY AMY LUTZ
[ EDUCATION ]  

Congratulations, young America, you’ve reached the threshold of academic perfection. Recent studies have shown that an “A” is now the most common grade for college students in the United States. It’s nice to know that my generation is so well educated. Or perhaps not. Based upon a mountain of contradictory evidence and the environment I see all around me as an American college student, I hesitate to declare victory too soon. When you dig deeper the facts show that grade inflation is what really fuels our college students’ higher GPAs, and A today might be equivalent to a C forty years ago.

Despite the outward appearances of academic perfection, today’s students are not on an upward trajectory toward academic success. Last year, a USA Today report showed that college students make little academic progress in their first two years of college. In fact, 45 percent of students showed no significant gains, a figure which contradicts academia’s goal of educating students. College Students are more likely to focus on their social lives rather than their academic record. Professors caught up with their own research are less likely to pay attention to such habits. Additionally, students spend 50 percent less time studying now than they have in past decades. Fifty percent of students also said that they had never taken a class in which they wrote more than 20 pages in a semester. Good study habits must be developed early through hard work and challenging courses for academic success to be achievable. Even though grades may superficially be rising, good academic habits which produce long term success are lacking among today’s college students.

According to Craig Brandon, author of The Five-Year Party: How Colleges Have Given up on Educating Your Child and What You Can Do about It, educators have switched their main priority from education to retention. Because of the information boom of the last few decades, students are forced to grapple with an exponentially larger knowledge base. Today, with our advanced technology and record keeping systems, the amount of knowledge we have at our fingertips is seemingly infinite. The only way educators have so far determined to solve this issue is to focus more on memorization instead of instilling skills like critical thinking. Most students today are forced to memorize facts, equations, and theories instead of actually learning about them. Sure, their grades show the fruits of their efforts, but real education is deficient.

Grade inflation is may also be a symptom of the “Participation Trophy” mentality that is increasingly prevalent in our society. In a article published by Minnesota State University, two suspected causes of grade inflation are “increased attention and sensitivity to personal crisis situations for students” and a “changing mission” directed as service or research rather than teaching. It’s important for universities to focus on creating well-rounded individuals. Some students do require extra help/time because of family crises or mental/physical health. However, education should still be a school’s primary focus. We are far too concerned with the feelings of students that some have undershot the goal of education. Inflated GPAs do nothing more than numb students from failure. Failure is a benchmark on the road to success. Where is the motivation to do better if you have no failure in your frame of reference? Inflated GPAs and weak grading standards only help to make failure (and conversely, success) more difficult to pinpoint.

Today’s college students are in for a rude awakening when we enter the job market. Numbed from failure and confident in an inflated GPA, many students will be slapped in the face with the prospect of failure. College should not only provide us with a good education; it should also prepare us for the real world (without sacrificing the education part of course). Failure is a part of life. GPAs don’t matter as much if they are all the same. An “A” isn’t an “A” when everyone has one. Educators need to face the fact that all students are different. Some can study for hours without learning a single thing while others breeze pass finals without opening their textbook. To deny this reality denies the intellectual diversity of college students.

It’s true that the cream rises to the top. Grades are an indicator of this future success if they are accurate. However, when they are not and grade inflation occurs, it’s more difficult for outstanding job applicants to separate themselves from the pack. I myself will be looking for a job in a year and it scares me that having a high GPA just won’t cut it anymore. Constantly, I find myself asking: “Am I doing enough to prepare myself for the workforce?”  I’m worried that the increase of grade inflation will make it difficult for college students like me to avoid falling into the deep abyss of unemployment.