History Lessons
The articles below provide access to valuable resources, including articles, videos, and courses that deepen knowledge and civic engagement.
Into the Unknown: How Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery Changed America Forever
On a showery Monday afternoon, May 14, 1804, a fleet of three vessels — a 55-foot keelboat and ...
More May 5, 1961: The Fifteen Minutes That Put America in the Race
On the morning of May 5, 1961, an American astronaut named Alan Shepard sat strapped inside a cramped ...
More Ellison S. Onizuka: Reaching for Space, Inspiring a Generation
Ellison S. Onizuka, Mission Specialist and U.S. Air Force officer, in his official NASA portrait. Photo credit: NASA ...
More Susan Ahn Cuddy: Breaking Barriers in Uniform and in Intelligence
Susan Ahn Cuddy, a Navy Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service, or WAVES, poses in uniform in 1942 ...
More A Nation’s First Oath: George Washington and the Inauguration That Invented the Presidency
On April 30, 1789, a reluctant hero stepped onto a balcony overlooking a packed Wall Street and, before ...
More Earth Day: How One Senator Sparked a Global Movement
On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans stepped outside — onto college quads, city sidewalks, and suburban streets ...
More The Midnight Ride: The Real Story Behind America’s Most Famous Night on Horseback
On the night of April 18, 1775, a silversmith, a tanner, and a young doctor galloped through the ...
More The Day America Entered the Great War — and Why One Voice Said No
On the morning of April 6, 1917, the United States was a nation that had spent nearly three ...
More How the First Quorum Shaped Congress: America’s Earliest Legislative Challenge
Facade of Federal Hall with figures on the balcony — one of the most iconic early images of ...
More Patrick Henry’s “Liberty or Death” Speech
Every year on March 23, our On This Day feature at Civics for Life highlights a defining moment ...
More NYC’s First St. Patrick’s Day Parade: Civic Roots in 1762
Every March 17, St. Patrick’s Day brings parades, green attire, and celebrations of Irish heritage across the United ...
More Alexander Graham Bell’s First Telephone Call
Alexander Graham Bell around the time of his early telephone experiments. On March 10, 1876, in a modest ...
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