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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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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