Nations Classroom Blog

Even those who know little of the Civil War have heard of the formative Battle of Gettysburg. On July 1,1863, in a small Pennsylvania hamlet, the Battle of Gettysburg began. The Union Army successfully countered the last Confederate invasion of the North.

Today, it is a place that memorializes the challenges of living out our nation’s founded principles, making Gettysburg a popular stop for school groups visiting the historic East Coast. 

We've been asking ourselves for the last few weeks how we can bring awareness and educate students about African American history. While we are currently working on all new itineraries, we know that many of our current destinations have historic sites dedicated to African American history.

Here are a few of the historic sites in Virginia that feature exhibits that can teach students about African American history.

In honor of Memorial Day, here are some guidelines for your school's next trip to Arlington National Cemetery. 

We at NationsClassroom want to wish all the wonderful mom's out there a Happy Mother's Day! Whether you're a brand new mom, or all your children are out of the nest, we appreciate you.

In honor of this day, we looked at some of the online exhibits that the National Women's History Museum has to offer. Not only does the National Women's History Museum offer some incredible online exhibits, they also published some amazing online teacher resources to use in the classroom. 

The brand new National Museum of the United States Army is scheduled to open sometime later this summer. The museum will educate visitors about the foundation and history of America’s oldest military branch, and will offer state-of-the-art exhibits perfect for student groups of all ages.

Did you know there was no National WWI Memorial in Washington D.C.?

This is the question that greets you when you visit the National World War One Memorial Centennial Commission's website. But now, over 100 years after the end of the Great War, the Commission has finally broken ground and begun construction on D.C.’s newest memorial just one block east of the White House. The memorial isn’t due to be completed until late this year, but here are a few things we already know that will get you excited to visit.

The results are in!  The number of 2019 visits to each of the Smithsonian Institutions have been tallied and reported.  Can you guess which of your favorite Smithsonian museums had the most visits?

Today, America remembers the great Martin Luther King, Jr.  On April 4th, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. was fatally shot in Memphis, Tennessee.  His legacy of tireless work towards equality and justice continues today.  

One of the most popular and powerful memorials in Washington, D.C. is the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, located in West Potomac Park next to the National Mall.  Did you know that you can read all of King's quotes that adorn the memorial online?  You can read all of the quotes included on the memorial here.   

Raise a glass to freedom and to one of America's founding fathers!  The founder of our nation's financial system was born in Charlestown, the capital island of Nevis and the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean.  There is some historical debate about whether he was born on January 11th 1755 or 1757.  He went on to become of America's most influential statesmen, a supporter of the U.S. Constitution, and even introduced plans for the U.S. Mint.

As 2019 comes to a close, we've got our sights set on 2020.  And 2020 promises to be a remarkable year, full of many civic holidays and important elections.  Moreover, 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which said that the right to vote could not be denied on the basis of sex.  Don't miss a single civic holiday and learn more about the incredible women who have impacted our constitutional history by downloading the 2020 Civic Calendar from the National Constitution Center.