Resources for teaching and activism
Teaching Resources
The teaching resources below were authored by members of Historians against the War in response to the crises of the early 21st century. H-PAD has retained a small selection of them here; the full set is available at the archived website of that organization: historiansagainstwar.org
Focuses on United States foreign policy and wars from a principled, peace-oriented perspective. Launched in October 2015, the website is sponsored by Historians for Peace and Democracy and the Peace History Society. Each of the fourteen essays contains a wealth of images, citations of primary and secondary sources, and extensive discussions of debates and antiwar movements. Written for students and the general public, the essays may be assigned all or in part by teachers and professors. See also the website Resources page for books, articles, films, and websites on each topic.
- Introduction: The Fifth Estate
- The War of 1812
- The United States – Mexican War (1846-1848)
- The War of 1898 and the U.S.-Filipino War (1899-1902)
- “Yankee imperialism,” 1901-1934
- U.S. participation in World War One (1914-1919)
- The U.S. and World War Two
- Cold War interventionism, 1945-1990
- The Korean War: Barbarism Unleashed (1950-1953)
- The Vietnam War (1954-1975)
- Central America Wars, 1980s
- Post-Cold War era, 1989-2001
- Afghanistan, Iraq, and the “war on terror”
- Africa and the War on Terror
More Teaching Resources:
- Zinn Education Project (coordinated by Teaching for Change and Rethinking Schools) Understanding the Vietnam War, by John J. Fitzgerald (2007) – a comprehensive website
- Teaching the Vietnam War, by John J. Fitzgerald (2007)
- Documentary evidence on Tonkin Gulf Incidents of 1964, by John J. Fitzgerald.
- Media To Help Explain The Moral Injury From Vietnam (Film and Books, May 2015)
- “Torture, American Style,” by Margaret Power, ed., HAW pamphlet, November 2004; reprinted with new Foreword, May 2006), 24 pages.
- Deadly Mistakes? program presents historical background of today’s international crises (September 2009)
- The Tyranny of Defense power point presentation by Edrene McKay, based on Andrew J. Bacevich’s analysis of the military-industrial complex
- The Collapse of the Soviet Union, power point presentation by Edrene McKay
- Costs of War. Housed at Brown University, offers up-to-date tables, charts, and maps with information on current US wars.
- War Made Easy Film Review by John J. Fitzgerald (25 September 2007)
- Impediments To Education In The Occupied Palestinian Territories, edited by Sherna Berger Gluck, Emerita faculty, California State University, Long Beach. Introduction by Sa’ed Atshan, Visiting Assistant Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies, Swarthmore College. A publication of the Palestine-Israel Working Group of Historians Against the War (September 2015).
- The Myth of Israel’s Insecurity, by Ira Chernus. A publication of the Palestine-Israel Working Group of Historians Against the War (January 2015).
- Films on the History of the Palestine-Israel Conflict, compiled with brief introduction and commentary by Rosalyn Baxandall. A publication of the Palestine-Israel Working Group of Historians Against the War (December 2014).
- International Human Rights Law: Violations by Israel and the Problem of Enforcement, by Alice Lynd with the assistance of Staughton Lynd. A publication of the Palestine-Israel Working Group of Historians Against the War (August 2014).
- Chronology of Islamic History & Literature, by Keith Carson, Adjunct Professor, History & Humanities, Atlantic Cape Community College (pdf format).
- Moral Injury and Conscientious Objection: Saying No to Military Service, by Alice Lynd with the assistance of Staughton Lynd (Conflicts in Context, August 2015).
- Staughton Lynd, ed., WE WON’T GO: Narratives of Resistance to World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the 1990–91 US–Iraq War, and the 2003– US–Iraq War, HAW Pamphlet 2 (May 2004). Available in HTML (better for online viewing) and Word and PDF (better for printing).
- Why Peace Movements Are Important by Alan Dawley (3-13-06) (PDF of updated version, May 8, 2006; formatted for printing)
- Bombs and Budgets: Tools for Reclaiming Communities from Militarism. Created by the War Resisters League in cooperation with the South Asia Solidarity Initiative, this popular education curriculum explores how organizing against federal military spending relates to and can forward local campaigns for economic justice.
- Teaching Tolerance. The Southern Poverty Law Center’s “Teaching Tolerance” curriculum.
- Peace History Society. Rich source of primary document collections and research guides related to the U.S. peace movement.
- Bibliography for Peace (May 2012, DOC format download). Lists and contact information for peace and justice organizations, academic centers, audio-visual resources, and notable people, including singers, poets, playwrights, and religious leaders.
- The Bush – Cheney Years, A Historians Against the War Roundtable at the American Historical Association Annual Meeting, January 3, 2009, New York, NY, with contributions by Alice Kessler – Harris (Columbia University), David Montgomery (Yale University), Vijay Prashad (Trinity College), Ellen Schrecker (Yeshiva University), Barbara Weinstein (New York University).
- Join Us? Testimonies of Iraq War Veterans and their Families, by Carl Mirra, ed., Oral History Working Group, HAW Pamphlet #5, 2006 (PDF, 437 KB). Also for sale as a 24-page pamphlet on newsprint, from HAW, Box 442154, Somerville, MA 02144. The following prices include postage: 1-4 copies $1.00 each, 5-24 copies 80 cents each, 25 or more copies 60 cents each.
- Conducting Oral History with Iraq War Veterans and their Families: A Brief Guide (Prepared by the HAW Oral History Working Group, April 2006) (PDF, 276 KB)
- Let History Judge. Asked how history would judge the war in Iraq, President Bush replied, “We won’t know. We’ll all be dead.” The war in Iraq was a disaster; this pamphlet details why.
- Educational Materials on the Iraq War and other war-related / social issues by Jerry Steele, HAW pamphlet #4 (August 2007).
- Teaching the Iraq War, by John J. Fitzgerald (2007)
- Teaching About the Iraq War. Rethinking Schools’ special collection of articles and resources for classroom teachers, including materials that focus specifically on Iraq as well as articles that address general issues of armed conflict and society’s priorities.
RECOMMENDED ARTICLES AND BOOKS:
- Gendzier, Irene. “Invisible by Design: U.S. Policy in the Middle East.” Diplomatic History Fall 2002 (26:4).
- Gettleman, Marvin E. and Schaar, Stuart, eds. The Middle East and Islamic World Reader. New York: Grove Press, 2003 “Round Table: History and September 11.” Journal of American History. (89:2) September 2002.
- “Special Section on Iraq.” Logos: a journal of modern society & culture Winter 2003 (2:1). Worldwatch Institute. State of the world, 2002: A Worldwatch Institute report on progress toward a sustainable society. New York: W. W. Norton & Co; 2002.
- Stuart Schaar and Marvin E. Gettleman, Annotated Bibliography of English-Language Sources and Studies on The Middle East and Muslim South West Asia, HAW Pamphlet 1 (revised edition, Spring 2007). Available in HTML (better for online viewing) and Word and PDF (better for printing).
- John J. Fitzgerald, Some Books on the Iraq War and Related Topics (Oct 2006)
Articles of Interest
H-PAD Statements
Recent statements published by our steering committee are linked below.
Newsletters
We occasionally produce a short newsletter to summarize H-PAD’s recent activities in a more readable, shareable format. We hope you’ll enjoy and share them with others who support our work for peace and democracy. You can view the most recent newsletter by clicking the image below, and scroll down to browse our newsletter archives.
Join us to receive these newsletter updates.
September 2024 Newsletter
H-PAD Update, Occasional Newsletter, November 2022
H-PAD Steering Committee Newsletter #12, March 25, 2022
H-PAD Steering Committee Newsletter #11, January 18, 2022 (pdf)
H-PAD Steering Committee Newsletter #10, July 21, 2021 (pdf)
H-PAD Steering Committee Newsletter #9, May 19, 2021 (pdf)
H-PAD Steering Committee Newsletter #8, March 30, 2021 (pdf)
H-PAD Steering Committee Newsletter #7, February 20, 2021 ( pdf)
H-PAD Steering Committee Newsletter #6, September 15, 2020 ( pdf)
H-PAD Steering Committee Newsletter #5, August 15, 2020 ( pdf)
H-PAD Steering Committee Newsletter #4, July 10, 2020 (pdf)
H-PAD Steering Committee Newsletter #3, June 14, 2020 (pdf)
H-PAD Steering Committee Newsletter #2, November 19, 2018 (pdf)
H-PAD Steering Committee Newsletter #1, September 6, 2018 ( pdf )
- Electronic Newsletter No. 6, December 2007
- Electronic Newsletter No. 5, (News Notes) September 2006
- Electronic Newsletter No. 4, January 2006
- Electronic Newsletter No. 3, October 2005
- Electronic Newsletter No. 2, March 2005
- Electronic Newsletter No. 1, September, 2004
“Broadsides for the Trump Era”
These are one-page, printable handouts that summarize important historical events, movements, crises, and more that form the backdrop for our current political situation. They are designed to be printed, folded, and shared.
- Ellen Schrecker, “McCarthyism, 1947-1960“
- Jeremy Kuzmarov, “The U.S. War on Drugs“
- Linda Gordon, “The Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s“
- Robert Oppenheim, “North Korea and Nuclear Weapons“
- Geoff Eley, “Is Trump a Fascist?“
- Felice Batlan, “Building a Regime of Restrictive Immigration Laws, 1840-1945“
- Margaret Power, “Puerto Rico: A U.S. Colony in the Caribbean”
- Van Gosse, “Why The United States Is Not A True Democracy, Part One“
- Kevin A. Young, “Our Debt to Central American Refugees” also available as a text version with hyperlinks
- Van Gosse, “Why the United States Is Not a True Democracy, Part Two”
Videos
H-PAD is excited to offer a series of short videos, titled Liberating History. Subscribe to our youtube channel to check for more!
Episode 1: “Trump Administration Policy in the Middle East: A Cruel Continuity.” Watch historian Irene Gendzier explain the historical roots of Trump’s policies toward Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel/Palestine, and the rest of the region.
Episode 2: “The Structure of Punishment: Crack and the Rise of Mass Incarceration.” Historian Donna Murch traces the historical origins of the U.S. “war on drugs” and the system of mass incarceration that accompanies it, focusing on the racist and hypocritical policing of Black crack cocaine users.
Episode 3: “McCarthyism, Old and New.” Joseph McCarthy was a classic demagogue. He led the post-World War II assault on labor and progressive ideas by claiming that his opponents were agents of the Soviet Union. Historian Ellen Schrecker compares McCarthy to Donald Trump. She highlights the ways that both men were “facilitated and assisted by the mainstream political world,” because pro-business politicians were aware of “how useful these demagogues were in getting their own program through.”
Episode 4: “India’s Far Right in Historical Perspective.” India’s far right has increasingly dominated the mainstream of Indian politics in recent years. Historian Prasannan Parthasarathi explains its origins in the country’s caste system and the ideology of Hindu nationalism.
Episode 5: “Black Panthers Against Patriarchy.” Black women were involved in the Black Panther Party at all levels: not only as workers who staffed the Panthers’ free community programs, but as theoreticians, strategists, and organizers. Historian Robyn C. Spencer explains why so many women saw the party as a place of empowerment. Though sexism was still a problem in the organization, many Black women found the Panthers far more responsive to their voices than other institutions were.
Watch the Liberating History Series: