Last week I posted an article about the pressing need to teach American history to our young. A follow-up piece focused on ways and resources for sharing the story of our country with elementary-aged students in the home and classroom. We’ll now conclude with an all-too-quick look at some tools that connect teens with their country’s past.

Having a comprehensive history of the United States in the home is essential, serving both as a book of reference and a timeline.

Wilfrid McClay’s “Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story” delivers a balanced take on the past, presenting injustices alongside our country’s extraordinary achievements. One reviewer called it “the most cheerful and inspiring history of America written so far this century.” A “Young Reader’s Edition” is available for middle-schoolers.

Published in 1997, and therefore somewhat dated, Paul Johnson’s “A History of the American People” makes an excellent companion volume for “Land of Hope.” To understand Johnson’s slant on American history, we have only to look at his opening line: “This book is dedicated to the people of America—strong, outspoken, intense in their convictions, sometimes wrong-headed but always generous and brave, with a passion for justice no nation has ever matched.”

Our Golden Age of Histories

Our teenagers are fortunate, for the last 50 years have brought multitudes of popular histories to our libraries and bookstores, accounts of the past aimed at a general rather than an academic audience. Just a few of these include Stephen Ambrose’s account of the Lewis and Clark expedition in “Undaunted Courage,” and his sagas of World War II, like “Band of Brothers,” while David McCullough’s “1776,” “John Adams,” and his portrait of the young Theodore Roosevelt in “Mornings on Horseback” appeal to many teens.

Explore the shelves of your local library for more gems like these. Let your students’ passions dictate their selections. If it’s the Civil War that sparks interest, for example, dozens of great histories and biographies are available.

Historical Fiction

Literature brings an equally bright treasure trove of titles for teens. For advanced readers, Kenneth Roberts’ novels like “Northwest Passage,” “Oliver Wiswell,” and “Rabble in Arms” are well-researched stories that breathe life into the colonial and Revolutionary War periods. Michael and Jeff Schaara’s Civil War trilogy – “Gods and Generals,” “Killer Angels,” and “The Last Full Measure” – is as good as it gets in historical fiction about the Civil War.

Betty Smith’s classic coming-of-age story, “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” brings alive the immigrant experience in the early 20th century. Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” takes readers into the Great Depression and the Jim Crow racism of that time, and is an excellent springboard for further investigation of these topics. “The Great Gatsby” gives students a feel for the Jazz Age of the 1920s; the short stories of Nathaniel Hawthorne, like “The Birth-Mark” and “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” give students the fashions, language, and courtesies of long ago, but with themes as pertinent as today’s headlines.

Movies and Other Media

Here again we find a wealth of riches. Based on David McCullough’s biography, the HBO miniseries “John Adams” won a trophy case worth of awards and is considered one of the finest miniseries in American television history. “The Patriot,” “Apollo 13,” “Cinderella Man,” “Saving Private Ryan,” and “Remember the Titans” are only a few of the motion pictures that either directly or indirectly teach the American past.

Look online for “podcasts about American history,” and you’ll find an array of choices. Also appearing online are virtual tours of museums, battlefields, historic homes, and towns and cities.

History Clubs

History clubs are a little-used vehicle for bringing together young people interested in the American story. Such an after-school program or a club for homeschoolers can blend all the resources mentioned above – reading and discussing books, watching movies together, arranging in-person visits to museums and historic sites. An adult mentor, preferably one with a passion for the past, can keep the discussions on track and the plans moving forward.

What Our Young People Will Gain

In my first of these three articles, I pointed out that we can’t really love something or someone we don’t know. If we don’t know the history of our country, our love for it will be paper-thin. If we want our young to love America, they must know America, which means acquiring an understanding of its past.

But the study of history brings other benefits to the young – and for that matter, to all of us. The past provides figures for emulation, men and women who valued character above money and power. Too many in our culture today take as their role models celebrities and influencers who often offer little in the way of virtue and much in the way of vice.

A solid grasp of history also gives us a sense of nuance about our fellow human beings that is sorely lacking in today’s politics and our culture. To study the lives of those who came before us is a painless way to learn more about people living today, those with whom we share a workspace or a neighborhood.

In these ways, the study of history deepens the humanity of our young people and makes them better equipped to face the challenges of the future.

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The republication of this article is made possible by The Fred & Rheta Skelton Center for Cultural Renewal. 

Image Credit: Pxhere