150th Anniversary Vicksburg Campaign Reenactment

National 150th Anniversary
Vicksburg Campaign Reenactment

DATE: 10/19/2012 - 10/21/2012 

CITY: Vicksburg, MS

 LOCATION: Vicksburg, Raymond, Edwards

CONTACT: Friends of Raymond, Inc., or Vicksburg CVB 

PHONE: 601-636-9421 

The reenactment of several military actions of the Vicksburg Campaign will feature up to 5,000 reenactors and participants. The reenactment of the 1863 Vicksburg Campaign will be presented as part of the commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War. Event will feature educational field programs for schools, reenacted battles - including the Battle of Champion Hill, which was the largest Civil War battle in Mississippi and was one of the most decisive of the Civil War; and the commemoration of a portion of the ill-fated assault by Union forces on the works of Vicksburg. It was after this unsuccessful assault that Grant decided to take the city by siege. Included will be Civilian reenactors, garrison troops, and period merchants, or sutlers, demonstrations and lectures will be conducted for the public between the battles on Saturday, to include cooking, sewing, and refugee impressions. 

 For tourist info or tickets contact:
Friends of Raymond, Inc.
Vicksburg Campaign 
P. O. Box 1000
Raymond, MS 39154
e-mail: info@friendsofraymond.org

Friday 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM Saturday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Saturday 10:00 – 11:00 AM	Special demonstrations for participating local schools Courthouse: Medical & Specialty displays: Band at noon Battle of Raymond on the original site on Hwy 18 south of Raymond
Saturday 11:00 - 3 PM	The Vicksburg Campaign - lecture on campaign by well known tour guide and preservationist Brigadier General Parker Hills (Ret). Civilian and refugee demonstrations, and sutlers open to the public.
Saturday 3:00 – 4:00 PM Saturday 4:00 – 7:00 PM Saturday 7:00 – 8:30 PM Sunday 9:00 AM – NOON Sunday NOON Sunday 2:00 – 3:00 PM	Battle of Champion Hill on Hwy 18 south of Raymond Soldier Camps & Sutlers Open to Public after Battle Camp Dance near Sutlers for participants Soldier Camps / Sutlers / Church Service Open to Public Memorial Service at Raymond Confederate Cemetery Assault on Vicksburg on Hwy 18 south of Raymond

The Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln, Grant and Mississippi

The Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln, Grant, and Mississippi

DATE: 9/11/2012 
TIME: 12:00 PM

CITY: Jackson, MS  

LOCATION: Old Capitol Museum

PHONE: 601.576.6920

In honor of the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, Dr. Edna Greene Medford from Howard University will offer remarks on this monumental event in American history. Lecture to be followed by panel discussion and light reception. This free event is funded by the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Foundation. Free.

Directions

Cars

• Take the Pearl St. exit (96A) off I-55.
• Turn right onto State St.
• Turn right onto Amite St.
• Turn right into parking lot behind Old Capitol
• Walk around south side of building to enter through the front

Buses

• Park along Amite Street, next to War Memorial Building
• Visitors walk along sidewalk to the front of the building

Battle of Iuka Civil War Reenactment

Battle of Iuka Civil War Reenactment

DATE: 8/31/2012 - 9/2/2012 |  
TIME: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

CITY: Iuka, MS  

LOCATION: North Pearl Street/ Chicken Run Road

CONTACT: Tishomingo County Tourism Council  

PHONE: 1.800.386.4373

"The fight began and was waged with a severity I have never seen surpassed." 

                                    Major General Sterling Price, CSA, September 19, 1862.

The Battle of Iuka was fought on September 19, 1862, on the highest point in Mississippi known as "America’s Bloodiest High Point". The battle reenactment begins at 2 PM Sunday, September 2, 2012. Bus tours are welcome. Other events are planned during the week prior to the reenactment such as illuminations, historic home tours, Civil War camps and demonstrations, relic shows, period music, dances, etc. 

Read the Battle History here.

For more information, contact Tishomingo County Tourism Council, toll free 800-FUN-HERE (386-4373), www.tishomingofunhere.org; info@tishomingo.org.

Friday, August 31, 2012
9am	Camp site opens to Re-Enactors
9am - 1pm	School Demonstrations (across from Mineral Springs Park)
4pm - 5pm	Greetings from General Henry Little at Twin Magnolias
5pm - 6pm	Public Speaking by Governor John M. Stone at the Old Courthouse Museum
6pm - 7pm	Military Escort of General Henry Little’s body down Quitman Street in Iuka
Dusk	Grand Illumination of Iuka Historic Downtown  with greetings from Governor John M. Stone
Saturday, September 1, 2012
9am - 5 pm 10am	Camp opens to public  Tactical at Battlefield Site
9am	Opening Ceremonies - Iuka Mineral Springs Park
9am until....	Self Guided Historic Walking Tour
9am to noon	Living history demonstrations every fifteen minutes at the following locations: Twin Magnolia, Old Courthouse Museum, Iuka United Methodist Church, and Dunrobin. Pick up schedule at Old Courthouse Museum.
9am until noon	Camelia Home - Women demonstrate everyday life of the 1860s (202 Meigg Street)
Noon	The Gathering of the Descendants – Old Courthouse Museum, Confederate Marker Dedication. Click here to register.
2pm	Mass Grave Memorial Roll Call at Shady Grove Cemetery
7pm	Grand Ball at Dr. Kitchens’ Farm at Mill Creek
Sunday, September 2, 2012
9 am	Camp opens to public
10am - 11am	Non-denominational Church Services, Mail Call
2pm	Re-enactment of the Battle of Iuka

Constitution 101

“Constitution 101: The Meaning and 

History of the Constitution” 

is a 10-week online course presented by Hillsdale College.

Featuring an expanded format from the “Introduction to the Constitution” lecture series with Hillsdale College President Dr. Larry Arnn, Constitution 101 follows closely the one-semester course required of all Hillsdale College undergraduate students.

In this course, you can:

• watch lectures from the same Hillsdale faculty who teach on campus;
• study the same readings taught in the College course;
• submit questions for weekly Q&A sessions with the faculty;
• access a course study guide;
• test your knowledge through weekly quizzes; and
• upon completion of the course, receive a certificate from Hillsdale College.

You must register in order to participate in Constitution 101. Even if you have already signed up for a previous Hillsdale webcast or seminar, we ask that you complete the simple registration process for Constitution 101. There is no cost to register for this course, but we ask that you consider a donation to support our efforts to educate millions of Americans about our nation’s Founding documents and principles.

Questions? Email constitution@hillsdale.edu.

High School Constitution Course Content

1. The American Mind
2. The Declaration of Independence
3. The Problem of Majority Tyranny
4. Separation of Powers:  Preventing Tyranny
5. Separation of Powers:  Ensuring Good Government
6. Religion, Morality, and Property
7. Crisis of Constitutional Government
8. Abraham Lincoln and the Constitution
9. The Progressive Rejection of the Founding
10.  The Recovery of the Constitution

Presidents vs Aliens App

Presidents vs. Aliens makes learning about the presidents fun! As you learn presidential facts, quotes, nicknames and historical events, you can use your knowledge to help the presidents defeat the aliens. Fling the presidents at the aliens to knock them all down. Use the many special objects and "Executive Powers" to increase the fun!

You earn a random president for every successfully completed level. All of your presidents appear on your own personalized screen. Try to collect all 44! As you earn more presidents, you begin to unlock the free bonus games: Heads of State! and Executive Order! Three games in one!

CONTROL YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE: You can select which types of questions are asked. Younger kids can start by just focusing on identifying the presidents. Older kids and adults can delve deeper into historical events and presidential facts.

LEARN BEFORE YOU PLAY: Presidents vs. Aliens provides 44 informative president flash cards. Use them to brush up on your presidential knowledge before you play or as a handy reference tool.


HAVE FUN LEARNING ALL ABOUT THE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES:
▸ Pictures
▸ Political Party
▸ Predecessors and Successors
▸ Nicknames
▸ Quotes
▸ General Facts
▸ Historical Events

FEATURES:
▸ Hundreds of unique questions
▸ 44 flash cards -- one for each president!
▸ Collect all 44 presidents and track your progress on personalized screen
▸ Earn FREE bonus games: Heads of State! and Executive Order!
▸ Works on both iPhone and iPad - a universal app
▸ Create up to five player profiles
▸ Choose any of the presidents as your avatar
▸ High resolution pictures of famous presidential landmarks
▸ All games are powered by a realistic physics engine
▸ Fun sound effects and music
▸ iPhone 4 Retina Display support

THREE GAMES IN ONE:

PRESIDENTS VS. ALIENS: Fling the presidents at the aliens. Try to knock them all down.

HEADS OF STATE: Presidents are floating in space! Tap the correct ones before you get three strikes.

EXECUTIVE ORDER: Drag and drop the presidents to arrange them in the correct order.



Available On/Price: Universal iPod/iPhone/iPad $0.99,

"This Day in History" iPad App

This Day in History iPad FREE App

I am a sucker for reading anything that says "this day in history".   I never realized I was such a history fan until I became an adult.    Maybe there is hope for my boys after all.

This Day in History for iPad is an interactive multimedia calendar that displays historical events for the current day or any selected day, along with related media such as photos, illustrations, music, and speeches. You can hear the national anthems of countries on the day they became a nation, listen to presidents’ speeches on the anniversaries of their inaugurations, and play sound clips from famous artists on their birthdays. 

Background text that appears for each event concentrates on interesting aspects that you might not know.  For example, did you know that Vermont was an independent republic for 14 years before becoming a state and that George Washington at one point considered sending troops to overthrow the Vermont government?  Each event also has at least one picture for every event, so you can experience the people and places making each day in history famous.  The journey begins here, each and every day.

August Jr Ranger Mission

If you are studying Mississippi history or love field trips to Vicksburg, you will love the new "Shape Up! Junior Ranger" program.    Each month they go on adventures through Vicksburg National Military Park and the community to shape up, explore the world around us, and learn a few things about history!  

The program's mascot is Old Abe, based off a Bald Eagle mascot of the 8th Wisconsin Infantry - a group of soldiers who fought here at Vicksburg over 150 years ago!  

Download your Shape Up, Junior Ranger Logbook here or pick up a Logbook at the Visitor Center desk!

Your mission for August 2012, should you choose to accept it....

The Great Cotton Caper!
Travel to the Heritage Garden (located on Pemberton Avenue near the surrender interview site, ask a Ranger for a map and directions!).

Your assignment question for August 2012 is:
(Write this question down in your logbook so you can take it with you!
There are many different kinds of cotton that exist. Your mission is to determine which types of cotton are growing here. Can you name the three kinds of cotton found in our Heritage Garden? (Hint: The cotton plants are located on the north end of the garden -- the end closest to the house on the western (or left) hand side of the path! If you look closely at the rows, the names of the different kinds of cotton planted in each can be found.... happy hunting!)

Extra Credit for Super Sleuths: What are three kinds of vegetables growing in the Heritage Garden? (Hint: You can find the names of many of the plants at the front of the rows, others you might know just by looking at them!)

Reading Like A Historian

With the start of school just around the corner, I am still scouring for curriculum that will enhance our study of US history.    I discovered that Stanford is offering free lessons plans that help students read history like a historian. 

The Reading Like a Historian curriculum engages students in historical inquiry. Each lesson revolves around a central historical question and features sets of primary documents modified for groups of students with diverse reading skills and abilities. This curriculum teaches students how to investigate historical questions employing reading strategies such as sourcing, contextualizing, corroborating, and close reading. Instead of memorizing historical facts, students evaluate the trustworthiness of multiple  perspectives on issues from King Philip's War to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and  make historical claims backed by documentary evidence.



Since the lessons are designed to supplement what is already being taught, this will be a great addition to our history plan!  

Units Include...

1. Colonial
2. Revolution and Early America
3. Expansion/Slavery
4. Civil War and Reconstruction
5. The Gilded Age
6.  American Imperialism
7. Progressivism
8. World War I and the 1920s
9. New Deal and World War II
10. Cold War
11. Cold War Culture/Civil Rights

Visit the "Reading Like A Historian" website by Clicking Here.

National Archives Experience

It was exciting to discover the National Archives Experience.   The National Archives is located in Washington, D.C. on Constitution Avenue, but for those of us who are not close enough to visit on a regular visit, they have created The National Archives Experience.  It is an amazing online tool that students can use to create posters and videos. The National Archives Digital Vault creation tools allow students to drag and drop digital artifacts into a poster or video. The National Archives provides images, documents, and audio in an easy to use editor. When making a poster students can combine multiple images, change background colors, and create captions to make collages of digital artifacts.

 In addition to creating posters, students can create videos.   You simply drag your images onto the editing templates, type captions, create image duration of play and select audio tracks. 

American Revolution Center/Timeline

We are studying US History this year so this is an amazing find for us.   It is an interactive site created by the American Revolution Center. Here is a description of the center straight from their about page:

The American Revolution Center will establish the first national museum to commemorate the entire story of the American Revolution and its enduring legacy. The museum will display its distinguished collection of objects, artifacts, and manuscripts from the American Revolution era and will offer programming, lectures, symposia, and interactive learning for teachers, students, and the general public.

The highlight of the site is the interactive timeline for the American Revolution.  

 You will see a highlight of significant dates. There are also artifacts as images. If you click on an artifact it will enlarge. In some cases there are links to video and or audio podcasts about the artifact or event.

 This is an excellent site to pull up on an interactive whiteboard. You can use it to introduce the American Revolution or as a review.  The site also includes quizzes and lesson plans.