Take a Look at a Sample Class

Every Monday your student will log in to see the assignment for the week. Professor Esters provides a video and specific readings from the Oh Freedom! High School curriculum in order to for your high schooler to prepare for the discussion time.

Discussion sessions are one hour and offered via Zoom. This is an opportunity to engage with peers about the themes the Oh Freedom! High School curriculum.

Hi Everyone!

I've been thinking about how to begin our conversation for this upcoming discussion, where we will begin to talk a little bit more about the country that America is at its formation and how slavery plays into that equation. But even before we talk about slavery, and even before we talk about the economic consequences of building a new nation, we really need to talk about war. A lot of times, American journalists don’t talk about U.S. military conflicts in other places of the world besides the Middle East. Because of this, we really need to have a better understanding of America's ideology around warfare. 

When we think about the beginning of America and war, we tend to think about the Revolutionary War, which is considered the means by which Americans achieved their freedom. That's part of the narrative, the theme.  But how applicable is that theme in other cases of American warfare?  Are there other instances of American warfare where that theme doesn't always play out? And are there other themes or other motivations to American warfare that come out in history when we study? 

How to prepare for discussion:
Read: Any portions of Chapters 5-8 of Young People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn
Chapter 4: Bloody Footprints of Indigenous Peoples History 
Chapter 3: A Different Adam in Stamped
Research:  
America's current relationship with Afghanistan. 

America's current relationship with Haiti.