Peace & War

This month we bring you a sampling of the many Web sites dealing with war and peace. From ancient warfare to modern peacekeeping, your students are sure to find something useful.

Quick Links:  Peace | Military History | Wars (Listed Chronologically) | Helping Children Cope During Times of War and Crisis

Peace

Peace Jam is an international education program built around leading Nobel Peace Laureates who work personally with youth to pass on the spirit, skills, and wisdom they embody. The Web site includes curricula with 10 Nobel Laureates, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama and Aung San Suu Kyi.

The United States Institute of Peace is an independent, nonpartisan federal institution created by Congress to promote the prevention, management, and peaceful resolution of international conflicts. The Education section includes topics such as Advancing Peace Education in Afghanistan, Defining Peace: USIP Online Glossary and more.

The United Nations Cyberschoolbus has a set of materials on Peace Education for teachers. It includes a curriculum with lessons for students aged 8-12, 11-16, and 14 and over.

Nobel Peace Prize laureates from 1901 to the present are available from the Nobel e-Museum.

Documents of the Interwar Period, from Professor Vincent Ferraro, provides primary source documents about formation of the League of Nations, including U.S. President Woodrow Wilson’s speech in support of the League, the U.S. Senate’s debate on the treaty in 1919, and articles by author H.G. Wells in the Atlantic Monthly.

About the United Nations features a history of the international organization, documents such as the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and a virtual tour of UN facilities in New York and Geneva.

Teachers' Corner from the UN High Commission for Refugees features lesson plans, posters, videos and other resources to help students understand the plight of refugees.

The Peace and Security section of the United Nations Web site provides many resources, including topics such as disarmament, the Mideast Roadmap, Iraq, Cyprus and more. United Nations Peacekeeping Operations features information about current UN peacekeeping missions, as well as a history of the peacekeeping function of the UN. The Peace and Security Photo Gallery presents pictures taken by peacekeepers. Fifty Years of UN Peacekeeping is a teaching module for grades 4-11 on peacekeeping from the UN CyberSchoolbus. The interactive forum is no longer active, but students may read comments that have posted by students from around the world.

Briefing Papers for Students from the United Nations provide information about current world issue and the UN's involvement. Each paper includes background informaion, activities for students and additional resources. Topics include disarmament, human rights, international law, peacekeeping, preventing conflicts, and more.

Towards a Culture of Peace is a UNESCO program that aims to advance global peace. Visitors to the site may sign the international Manifesto 2000 for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence, written by a group of Nobel Peace Prize laureates.

The NATO Home Page provides the history of this international organization, as well as information on NATO activities around the world.

The Hiroshima Peace Site includes sections on the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the history and current status of nuclear weapons, and efforts to create peace.

The Nagatsuka Elementary School sponsored the Kids 1000 Cranes Project. Students from around the world were invited to fold origami cranes to send to students in Japan to be offered at Sadako's statue in Hiroshima's Peace Park

Radical Times: The Antiwar Movement of the 1960s chronicles the events surrounding the peace movement of the 1960s in the United States. This student-created site covers the Vietnam War, the counterculture movement, campus unrest, and other topics.

The Carter Center seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and improve health. This Web site offers descriptions of many of the center's peace programs, such as conflict resolution, democracy, and election monitoring.

The M. K. Gandhi Institute Web site aims to promote and apply the principles of nonviolence locally, nationally, and globally. It includes a biography of Mahatma Gandhi and his peace prayers from different religions.

One-Day Foundation is a UN-sponsored group of young people interested in promoting peace. This Web site includes information on how to get involved in this peace movement and contains many links to peace-related organizations.

War and Peace: Resources on Iraq from the Librarian's Index to the Internet.

The Center for Non-Proliferation Studies Web site provides educational resources including WMD 411, a primer about nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, missiles, and missile defense. The primer is a joint effort of the Center for Non-Proliferation Studies and the Nuclear Threat Initiative.

The Nuclear Threat Initiative Web site provides profiles and short overviews of 25 countries' nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and missile development programs, policies and activities.

Military History

American Defenders of Land, Sea and Sky from the National Park Service takes students on a 200 year trip through U.S. military history beginning with the first shots of the American Revolution, through the War of 1812, the Struggle for Western Territory, the Civil War, Spanish-American War, two World Wars, and into the Cold War. Brief descriptions and drawings highlight key events based on National Historics sites and landmarks.

Documents in Military History, from Hillsdale College, provides primary source documents for military history, from ancient history through the 19th century. The collection is focused primarily on European military history.

African American Freedom Fighters: Soldiers for Liberty summarizes the role of African-Americans throughout U.S. military history and features biographies of several notable African-Americans.

Women in the Military provides a brief history of women’s contributions to military events throughout history, with an extensive section on American women in the military.

This is My War Too: Women in the Military presents information on the Women's Army Corps (WAC) with photographs and posters from the Wisconsin Veteran's Museum.

Wars and Conflicts of the U.S Navy from the U.S. Navy Historical Center, gives information on Naval history from the American Revolution through Desert Shield-Desert Storm.

Wars (Listed Chronologically)

Fort Necessity National Battlefield was the site of the first battle of the French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years War. This site from the National Park Service offers a history of the events of 1754 that preceded the American Revolutionary War.

Virtual Marching Tour of the American Revolution, from the Independence Hall Association, offers an overview of the people, places, and events of the American Revolutionary War.

The Oneidas and the Birth of the American Nation, from the Oneida Nation in New York, explains the alliance between the Oneidas and the young United States during the Revolutionary War.

Revolutionary War Battles from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute Military Science Department offers histories of the battles of Lexington and Concord, Breed’s Hill/Bunker Hill, Saratoga, and Monmouth.

American Revolution from The History Place presents an interactive timeline of the events leading up to U.S. Independence.

Historic Valley Forge from the Independence Hall Association describes the events that took place in this famous spot in 1777 and 1778. The site includes information about those who served at Valley Forge and an extensive biography of George Washington.

Ninety-six National Historic Site presents the history of the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution.

Fort Scott National Historic Site narrates the history of U.S. expansion from 1842-1853, including the Indian Wars, the Mexican War, and the American Civil War.

New Perspectives on the West focuses on American expansion in western North America. The site from PBS provides information on U.S. wars with the Plains Indians, including chronologies and biographies of individuals such as Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, and General Custer.

The U.S.-Mexican War Web site provides a visual timeline of the war and a discussion area, along with information about the PBS documentary it supports.

Key Events of the Mexican American War provides a brief chronology of the war from November 1845 through February 1848.

The Wounded Knee Massacre describes the events of December 1890 that signaled the end of the Indian Wars in the U.S.

Wisconsin in the Civil War from the Wisconsin Historical Society provides stories of soldiers and others during the Civil war, including many historic photographs.

A Nation Divided from the History Place revolves around an interactive chronology of the American Civil War with photographs of many key figures.

Civil War Related Sites in the National Park Service includes links to over 25 parks and memorials. Each site provides historical information about significant battles, events, and people.

Africans in America: The Civil War provides information and historical documents about African-American involvement in the Civil War.

The Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the American Civil War is a hypermedia archive of thousands of primary sources for the periods before, during, and after the American Civil War. Secondary students can use the available newspapers, letters, diaries, photographs, maps, and more to explore every dimension of the conflict and write their own histories.

Civil War and the 19th Century takes visitors on a guided tour of the war through stories of the citizen-soldiers Wisconsin. This illustrated audio presentation from the Wisconsin Veteran's Museum is narrated by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Stephen Ambrose with the voice of Gregory Peck presenting excerpts from the letters, diaries and other eye-witness accounts of Wisconsin soldiers.

Symbols of Battle: Civil War Flags from the National Park Service exhibits and describes the meaning of many flags that were flown at Civil War battle sites. Civil War Battle Flags from the Old State House Museum in Arkansas also provides photographs of flags.

The National Park Service exhibit Camp Life: Civil War Collections from Gettysburg National Military Park provides a glimpse of what everyday life was like for soldiers.

The Monitor Center presents an interactive story of the history of the USS Monitor, which was lost at sea during the Civil War. It includes information on the building of the Ironclads as well as life aboard. The site is from the Mariners' Museum and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration.

Photographs from the Civil War are also available from:

• National Archives and Records Administration
• Library of Congress
• Civil War @ Smithsonian

World War I Remembered from the BBC presents a multimedia look at “The Great War.” The site includes a history of the war, maps, excerpts from letters from soldiers, and audio and video clips.

The Great War: Interactive Timeline from PBS features a timeline of events during World War I. Transcripts of interviews with historians about many of the events on the timeline are included.

American Leaders Speak: Recordings from World War I and the 1920 Election provides 59 recordings from speakers such as Presidents Harding, Coolidge, Roosevelt, and others. These recordings from the Library of Congress may be searched by topic or by speaker.

Robert Lindsay McKay’s First World War Diary expresses the day-to-day reality of the war for one Scottish soldier during the war.

The WW I Document Archive supplies a host of primary source materials from World War I, including a library of war-related images including maps, photographs, and medals.

The In Flanders Fields Museum Web site provides a clickable timeline of the war, illustrated accounts of life at and behind the front, biographies of some people involved in the war and more. The site gives a view of what everyday life was like for people on and around this battlefield in Belgium.

Children of World War 2 from the BBC shows how the war touched the daily life of children in Great Britain. "A Wartime Home" allows users to explore a home by rolling their mouse over typical 1940's household items and wartime adaptations like blackout curtains. Other sections include letters from families whose children were evacuated from London, and a "rationing challenge" in which students try to shop for a meal using their ration book.

A People at War is an on-line exhibit from the National Archives and Records Administration. It highlights contributions of many individuals who took part World War II and includes stories and historical photographs.

Explore the British National Archives' Learning Curve WW II site with animated maps, audio, video and photographs.

World War II: The Homefront is a student-created Web site that includes a timeline and a simulation activity exploring what it was like for families on the home front during the war.

World War II Timeline from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum provides a detailed timeline covering the events of WWII with links to related articles and user posted comments.

Powers of Persuasion: Poster Art from World War II from the National Archives and Records Administration addresses the “propaganda war” the U.S. government waged to galvanize public support for the war.

The Normandy Invasion from the U.S. Center of Military History provides a very detailed history of the invasion. This site also offers many historical photographs, as well as stories of all of the Medal of Honor recipients from this campaign.

Normandy: 1944 from Encyclopedia Brittanica presents a multimedia look at the Normandy invasion.

World War II Virtual Museum from the National Park Services’ American Memorial Park presents historical information, photographs, and video selections related to the war in the Pacific.

Guts and Glory from The American Experience offers information about the people and events surrounding D-Day. The site also includes a timeline of WW II major events.

The USS Arizona Memorial Web site from the National Park Service explains the December 7, 1941, events at Pearl harbor.

National Geographic's Remembering Pearl Harbor Web site provides a compelling multimedia look at the events and people surrounding the attack on Pearl Harbor. The "Attack Map" allows users to navigate through the event using an interactive timeline, maps, historic and audio narration. A World War II timeline and a table of U.S. and Japanese ships and planes are also featured.

Suffering Under a Great Injustice is a collection of Ansel Adams' photographs of Japanese-American internment at the Manzanar War Relocation Center in California.

Enigma and the Codebreakers from the Imperial War Museum in Britain presents an engaging look at the history and use of codes in wartime and explains how the German Enigma code was broken during the Second World War. The interactive exhibit is appropriate for elementary and middle school children.

Women Come to the Front from the Library of Congress relates the stories of female journalists, photographers, and broadcasters during World War II.

The Enola Gay Exhibit from the National Air and Space Museum features the B-29 bomber used in the atomic mission that destroyed Hiroshima. The site includes a timeline of events and 360-degree virtual panoramic views of the Enola Gay.

A Date Which Will Live in Infamy is a lesson based on Franklin Roosevelt's famous speech from the National Archives and Records Administration's "Teaching with Documents" project.

Remembering the Korean War from the U.S. Army Center of Military History provides maps, photographs, and detailed information on the Korean conflict from the U.S. point of view.

The Soviet Union and the United States exhibit from the Library of Congress relates the history of the Cold War and discusses some of the events and people involved.

The Wars for Vietnam: 1945 to 1975 describes the course of the conflict in Vietnam, including French and U.S. involvement. The site also supplies primary source documents, such as speeches, statements, and treaties.

Vietnam Online from PBS presents information on the Vietnam War, including a timeline, a “Who’s Who,” and detailed sections on the My Lai Massacre, the MIA issue, and the weapons used during the war.

The Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Home Page features information about this monument in Washington DC. This site includes a brief history of the war and an online exhibit of some of the many articles that have been left by visitors to the wall.

Teach Vietnam is a comprehensive resource on the Vietnam War from the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial fund. The site includes interactive timelines that allow students to explore different aspects of the war through primary source documents including newspaper articles, photographs and video. It features a complete teachers' guide titled Vietnam: Echoes from The Wall and links to the Virtual Wall.

The Gulf War, from Frontline, explores the war in the Persian Gulf through interviews with decision-makers involved in the crisis. The site also includes maps and a chronology of events.

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) provides information on the organization's work to help people affected by war. The site includes photographs from war-stricken areas, information on international humanitarian law, and studies the ICRC has done such as "Women and War" and "Children in War".

The September 11 Archive from The Internet Archive, the Library of Congress, and webarchivist.org aims to create a digital record of the Web coverage of the events of September 11th. The archive includes sites from languages other than English and from all points of view in order to allow users to analyse and compare for themselves.

Teaching 9-11 provides resources, sample lessons, syllabi and a discussion area for teachers who want to teach about the events and consequences of September 11th. This site from Dickinson College provides links to Web sites on issues such as terrorism, homeland security and diversity and tolerance, as well as lesson plans for grades K-5, 6-8 and 9-12.

PBS Frontline's The Invasion of Iraq features a chronology of "Operation Iraqui Freedom," interviews with journalists and military commanders, and analysis of lessons learned one year after the invasion. The site also includes a Teacher's Guide for grades 9-12 and an excerpt from the video program.

BBC's The Struggle for Iraq includes recent news about the situation in Iraq, as well as archived reports about the war.

Helping Children Cope During Times of War and Crisis

Talking with Kids About Terrorism or Acts of War from the NYU Child Study Center.

Coping in Unsettling Times from the National Association of School Psychologists.

Talking to Kids about Terrorism or Acts of War from the New York University Child Study Center.

Helping our Children Deal with War from the National Mental Health Association.

Understanding World Events from Educators for Social Responsibility.


Created 10/2005
Last updated 5/09/2011