Featured Primary Source“Our Colored Heroes” is a color lithograph that illustrates the heroic fight waged by African American World War I soldiers, Sergeant Henry Johnson and Private Needham Roberts. On May 15, 1918, they were attacked on guard duty in a French sector by a vastly superior German raiding party. Though both Johnson and Roberts sustained numerous wounds, they prevailed in a struggle that ended up in the hand-to-hand combat conveyed in this print. These soldiers were cited for bravery and were the first Americans to receive the illustrious French Croix de Guerre, which is a military decoration of France. The Croix de Guerre may be awarded either as an individual award or as a unit award to those soldiers who distinguish themselves by acts of heroism involving combat with the enemy.
Henry Johnson and Needham Roberts were members of the 369th Infantry, which came to be known as the Harlem Hellfighters and one of the most well-known African American units of the war. The American military was segregated during World War I, with black soldiers prohibited from fighting alongside white soldiers. African American soldiers readily joined the military with the hope that their service would lead to better treatment at home. Once combat operations began for the 369th, they distinguished themselves by spending over six months in combat and becoming the first to reach the Rhine. Henry Johnson and Needham Roberts were the first Americans to receive the Croix de Guerre.
This source meets the 5.12 and US.26 Tennessee social studies standards.
For more primary sources about World War I, be sure to visit “Over Here, Over There: Tennessee During World War I” on our website.
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Battle for the Ballot: Statewide K-12 Student Competition
The Official Committee of the State of Tennessee Woman Suffrage Centennial and the Tennessee Department of Education, the Tennessee State Library and Archives, the Tennessee State Museum, and the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office are sponsoring a statewide competition for grades K-12 to help students engage and reflect upon the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment and Tennessee’s unique role in its ratification. There are competitions for K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and two competitions at the 9-12 level. Prizes for K-5 include an Apple iPad WiFi 32 GB for the top 3 winners in each category and the 6-12 grand prize winners will receive scholarship money in a TNSTARS 529 account. For more information, please see the informational flyer and send all inquiries to education@tnwoman100.com.
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National History Day
National History Day is a year-long curriculum enhancement program that engages students in grades 6-12 in the process of discovery and interpretation of historical topics. The 2020 competition theme is Breaking Barriers in History.
For complete information about National History Day, sponsored in Tennessee by the Tennessee Historical Society, go to the Tennessee History Day website.
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Battle for the Ballot: An Inquiry Based Workshop on Woman Suffrage in Tennessee
The Tennessee State Library and Archives joins the Tennessee State Museum and the Official Committee of the State of Tennessee Woman Suffrage Centennial for our 2019-2020 teacher workshop series. This series will focus on the story of the women’s suffrage movement and the important role that Tennessee played in the ratification of the 19th amendment.
Lunch, resources, and six professional development hours provided.
Workshop Time: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
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DocsBox Reservations Open for the 2019-2020 School Year
Our DocsBox program is in its third year and we currently have seven topics that span multiple grade levels. Each teaching DocsBox is $25 for shipping costs and is available to rent in two or three week periods.
Important for the 2019-2020 School Year
In honor of the centennial celebration of the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment, the Official Committee of the State of Tennessee Woman Suffrage Centennial secured funding from the Tennessee General Assembly for the creation of twenty additional Woman Suffrage DocsBoxes. All 22 Woman Suffrage DocsBoxes are available completely free of charge to teachers for the 2019-2020 school year. Reserve your DocsBox today!
Stay tuned for more topics, including review DocsBoxes coming in 2020!
To reserve your dates for our DocsBoxes, please visit our website.
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Tennessee Blue Book: A History of Tennessee- Student EditionA student-friendly history of Tennessee featuring primary sources from the State Library and Archives. Visit tnsoshistory.com for the complete list of chapters and student resources.
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This particular Thanksgiving dinner was held at Camp Jackson, SC. The fare included cigars and cigarettes, hot chocolate and coffee, apples and oranges, bread and butter, potatoes and peas, boiled ham, roast turkey and dressing, cranberry sauce, brown gravy, and oyster soup and crackers. At upper center is a spread-winged American eagle perched on a U.S. shield. An olive branch wreath complements it. Camp Jackson was built primarily for training infantrymen in 1917.
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