In formulating the Nuremberg racial laws, Hitler looked to the United States as a model. In September 1933, Hitler ordered a memorandum from Prussia Ministry of the Interior directing German political and legal minds to wrestle with the self-imposed “Jewish Question.” The memo demanded criminalization of racially mixed marriages and specifically cited the American experience as the world leader in white supremacist legislation. Nazis began researching American race laws and discovered that immigration, naturalization, and marriage laws could be useful in crafting what became the infamous Nuremberg Laws. Jim Crow Laws, the eugenics movement, the rise of the KKK and even Hollywood’s hit films demonstrate U.S. embrace of both implicit and explicit rasicm. By highlighting examples of how leadership has the potential to enhance democratic values, we explore how to utilize this history to promote competencies for democratic citizenship.

The sites on Boston's Freedom Trail were chosen primarily for their connection with the American Revolution, but they were also involved in parts of our New England story that preceded and followed the Revolution. We'll focus on just two of the Freedom Trail's sites, Faneuil Hall and King's Chapel. We'll explore the stories of five people associated with them: Peter Faneuil, Samuel Adams, Lucy Stone, Thomas Hutchinson, and Isaac Royall. Not all these people are well known today, and not all are heroes. However, each one represents an important facet of New England history, including slavery, the American Revolution (from both a patriot and a loyalist perspective) and the women's suffrage movement. This is an opportunity to better understand those big topics by exploring the stories of some fascinating individuals.

We'll explore two more sites on Boston's Freedom Trail: the Old State House and the Old South Meeting House. The Old State House is famous for its role in the aftermath of the Boston Massacre, and the Old South Meeting House is well known as the place where angry protesters gathered to carry out the Boston Tea Party. However, there are many more stories associated with these sites. We'll look at the fascinating stories of the buildings themselves, and then explore the stories of people associated with them. They include: James Otis, Jr., a brilliant orator who led opposition to British policies while battling mental illness; Dr. Joseph Warren, a very influential patriot leader who tragically was killed at the battle of Bunker Hill; and Phillis Wheatley, a slave who became the first published African American poet. It is not necessary to take Freedom Trail Stories Part 1 before taking this course, since the two courses focus on different sites and different people.