Social Studies for Kids Update

Memorial Services Remember Titanic Victims April 15, 2012 People around the world spent some of their time on April 15, 2012 remembering the more than 1,500 people lost when the ocean liner Titanic a century ago. Titanic Discoverer Warns of Destruction April 15, 2012 Robert Ballard, whose team discovered the wreck of the Titanic a few decades ago, says that the aging ship is in danger of wholesale destruction because of a sharp increase in tourist attention. Egypt's Election Commission Disqualifies Main Contenders April 15, 2012 In a move that will immediately eliminate two potential front-runners, Egypt's election commission has nullified the presidential campaigns of 10 candidates, including Omar Suleiman, who was Vice-president and ran the intelligence service when Hosni Mubarak was President, and Khairat el-Shater, the recently announced Muslim Brotherhood candidate. Security Council Approves Monitoring Mission to Syria April 15, 2012 Syria is facing its first united U.N. resolution, after the Security Council voted unanimously to approve a mission of 30 unarmed observers to oversee a cease-fire between government troops and opposition forces. Either Russia or China or both had previously vetoed resolutions regarding Syria. Space Shuttles to Get Piggyback Ride to New Homes April 15, 2012 Two space shuttles will go back into space, just a bit, in the next week. Discovery and Enterprise will ride one last time atop a modified Boeing 747 to their final resting homes.
We Came Through Ellis Island This great little book is part of National Geographic's I Am American series. In this installment, young Emma Markowitz (who becomes Emma Marks when her family docks in America) explains her family's transition from the poor steppes of Russia to the poor tenements of New York's Lower East Side. As with other books in this series, this one illuminates with letters and diary entries, giving alternating tenors to a story that is told with one voice.	Lexington-Concord The two major skirmishes that signalled the beginning of the Revolutionary War took place on April 19, 1775. It began with the famous "Shot Heard 'Round the World" and ended with a lesson in the importance of having the high ground. The result was a small lesson that would turn into a larger refrain, that the British occupation of the Eastern Seaboard was about to find its days numbered.
Ancestors in the Americas This fantastic site shines a light on the tradition of Asians in America, focusing on genealogy, immigration, cultures, history-making endeavors, and much, much more. Areas of focus include Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and other Asian traditions. Discover links to historic events through court rulings, land ownership claims, and other important documents. Site doesn't shy away from dark days in the Asian-American experience, either: You can find links to instances of racial discrimination, including the Chinese Exclusion Act and the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.