In honor of Thanksgiving, a bit of Civil War-era American history.

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward, Secretary of State

The SPSA preliminary program was recently released and we’re psyched to learn about so many of the sessions — especially those that relate to new approaches to teaching, learning, and assessment.

A few of the highlights:

William J. Miller of Ohio University’s paper in the “Teaching American Politics” panel is titled “¡Politics: Talking Government with the American Idol Generation.” It examines “the benefits and costs of millennial technology on politics for young citizens.” Miller is followed by Elizabeth S. Smith of Furman University. The show starts on Saturday, 3 – 4:30pm in Dunwoody C.

A session titled “New Approaches to Deep Learning” is being held Friday from 8 – 9:30am in Ravinia F. Bobbi Gentry of CUNY’s Graduate Center is presenting, along with Jeffrey L. Bernstein of Eastern Michigan University and Andrew Steinfeldt of Idaho State University. Gentry and Bernstein are discussing methods for improving student writing, while Steinfeldt is examining the Jewish hevruta method.

“Assessing Student Learning” sounds intriguing. Niall Michelsen of Western Carolina University is presenting a paper on the value of linking student work from previous semesters with work being done by current semester students. The idea is to demonstrate the advantages of “building a cumulative body of work.” Michelsen’s fellow presenters are David Ronald Foley of Salem College and Gizachew Tiruneh of the University of Central Arkansas. You can catch these presenters Friday at 11:30 – 1pm, in Ravinia F.

Soomo will be involved in a presentation headed up by none other than Tressa Tabares of American River College. Tressa and David Lindrum will be presenting a workshop titled, “The Promise, Peril and Practicalities of Using the Web in Your Course: Specific Implementation Strategies.”  Our gig takes place on Friday in Ravinia A, and the curtain goes up at 11:30 am.

We look forward to seeing everyone in Atlanta!

Miguel Centellas has received shout-outs from Soomo before (see here and here…and here) but now that he’s posting assignments and teaching ideas actively to his tumblr feed, you should really just take the time to check things out for yourself.

Tressa E. Tabares at American River College sent Soomo a heads up this morning that Next 10 and The Concord Coalition have unveiled a new online Federal Budget simulation that allows students to work towards a balanced federal budget.

From the press release:

Deficit warriors The Concord Coalition, a national group, and Next 10, a California group, are offering a new do-it-yourself on-line tool to balance the federal budget.

Called the Federal Budget Challenge (www.federalbudgetchallenge.org), the Web site leads users through a series of policy choices ranging from health care to national defense to tax deductions. At each step along the way, a graph displays how their choices impact federal budget deficits over the next 10 years. Users can opt to receive a detailed explanation of each choice that offers arguments for and against each option.

I’ve spoken with a number of instructors who have used Concord’s “Principles and Priorities” simulation with their classes. Send along your experiences using the online version when you have a chance. Is it easier, more difficult, or a draw to engage students and keep their attention focused with an online version? Does moving the simulation online save you time and preparation?

Meanwhile, if you teach in the Golden State or just want to give your students a sense of the trade-offs inherent in balancing a state budget, don’t miss the California Budget Challenge. Thanks for the sharing this information, Tressa!

Thanks, again, to those of you who participated in today’s webinar discussing ways to use the web to teach. As promised, here are the links Professor Tressa Tabares of American River College uses in her class and discussed today:

Federalist 10
from Americanaphonic in which students can listen to the Federalist papers (ipod ready) as well as read them.

Dynamic Legislative Process
from the Center on Congress at Indiana University. One of many flash pieces they offer, this one focused on comparing textbook legislative process to how it actually works.

Conversation with Breyer and Scalia
Remarkable for its civility amidst dissent, this 37 minute conversation is one of many from  Annenberg’s remarkable Sunnylands Classroom.

[Tressa also shared a Cengage simulation which is provided by Cengage to those adopting a Cengage text or using Americans Governing in conjunction with a Cengage text.]

Many thanks to Tressa for sharing the fruit of her many experiments in using the web in face-to-face and online courses. Thanks!

For more great, ready-to-use links for teaching political science, subscribe to this blog or check out the rich web resources available from Soomo Publishing including:

• Americans Governing
• Comparing Governments
• Between Nations (for IR)

If you have links to share, add to this post in the comments, or contact us: info@soomopublishing.com

Soomo’s crack video production team has been hard at work on the first installment of a three-part documentary series for Americans Governing devoted to  health care reform. If you only have time to view a 3-minute trailer, click here. Want to view the entire segment, which examines the battle over health care reform and considers whether access is a right or a privilege? Then click here.