Pete Seeger
Profile.
Pete Seeger (1919-2014) was a folk singer, songwriter, and activist.
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Theme: Art & Music
Below are books and lessons for K-12 on art and music.
For teachers looking for posters and other artwork for their classrooms, check out People’s History Artists for the Classroom.
Sing Your Song: What Good is a Conscience If It Is Not Awakened
Film. Directed by Susanne Rostock. 2011. 104 minutes.
A biographical documentary that surveys the life and times of performer/activist Harry Belafonte.
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A biographical documentary that surveys the life and times of performer/activist Harry Belafonte.
Solidarity Forever
Song. By Ralph Chaplin. 1915.
One of the most popular labor songs.
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One of the most popular labor songs.
Stenciling Dissent: A Student Project Draws on the Language of the Streets
Teaching Activity. By Andrew Reed. Rethinking Schools. 5 pages.
Teaching activity connects students to history of art as a means of protest and gives them opportunity and skills to create their own stencil with a powerful message.
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Teaching activity connects students to history of art as a means of protest and gives them opportunity and skills to create their own stencil with a powerful message.
Sam Cooke: A Change is Gonna Come
Film clip. Voices of a People's History.
Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come" (1964), is performed by Allison Moorer.
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Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come" (1964), is performed by Allison Moorer.
Study History
Poster. By Ricardo Levins Morales. 11" x 15".
Beautiful illustration on the connection between history and our future.
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Beautiful illustration on the connection between history and our future.
Sun City – A Teaching Guide
Teaching Guide. By Bill Bigelow. 6 pages.
Lessons to accompany the 1985 video "Sun City" that promoted the cultural boycott of South Africa initiated by Little Steven van Zandt of Bruce Springsteen’s E St. Band.
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Lessons to accompany the 1985 video "Sun City" that promoted the cultural boycott of South Africa initiated by Little Steven van Zandt of Bruce Springsteen’s E St. Band.
Union Maid
Song. By Woody Guthrie. 1940.
A union song written by Woody Guthrie in response to a request for a union song from a female point of view.
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A union song written by Woody Guthrie in response to a request for a union song from a female point of view.
Aug. 11, 1973: Hip Hop Born
Hip hop’s origins began at a dance party where DJ Kool Herc used two turntables to create a “break beat.”
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Sept. 23, 1926: John Coltrane Born
John Coltrane was born. Also born #tdih: Mary Church Terrell (1863), Ray Charles (1930), and Bruce Springsteen (1949).
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July 4, 1940: Black World’s Fair Held in Chicago
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the ending of slavery in the United States, the Black World’s Fair, also known as the American Negro Exposition, was held at the Chicago Coliseum from July through September 1940.
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Bernice Johnson Reagon, ¡Presente!
Bernice Johnson Reagon (October 4, 1942 – July 16, 2024) was a song leader, composer, scholar, and activist.
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Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People
Book — Non-fiction. By Imani Perry. 2025. 256 pages.
A meditation on the color blue and its fascinating role in Black history and culture.
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A meditation on the color blue and its fascinating role in Black history and culture.
May 19, 1972: First Malcolm X Day Celebration in D.C.
In a personal essay about the longest-running, largest annual event to celebrate the legacy of Malcolm X, Charles Stephenson describes the celebration’s founding and impact of that day in history.
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1919
Book — Non-fiction. By Eve L. Ewing. 2019. 96 pages.
Poetic reflections on the Chicago Race Riots of 1919 — part of 'Red Summer' — in a history told through Ewing's speculative and Afrofuturist lenses.
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Poetic reflections on the Chicago Race Riots of 1919 — part of 'Red Summer' — in a history told through Ewing's speculative and Afrofuturist lenses.
Chocolate City: A History of Race and Democracy in the Nation’s Capital
Book — Non-fiction. By Chris Myers Asch and George Derek Musgrove. 2019. 624 pages.
Tells the tumultuous, four-century story of race and democracy in our nation’s capital.
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Tells the tumultuous, four-century story of race and democracy in our nation’s capital.
Americans Who Tell the Truth
Posters.
Portraits by Robert Shetterly and biographies of individuals who have taken a stand for justice.
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Jan. 2, 1962: NBC Bans Weavers for Refusal to Sign Loyalty Oath
The Weavers had their scheduled appearance on the NBC Jack Paar Show cancelled when they refused to sign an oath of political loyalty.
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Sept. 4, 1949: Concert in Peekskill Attacked
Benefit concert for the Civil Rights Congress with Paul Robeson was held in Peekskill, New York.
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The Great War: July 1, 1916: The First Day of the Battle of the Somme
Book — Non-fiction. By Joe Sacco. 2013. 54 pages.
Illustrated book depicting the horrific Battle of Somme, emblematic of a hideous war.
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Illustrated book depicting the horrific Battle of Somme, emblematic of a hideous war.
Strangers In Their Own Country: A Curriculum Guide on South Africa
Teaching Guide. By Bill Bigelow. 1985.
Lessons on apartheid in South Africa and the global anti-apartheid movement.
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Lessons on apartheid in South Africa and the global anti-apartheid movement.
Artists in Times of War
Book — Non-fiction. By Howard Zinn. 2004. 112 pages.
In this collection of four essays, Zinn writes about the unique role of artists, activists, and publishers in working toward change.
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In this collection of four essays, Zinn writes about the unique role of artists, activists, and publishers in working toward change.
The People v. the Hip-Hop Industry
Teaching Activity. By Jessica A. Rucker. 2021. Rethinking Schools.
A high school teacher and her students question “Who owns and controls hip-hop?” — and put the hip-hop industry on trial.
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A high school teacher and her students question “Who owns and controls hip-hop?” — and put the hip-hop industry on trial.
April 23, 1940: Rhythm Club Fire
Ranked by firefighters as the fourth deadliest club fire in the history of the country, 209 concert-goers perished in this night club fire in Natchez, Mississippi.
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“Semiquincentennial Blues” – Teaching the 250th Anniversary of the United States through Blues Poetry
Teaching Activity. By Jesse Hagopian. 2025. 19 pages.
A lesson for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. founding exploring the blues as both a cultural art form and a vehicle for political resistance.
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A lesson for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. founding exploring the blues as both a cultural art form and a vehicle for political resistance.