Historic Inauguration Day

Tuesday, January 20, 2009, will be an historic day. Not only will our nation see the inauguration of a new president, we’ll see the inauguration of our first black president. The crowds in Washington are expected to be overwhelming. You can’t take your students there to see it in person. So CET will bring it all to your classroom.

Beginning at 11am, Jim Lehrer anchors PBS’ inauguration coverage, which includes political analysis and historical context. PBS plans to include coverage of Barack Obama’s arrival at the White House, excerpts of the church service and Obama’s speech to the nation from the Capitol steps. Coverage will continue until 2pm.

On the night of Barack Obama's historic inauguration, FRONTLINE will examine the personal and political biography of the 44th president of the United States. “Dreams of Obama” will air from 9-10 pm. Visit the FRONTLINE website for more information

Later that night, Tavis Smiley will look back at Barack Obama's six appearances on the show, dating back to his days as a little-known Illinois state senator. Also featured will be Obama’s appearance on the day after his speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. In addition to this archival material, TAVIS SMILEY will air excerpts of the inaugural address.

Other programming will air on CET in the days before and after Obama’s inauguration. Check our TV Schedule for more information.

For those who get their news and entertainment online, the Online NewsHour will produce an inauguration page that includes live, streaming video of PBS and THE NEWSHOUR’s inauguration coverage.

- Diane

Looking for Lincoln # 3

As promised in an earlier blog, here is more information about the National Lincoln Teach-In, which is scheduled for Thursday, February 12, at 1:30 pm from the National Archives in Washington, DC and features Lincoln scholars Matthew Pinsker and Harold Holzer. Teachers and students nationwide can tune in to view this FREE LIVE webcast online. The program is recommended for middle through high school, and the website has study guides to use before or after the webcast. Register now for this FREE event.

Here’s another Lincoln resource I’ve come across. The website My Hero.com has a resource-rich page devoted to the Lincoln Bicentennial.

Bottom line, with all the available resources, teachers would have to struggle to come up with a valid excuse NOT to do something for this Lincoln Bicentennial! Resistance is futile!

- Karen