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      6 - 8    9 - 12    13+    Social Studies/History  This album will be a collection of primary sources centered around the primary symbol of the Cold War, the Berlin Wall, it is tended to be used by students in grades 6-12 participating in the National History Day contest, as well as for undergraduate History majors interested in the beginning steps of historical research.  Among the topics to be addressed would be, how was the Berlin Wall constructed in 1961, what effect did it have on both sides of the city of Berlin, of Germany, and of Europe, and how was the wall brought down in 1989?

    Photo of the Berlin Wall From West Berlin 1986

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    The topic of the Berlin Wall is an excellent choice for a TPS album and timely for our own day. The Library of Congress has many valuable teaching resources including these possible suggestions for your album:
    • The Day of Denial 
      The film depicts the August 1961 travel ban between East and West Berlin and shows the building of barricades that would eventually become the Berlin Wall.
    • The Fall of the Berlin Wall & the Future of Democracy
      Upon the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Hope M. Harrison and Constanze Stelzenmuller discuss in a webcast with John Haskell the historic event and its effect on the world and the future of democracy
    • The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall
      4 Corners of the World Blog post by David Morris November 1, 2019

    Thank you!  I will definitely incorporate all of them into this album!

    Sean, our TPS partner at UNC has created a Visual Guide to the Cold War.  This section on the Berlin Wall may have some sources you can add to your album.  Many are from the LOC.gov Herblock collection that is not in the public domain.  However the UNC Cold War project received permission in 2024 to re-publish on their own website for 10 years.  It is really a gift to educators.

    Edited

    This is such an important topic  Sean Brennan! When I saw your album I also got curious and went for a search myself in the Library of Congress.  I often spend time in Prints and Photos and I found a link there to a collection of Toni Frissell on the Berlin Wall. Unfortunately those were not digitized yet.  Frissell is one of my favorite photographers so I used the Ask a Librarian feature to find out where I might find some photos of hers at the Wall that were available online.   Kristi Finefield  of Prints and photos sent me links to two so I’ll include them here for you if you want to use them.

    The one with the Cross is very powerful and I didn’t realize the significance and story behind the Crosses at the wall - another aspect of the story for students to explore.

    I also thought of looking in Chronicling America and here is the list I found: https://www.loc.gov/newspapers/?q=berlin+wall

    When we have a personal connection to history there is increased interest and I vividly remember when the Berlin Wall fell. At the time, I was teaching U.S. History, and one of my students was an exchange student from Germany. Naturally, he was thrilled by the event, and he brought a German newspaper to class that his family had sent, with headlines covering the historic moment. I still have that newspaper (in German!). Perhaps that’s why I’m so intrigued by the lesson and story you’re creating. So thank you for working on this topic.

    Cheryl,

    You have shared some amazing sources.  Thanks for letting us know how the Ask A Librarian feature at the Library worked for you.  And your story about the German Exchange Student bringing a German newspaper into class is a priceless example of connecting to primary sources.  I imagine you have other stories to share about  having an exchange student in a US. History class and the international perspective he brought to your discussions.

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