Topics You Should Be Talking About In Your Social Studies Classroom

Notes from creators (Jim Mclain, Madeleine Gonsoir, and Taylor Hamblin):

We developed this list of topics that we felt were important to any social studies classroom in 2019-2020.  This list is comprised of issues that we felt were important to discuss in a classroom this upcoming school year. We will do our best to update the list as national and world events occur. If you feel like a topic is missing, please message the history forge team at

We encourage teachers to choose topics from this list in order to add relevancy to their classroom. Ask students what they think about these topics and get them to have discussions. 

Myths, Modern Arguments, and Recent Events That Will Engage Students

  1. Great Man History and Populist History (Historical philosophy)
  2. Is immigration a positive impact on American society or a social ill?
  3. 1493: The True Importance of Christopher Columbus
  4. Waves of Disease-Mass Death among pre-contact Natives-What is a genocide? (History used as a political tool)
  5. American History through Racial Perspective: Native Americans
  6. Nike and Betsy Ross Flag issue
  7. Pocahontas and John Smith (Relationship between Natives and Europeans)
  8. The $24 Myth
  9. The First Thanksgiving
  10. American Identity developed slowly and was non-existent in many places
  11. The “nobility” of American Patriots (Hero worshipping in American mythos)
  12. George Washington-An American God (Hero worshipping in American mythos)
  13. A Rabble in Arms-Early American military forces were mostly comprised of criminals, vagabonds, wanderers, and those forced into conscription (Hero worshipping in American mythos)
  14. Why the Civil War was fought (Modern argument)
  15. Abraham Lincoln’s thoughts on race, slavery, and African Americans
  16. Confederate Remembrance: Statues, Flag, and Hate Groups
  17. “Wounded Knee Massacre” and “Battle of Wounded Knee” (Differing perspectives)
  18. The Little Mermaid-Race Change
  19. Should American citizens be allowed to question politicians, even the President of the United States?