Improbable Voices
A History of the World Since 1450 Seen From 26 Unusual Perspectives
Improbable Voices
A History of the World Since 1450 Seen From 26 Unusual Perspectives
This uniquely told world history interweaves the lives of twenty-six women and men who are not well known with the major political, economic, social, and cultural developments that have shaped the human experience through the course of the last 570 years. Meticulously researched and hailed by scholars, yet purposefully written for a broad audience, this book details the lives of doctors and musicians, aristocrats and artists, businessmen and suffragettes, scientists and generals who made essential, but now largely forgotten contributions to places and eras as diverse as Reformation Europe, Mughal India, Tokugawa Japan, colonial Australia, and post-colonial Kenya. Improbable Voices possesses both the vivid depth and the expansive breadth a satisfying history of the world warrants.
Derek Dwight Anderson is an independent high school history teacher and librarian with 35 years of teaching experience. He is also a dedicated world traveler who loves museums, large and small. Improbable Voices is Anderson's first book and represents the cumulative integration of his professional and personal interests.
Anderson holds a B.A. from Bates College and a Master of Library and Information Science from San José State University. He also studied at the University of Edinburgh. Currently a senior full time faculty member at Marin Academy in San Rafael, California, Anderson lives with his partner in Sausalito. He is currently teaching an interdisciplinary world history course that integrates history, art history, and studio art.
In the deeply divided Weimar Republic, the Communists and the Nazis were usually bitter enemies. (There were a few times when their political interests coincided, such as during the Berlin transit strike in 1932.) During an election campaign in January 1931, Ulbricht and Goebbels shared a stage as part of a planned debate. Ulbricht spoke first and, although never considered a dynamic speaker, proved able to inspire his supporters . At the end of Ulbricht's remarks, the Communists began singing The Internationale so loudly that Goebbels' speech could not be heard. This angered the Nazis, who began fighting the Communists. In resulting brawl was eventually broken up by the police, but only after many injuries.
According to the Fourteenth Amendment, "No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." Writing for a 7-2 majority, Justice Harry Blackmun held that Americans had a fundamental right to privacy; consequently, abortion was legal. Blackmun also ruled, however, that national needs had to also be considered. In this specific case, it meant that women could legally obtain an abortion on demand in the first trimester, but that state governments could imposed some regulations in the second trimester and additional restrictions in the third trimester. Here is the transcript of the oral arguments made in the court and here is Blackmun's majority decision, beginning on the document's page 116.
There are many today who believe that the Supreme Court will overturn Roe v Wade, thanks to the appointment by Donald Trump of three conservative justices.
How might Improbable Voices be used in a class or book group? For each chapter, please see various ways Improbable Voices might be used as a primary or supplemental text for a modern world history class or as a selection for a regular book group. There are discussion questions, writing prompts, project ideas, links to recent scholarship and more.
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