THF PROMOTES TEXAS HISTORY EDUCATION WITH RECENT GRANT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 08.24.2021
Free Texas History Video for 7th Graders Supported by THF Grant
Houston-based nonprofit Night Heron Media has announced the release of the third video in its Texas History Initiative. The third episode is titled Commerce in Austin’s Colony and is accessible through the Night Heron website at https://www.nightherontexas.org/texas-history-initiative.html or on their YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6AfIDlFvX0. A grant from the Texas Historical Foundation helped partially fund the educational film.
Stephen F. Austin’s Colony was located on the sparsely populated frontier of northeastern Mexico in the 1820s and early 1830s, but when it came to commerce and trade, the settlers he brought there were much better connected to the outside world than many think.
The Texas History Initiative is a new program that creates compelling resources for 7th grade history teachers in Texas to address their curriculum in a manner that engages its young audience.
The project will build a series of modules, called Slices of Texas History, that revolve around a specific time and place. Each segment will eventually include a book and a grouping of related short films. However, NHM has chosen to begin with the video portion in order to positively impact Texas classrooms as soon as possible. Any history teacher or school district social sciences coordinator in the state can download the videos free of charge.
The first release was Mission Indians, and it is available online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I-rMdTjfUc . Episode 2 is Life of the Enslaved at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYhEGZJRVe0. Other topics in the works for THI Season 1 will include videos about Texas cattle drives, the impact of the Mexican Revolution on South Texas, and the sit-ins of the Civil Rights Era.
Texas Historical Foundation President Michael Marchant said, “THF understands the importance of starting history education early in order to ensure that Texas students understand and appreciate their past. Education is an important part of THF’s mission, so we are proud to be a partner in a project that facilitates learning and provides an important resource to the state’s teachers.”
For more information, visit www.nightheronmedia.org.
