Social Studies for Kids

Find out more about the spooky holiday of Halloween!

The History of Halloween
Where does Halloween come from anyway? Where do Americans get those ideas about jack-o-lanterns and "trick-or-treating?

The Story of the Jack-O-Lantern
Who was Jack? Why did he have a lantern? Why are pumpkins carved with goofy faces? This fun articles tells you the story behind the story.

How the President Is Elected
Good step-by-step examination of the electoral process, from campaigns to the election

The History of the Presidential Election
EVERY election, from George Washington to the present. Which political parties have come and gone? Who has been elected more times than anybody else? Who were the "Know-Nothings"? All these and more are answered in this expansive yet easy-to-read article.

Women Candidates for President of the United States
Hillary Clinton, in 2016, became the first female presidential nominee of one of America's two major political parties. She was not, however, the first woman to run for President of the United States.

COLONIAL AMERICA

Patrick Henry: Voice of Freedom
Patrick Henry was one of the leading lights of the American Revolution, a voice that would not be silenced until Americans were free and could govern themselves.

Samuel Adams: Ringleader of the American Revolution
Described as a firebrand, a revolutionary, and a patriot, the young Adams was perhaps the most vocal of his generation to demand independence from Great Britain. He believed in the higher cause of independence, and he didn't often let laws that he thought unjust stand in his way.

Benjamin Franklin: America's Renaissance Man
Benjamin Franklin was one of the most famous people of his generation, his country, and his country’s history. He was as close as Colonial America came to having a Renaissance man.

John Hancock: The Money Behind the Revolution
John Hancock is perhaps best known for his very large signature on the Declaration of Independence. However, he was much more important to the American Revolution and the Revolutionary War as a businessman who had large sums of money at his disposal and used that money to support the American cause.

The Boston Tea Party
What caused Americans to get so upset about tea? Find out in this easy-to-read article.

IN DAYS GONE BY

Statue of Liberty Dedicated
The Statue of Liberty, symbol of freedom to the world, was dedicated in New York harbor on Oct. 28, 1886.

The Statue, many years in the making, was a gift from France and the brainchild of noted architect Auguste Bartholdi. The statue was built first in France, then dismantled and shipped to the U.S., where it was reassembled in time for the unveiling, to celebrate 110 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Find out more about this impressive landmark here.

Read a review of a great book on the Statue here.

The Gunfight at O.K. Corral
The Gunfight at O.K. Corral lasted all of 30 seconds. It was, however, a landmark event in the American West. The setting was Tombstone, a frontier town in the Arizona Territory, in 1881. (Arizona did not become a state until 1912.) The date was October 26. The participants were two sets of tight-knit characters, one acknowledgedly on the wrong side of the law and the other straddling the line between upholding the law and breaking it.

Panic in the Streets: War of the Worlds on the Radio
Can a radio program cause a mass panic? It certainly did in 1938, as a hoax put on by a group of theater performers drove thousands of people into the streets in terror.

Martin Luther and the 95 Theses
On October 31, 1517, a professor posted a request for an argument on a church door in a small German town. The result was a major religious transformation. The professor was Martin Luther. The request, a document that has come to be known as the 95 Theses, was Luther’s plea for a thorough discussion of the efficacy of Catholic Church doctrine and practice. The result was the Reformation.

ECONOMICS

(For a description of these fun, illustrated, easy-to-read articles, click here.)

Making a Budget
One thing that every good money manager does is make a budget. Find out why and how.

Why All the Graphics in Economics?
Economics needs so many graphs because it tracks trends and other numerical information that other subjects in the social studies don't, at least not nearly as often. Take the mystery and difficulty out of charts, tables, and graphs!

The Importance of Trade
Trade is vital to the success of a civilization. Why? The civilization that can produce just enough of everything it and its people need to survive is rare indeed. Can you think of an example, today or in the long history of people? Keep thinking ...

GEOGRAPHY

Basic Geography: The Equator and the Prime Meridian
The earth is a globe, of course, and can be divided into lots of lines called latitude and longitude. Latitude lines run north and south; longitude lines run east and west. The lines measure distances in degrees. But where do you start? Where is 0 degrees? This illustrated article answers those questions and more in a fun, easy-to-read way.

Latitude and Longitude
Latitude and Longitude help us identify the location of places on a globe. These links give you a better understanding of these important concepts.

Unforgiving Places
Deserts, mountains, wastelands—these are some of the planet's Unforgiving Places. Learn more about these lonely yet intriguing destinations.

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

The European Union

The European Union is an international economic and political organization comprising most of the countries of Europe. It dates to 1992 but had its origins in the wake of World War II. The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) began as an attempt to forestall yet another military conflict between France and Germany. French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman proposed a common market for coal and steel, an agreement that would unite those two countries (West Germany, since the post-World War II division) in an economic and political association aimed at cooperation and common benefit. It wasn't just France or West Germany onboard; also joining were Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. (All but Italy were already engaged in negotiations that would eventually create the Benelux Union.) The parliaments of all six nations voted in favor of creating and joining the ECSC and so it came into being, signed on April 18, 1951 and beginning operation on July 23, 1952. Eventually, 40 years later, the EU emerged.

The African Union
African Union emblem The African Union is a 55-member body that looks to address issues common to all African nations. Member states founded the African Union (AU) on May 26, 2001, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and its operations began the following year, on July 9, 2002, in Durban, South Africa. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was the first head of the African Union. The Ethiopian capital is the political center of the AU. Most of the body's important decisions are made as a result of a semi-annual meeting of the heads of state called the Assembly of the African Union, which meets once a year. A head of state from of the member states serves as the Chairperson of the AU for a year. The chairperson represents the AU at international meetings, including the G-8 and the G-20. The post rotates among the continent's five geographic regions: Central, Eastern, Northern, Southern, and Western.

The Gulf Cooperation Council
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a political organization that works to serve the collective interests of its six members: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The member nations founded the GCC in 1981, as a way to foster cooperation in economic, scientific, environmental, and social issues. The GCC has several political bodies. The Supreme Council is the highest decision-making body; the Council meets annually, and each member nation has one representative who has one vote. Presidency of the Council rotates annually. Substantive decisions of the Supreme Council must be unanimous; procedural matters can be approved by a majority. Foreign ministers make up the Ministerial Council, which meets every three months, and make policies and recommendations to the Ministerial Council. The GCC's executive branch, the Secretariat General, implements decisions made by the two Councils. The head of this apparatus is the Secretary-General, who serves a three-year term. Member nations have pursued collective economic efforts in recent years, forming a common market in 2008 and a monetary council the following year and then a customs union in 2015. A move to incorporate a common currency is ongoing.

THE HISTORY AND POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT OF AUSTRIA

The Development of Austria Before Habsburg Rule
Like many other areas of Europe, what is now Austria has a past that includes Celtic and Roman influences. Other pre-Habsburg rulers included the Holy Roman Empire and a handful of Babenbergs.

Leopold the
Illustrious

Leopold I: Margrave of Austria
Leopold the Illustrious (left) was the first Margrave of Austria and the progenitor of the Babenberg dynasty that ruled over Austria for many decades.

Henry I: Margrave of Austria
Henry I was the second Margrave of Austria. He ruled in the last part of the 10th Century and into the early 11th Century.

Adalbert: Margrave of Austria
Adalbert followed in his father's and brother's footsteps by extending the borders of the realm.

Ernest: Margrave of Austria
Ernest was the fourth Margrave of Austria. He ruled for two decades in the 11th Century and both fought against and lent support to the Holy Roman Empire.

Leopold II: Margrave of Austria
Leopold II was the fifth Margrave of Austria. He ruled for two decades in the late 11th Century and continued his father's struggle against the Holy Roman Empire.

Leopold III: Margrave of Austria
Leopold III was the sixth Margrave of Austria. He ruled for more than four decades in the late 11th Century and early 12th Century. He is also known for establishing a number of monasteries.

Leopold IV: Margrave of Austria
Leopold III was the seventh Margrave of Austria. He ruled for just a few years and had a relatively peaceful reign.

Henry II: Margrave of Austria, Duke of Austria
Henry II was the eighth and last Margrave of Austria and the first Duke of Austria. He ruled in that capacity for 15 years and then served as Duke of Austria for 21 years after that. He also fought in the Second Crusade.

Leopold V: Duke of Austria
Leopold V was the second Duke of Austria. He reigned for nearly two decades near the end of the 12th Century. He also fought in the Third Crusade and later kidnapped England's King Richard I, an act that shaped the histories of England and France for generation.

Frederick I: Duke of Austria
Frederick I was the third Duke of Austria, ruling for three short years at the end of the 12th Century. He died on Crusade, in the Holy Land.

Leopold VI: Duke of Austria
Leopold VI was the fourth Duke of Austria, ruling for more than three decades at the beginning of the 13th Century. He fought in the Fifth Crusade

Frederick II: Duke of Austria
Frederick II was the fifth and last pre-Habsburg Duke of Austria, ruling for more than three decades in the first half of the 13th Century. One of his signal achievements was a victory over the feared Mongols.

The Babenberg Succession Conflict
In the ruling history of Austria, the bridge between the House of Babenberg and the House of Habsburg was a succession controversy.

Rudolf I
The King of Germany won a power struggle and then initiated Habsburg rule of Austria, cementing immediate succession by installing his sons as leaders of the largest provinces.

Albert I
Albert I was King of Germany and ruler of Austria for a decade on either side of the turn of the 14th Century. His reign came to a violent end.

Rudolf II
Rudolf II was King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor for a time in the late 16th Century and early 17th Century. He was born in Vienna and ruled Austria as well but only for a short time.

Frederick III: Duke of Austria
Frederick III was Duke of Austria and Styria for more than two decades in the 14th Century, sharing power with two of his brothers. He won selection as Holy Roman Emperor for a time but then lost it again, retiring to rule Austria in peace.

Albert II: Duke of Austria
Albert II was Duke of Austria and Styria for more than two decades in the 14th Century, sharing power with his brother Otto. With his mind on succession, Albert established the Albertinian House Rule, stipulating that the principle of primogeniture (the right of the firstborn child–and, ideally, son–to inherit his father's main estate, lands, and titles) should apply.

Rudolf IV: Duke of Austria
Rudolf IV was Duke of Austria and Styria for seven years in the mid-14th Century. Denied a role as an elector for choosing the Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolf issued the Privilegium maius, a series of "found" documents that elevated Austria to the status of an archduchy and, in the duke's minds, deserving of elector status.

Albert III: Duke of Austria
Albert III was Duke of Austria for three decades in the 14th Century, sharing power with his brother Leopold.

Albert IV: Duke of Austria
Albert IV was Duke of Austria for nine years on either side of the start of the 15th Century.

Albert V: Duke of Austria
Albert the Magnanimous was one of his handful of titles. He was also King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor. Among his prime achievements were the ending of private warfare and feuds and the division of Germany into administrative circles, from which his successors benefited much more than he did.

Ladislaus: Duke of Austria
Ladislaus was Duke of Austria and King of Bohemia, Croatia, and Hungary for many years in the 15th Century. He was the last Duke of Austria.

Austria was ruled for an extended period of time, and at various intervals, by a series of Holy Roman Emperors.

Maria Theresa: Empress of Austria
Maria Theresa (left) was Holy Roman Empress for four decades in the 18th Century, surviving a devastating war over her succession and ruling over a period of great reform.

Joseph II: Ruler of Austria
The second husband of Maria Theresa, he was Holy Roman Emperor in his own right after she died, becoming a proponent of enlightened absolutism.

Leopold II: Ruler of Austria
Succeeded his brother on the thrones of Austria and the Holy Roman Empire. His desire to reverse the enlightened policies of his predecessor led to deep discontent in the country and resulted in the enmity of revolutionary France.

Francis II: Ruler of Austria
Son of Leopold II, he was the last Holy Roman Emperor and the last Archduke of Austria. He took command of troops fighting in the coalition wars against France. In the middle of it all, he declared himself the first Emperor of Austria. His most famous advisor was Klemens von Metternich.

Ferdinand I: Emperor of Austria
Ferdinand I was Emperor of Austria for more than a dozen years in the 19th Century, giving way in the wake of the revolutionary fervor that swept many European countries in the middle of the century.

Franz Josef: Emperor of Austria
Franz Josef was Austrian emperor from 1848 to 1916. During that time, he presided over a large number of changes in his homeland, including the advent of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the devastation of World War I.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire
The Austro-Hungarian Empire was in existence for just more than 50 years.

Karl: Emperor of Austria-Hungary
Karl I was the last emperor of Austria-Hungary. He reigned for nearly two years, in the waning days of World War I.