One Question With...

How Will Civil Discourse in the Classroom Change the Future of American Democracy?

In this episode of One Question With, Sam Futrell sits down with Joe Schmidt and Nichelle Pinkney, authors of Civil Discourse: Classroom Conversations for Stronger Communities, to explore what civil discourse actually looks like in the classroom—and why it matters.

Joe and Nichelle unpack practical strategies for creating classroom communities rooted in courage, understanding, belonging, and empathy. Together, they discuss why disagreement is an essential part of learning, how teachers can prepare students for difficult conversations, where boundaries and safeguards matter, and what it means to teach students not just to speak, but to listen, disagree, and stay in conversation with one another.

At a moment when conversations across differences can feel increasingly difficult, this episode asks what role classrooms—and the educators who shape them—can play in preparing young people to participate in a democratic society.

Keep Learning:

• 📖 Read: Civil Discourse: Classroom Conversations for Stronger Communities by Joe Schmidt & Nichelle Pinkney

• 💬 Take the Course: Civil Discourse in the Classroom — a free microcourse from lilyPD, powered by William & Mary

• 🧰 Bring It to Your Classroom: Explore free, ready-to-use classroom resources from lilyPD

• 📰 Dig Deeper: “A Freedom to Speak … and the Obligation to Listen” by Joe Schmidt in Social Education

• 🤝 Connect: Learn more about the Texas Social Studies Leaders Association and register for their conference!

Few documents have shaped American history more than the Declaration of Independence.

But what did its words mean in 1776? And how have generations of Americans challenged, expanded, and reimagined its promises over the last 250 years?

In the final episode of our special mini-series to celebrate America 250, Master Teacher Sam Futrell sits down with historian Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries to examine the Declaration's enduring legacy—from the Revolution to the abolitionist movement, the Civil Rights Movement, and beyond.

This conversation reminds us that the Declaration is a living document whose ideals continue to shape the American story.

Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries is an Associate Professor of History at The Ohio State University, author of Bloody Lowndes, editor of Understanding and Teaching the Civil Rights Movement, and host of the award-winning educational podcast Teaching Hard History.

Featured Publications by Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries

• Bloody Lowndes: Civil Rights and Black Power in Alabama's Black Belt
• Understanding and Teaching the Civil Rights Movement (editor)
• Teaching Hard History

Continue Learning with lilyPD:

If you enjoyed this conversation, explore ⁠The Horizon of Independence⁠, a free professional learning course from William & Mary and ⁠⁠lilyPD⁠⁠ about the road to American Independence.

Plus! Check out the ⁠⁠free teacher resources⁠⁠ for this course on ⁠lilyPD⁠⁠⁠ including our curated primary source collections and student-facing videos for primary source analysis.

Explore all of our professional development content for k-12 educators at ⁠⁠https://lilypd.wm.edu⁠⁠.

Please note that the views expressed by guests on One Question With are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of William & Mary or the Office of Strategic Cultural Partnerships.

In this episode, Master Teacher Sam Futrell talks with two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Dr. Alan Taylor about the events, decisions, and competing perspectives that transformed Britain's North American colonies from loyal subjects into revolutionaries.

Rather than offering a simple story of Patriots versus Loyalists, this conversation explores the Revolution as a complex continental struggle with consequences that reached far beyond the thirteen colonies.

Dr. Alan Taylor is Thomas Jefferson Foundation Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Virginia and one of the world's foremost historians of early America.

Featured Books by Dr. Alan Taylor:

• American Revolutions: A Continental History, 1750–1804
• The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772–1832
• William Cooper's Town: Power and Persuasion on the Frontier of the Early American Republic

Continue Learning with lilyPD:

If you enjoyed this conversation, explore The Horizon of Independence, a free professional learning course from William & Mary and ⁠lilyPD⁠ about the road to American Independence.

Plus! Check out the ⁠free teacher resources⁠ for this course on lilyPD⁠⁠ including our curated primary source collections and student-facing videos for primary source analysis.

Explore all of our professional development content for k-12 educators at ⁠https://lilypd.wm.edu⁠.

Please note that the views expressed by guests on One Question With are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of William & Mary or the Office of Strategic Cultural Partnerships.

Long before the Declaration of Independence, North America was home to hundreds of Indigenous nations, competing European empires, enslaved Africans, and diverse colonial communities whose relationships shaped the continent for centuries.

In this episode, Master Teacher Sam Futrell sits down with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Dr. Kathleen DuVal to explore the complex world of early America and examine how social, economic, and political forces laid the foundation for the American Revolution.

Whether you teach early American history or simply want a richer understanding of America's beginnings, this conversation offers a more inclusive view of the colonial world.

Dr. Kathleen DuVal is Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and one of the nation's leading historians of early America and Native American history.

Books by Dr. Kathleen DuVal

• Native Nations: A Millennium in North America (Pulitzer Prize Winner)
• Independence Lost: Lives on the Edge of the American Revolution
• The Native Ground: Indians and Colonists in the Heart of the Continent

Continue Learning with lilyPD:

If you enjoyed this conversation, explore ⁠The Horizon of Independence⁠, a free professional learning course from William & Mary and ⁠⁠lilyPD⁠⁠ about the road to American Independence.

Plus! Check out the ⁠⁠free teacher resources⁠⁠ for this course on ⁠lilyPD⁠⁠⁠ including our curated primary source collections and student-facing videos for primary source analysis.

Explore all of our professional development content for k-12 educators at ⁠⁠https://lilypd.wm.edu⁠⁠.

Please note that the views expressed by guests on One Question With are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of William & Mary or the Office of Strategic Cultural Partnerships.

250 years ago, thirteen British colonies declared their independence. But the story of America's founding didn't begin with the Declaration of Independence—and it certainly didn't end there.

As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, One Question With invites listeners to explore the people, ideas, and events that shaped our nation's founding and continue to shape our understanding of it today.

Hosted by William & Mary's Master Teacher Sam Futrell, this special three-episode miniseries features conversations with three of the nation's leading historians:

• Dr. Kathleen DuVal — Pulitzer Prize-winning historian of early America and Native Nations
• Dr. Alan Taylor — Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning historian of the American Revolution
• Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries — Leading historian of the Civil Rights Movement and the enduring legacy of the Declaration of Independence

Together, these conversations explore three essential questions:

• How did social, economic, and political forces shape life in colonial America before 1763?
• What factors contributed most significantly to the escalation of tensions between Britain and its North American colonies?
• What did the Declaration of Independence mean in 1776—and what does it mean today?

Whether you're a history enthusiast, lifelong learner, or educator preparing to teach America's founding during the Semiquincentennial, this miniseries offers fresh perspectives from some of today's most influential historians.

These conversations are part of The Horizon of Independence, a free professional learning course from William & Mary's Office of Strategic Cultural Partnerships and lilyPD, designed to help K–12 educators teach the American Revolution with greater depth, complexity, and confidence.

The course includes:

• Video lessons
• Curated primary source collections
• Classroom-ready instructional strategies
• Student activities
• Printable teaching resources
• Podcast interviews with each featured historian

Explore the course and hundreds of free educator resources at https://lilypd.wm.edu.

Follow One Question With wherever you get your podcasts, and join us as we explore the questions that help us better understand our past—and the ways it continues to shape our present.

We are lucky that we have some pretty remarkable people pass through our office. It's pretty hard to top Martha Washington, who joined us recently for a chat about her youth and her experience as the first First Lady.

With great wit and wisdom, she regaled us with snippets from her time in Williamsburg and beyond.

Enjoy!
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'One Question With...' Credits:
Host: Grace Helmick
Produced, Edited & Music by: Conor Molloy
Production Assistants: Will McCann & Samual Smoltz

Huge thank you to Katharine Pittman!

It was so great to have Charles Fulcher, alumnus and Director of Operations and Events for the Sir Christopher Wren Building, considered the oldest academic building still standing and in use in the United States. Charles spoke with us about his journey finding his professional passion: museum education, as well as an exciting new project taking place at the Wren. Enjoy!

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'One Question With...' Credits:
Host: Grace Helmick

Production Assistant: Abigail Swanberg
Sound Assistant: Jerry Zhou
Produced, Edited & Music by: Conor Molloy

Thank you to Charles!

It was wonderful to have Ally Swindell, Sofia Valle, and Luke Miller from the William and Mary Wargaming Lab join us on the podcast. They are part of the nation's only undergraduate led Wargaming Lab, and it was great to hear about their individual experiences working as part of the lab and their interests that led them to it.

We hope you enjoy the episode!

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Upcoming Events: events.wm.edu/calendar/upcoming/14980
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'One Question With...' Credits:
Host: Grace Helmick
Sound Assistant: Jerry Zhou
Production Assistant: Abigail Swanberg
Produced, Edited & Music by: Conor Molloy

Thank you to Ally, Sofia, and Luke!

It was so great to welcome Bert, who stopped by our studio to talk about his impressive career at the helm of the region's largest media company, WHRO. Bert's tenure has seen remarkable developments at the local media outlet which is owned by 21 school divisions. It was a lot of fun to talk with him about education, why local is so important, and... condiments.

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'One Question With...' Credits:
Host: Grace Helmick 
Sound Assistant & Editing by: Jerry Zhou
Production Assistant: Abigail Swanberg
Marketing & Research: Sam Byrd
Produced, Co-Edited & Music by: Conor Molloy

Thank you to Bert Schmidt!

Dr. Peggy Agouris has served as provost of William & Mary since 2019, leading the university’s academic and research enterprise. She is a distinguished scholar and under her leadership, the university achieved R1 status, reflecting its expanded research capacity and national impact. Dr. Agouris has also been instrumental in the creation of William & Mary’s first new school in over 50 years—the School of Computing, Data Sciences & Physics—and in expanding the Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences to include an undergraduate program.

Dr. Agouris has had such a varied and interesting education, which gives her a uniquely multi-disciplinary perspective. It was fantastic to have her join us and we hope you enjoy the episode!

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RSS Feed:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://anchor.fm/s/fe5e2168/podcast/rss⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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➡️ Follow us and subscribe: YouTube: / @williammarybrayschoollab645 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wmbraylab/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wm_scp/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/william-m...Bray School Bulletins Newsletter: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/09F...------------➡️ Website: wm.edu/scp-----------➡️ Donate: https://give.wm.edu/?d=5230-----------➡️ Upcoming Events: https://events.wm.edu/calendar/upcoming/14980

--------------------------

'One Question With...' Credits:

Host: Grace Helmick 

Sound Assistant: Jerry Zhou

Production Assistant: Abigail Swanberg

Marketing & Research: Sam Byrd

Produced, Edited & Music by: Conor Molloy

With thanks to Peggy Agouris!