It is May 1975. Our country has been involved in a war for the past decade in Vietnam to stop the spread of communism. Strictly speaking, the Vietnam conflict was never a war since Congress didn’t pass a declaration of war, yet over 58,000 American soldiers have died. The war has divided our country, families, and communities. Some see it as an abuse of presidential power. Huge antiwar protests over the last decade have divided the country.

Read the January 2023 Kappen article titled "Collaborative deliberation in the classroom"

This resource connects to the student deliberation guide on the lead up to the passage of the Hart-Celler Act in 1965. The Hart-Celler Act significantly changed the immigration system of the United States by altering who and how many people could immigrate to the nation. This deliberation guide asks students to assume the role of policy advisors before 1965 and grapple with different options for how the new immigration system could be designed.

This resource connects to the student deliberation guide on the lead up to the Pueblo Revolt in 1680, which took place in the southwestern lands of what is now the United States. The Pueblo Revolt was the culminating result of decades of oppression by Spanish colonizers of Native peoples who had been present in the region for thousands of years. The hardships endured ranged from prohibition of Pueblo practices and religious beliefs, to forced labor and tribute, and annexation of Pueblo lands. Throughout this, the Pueblo peoples faced tyranny as well as disease.