Unit 4 · Then and Now, and Our Country

Think about yesterday. What did you eat? What did you play? Yesterday is over. It is in the past. The past is all the time before now.

Now think about right now. You are reading. You are sitting. This is the present. The present is now, this very minute.

Tomorrow has not come yet. It is in the future. The future is the time after now. Long ago is the past. Someday is the future. Today is the present.

We were not alive long ago. So how do we know about it? We look for clues. A clue is a thing that helps you figure something out. Old things are clues.

An old photo is a clue. Look at the clothes. Look at the cars. Look at the street. Each one tells you something. A photo is a piece of the past you can hold.

Grandma’s dial phone is a clue too. It shows how people called each other. Old things like this are called artifacts. An artifact is an object made by people long ago.

Long ago, there were no cars. People walked. Or they rode a horse. Or a horse pulled their wagon. A trip to the next town took all day.

Then came trains. A train ran on rails. It carried many people fast. In Chicago, trains ran on tracks up in the air. People called it the "L." It is still there today.

Then came cars, buses and planes. Today a car ride to the next town takes minutes. A plane can cross the country in one day. Travel got faster and faster.

Long ago, people cooked on a wood stove. First you had to chop wood. Then you lit a fire. Then you waited for the stove to get hot. Cooking took a long time.

Today many people cook on a gas or electric stove. You turn a knob. It gets hot right away. Some people use a microwave. Dinner can be ready in minutes.

Talking changed too. Long ago, people wrote letters. A letter took days to arrive. Then came the phone with a dial. Today we use cell phones. We can talk or text right away.

Long ago, many towns had a one-room school. All the kids sat in one room. Little kids and big kids. One teacher taught them all.

Kids wrote on small boards called slates. They used chalk. Then they wiped it off. There were no computers. There was no bus. Kids walked to school, even in snow.

Some things are the same. Kids learned to read. Kids did math. Kids played at recess. Ask a grown-up what their school was like. What did they have? What did they not have?

Picture a small town one hundred years ago. It has a dirt road. It has a store, a church and a school. Farms are all around it. Horses stand by the store.

Now picture the same town today. The road is paved. There are more houses. There is a gas station. There is a big store. Cars are parked where the horses stood.

How do we know the town changed? We look at old maps. We look at old photos. We count the people. Chicago was a small town once. Now it is a big city.

Not everything changes. Long ago, kids lived with families. Families cared for each other. That is still true today. Families are a thing that stayed the same.

Kids played long ago too. They played tag. They jumped rope. They played with dolls and balls. Toys look different now. But kids still love to play.

Families ate together long ago. They ate bread, soup and corn. Today we still eat bread and soup and corn. The food came from a farm then. It comes from a farm now.

A timeline is a line with events on it. The first thing goes on the left. The last thing goes on the right. It shows what came first and what came next.

Make a timeline of your life. First: you were born. Next: you learned to walk. Next: you lost a tooth. Next: you started school. Draw each one on the line.

A family timeline is longer. Ask a grown-up. When were they born? When did they start school? Put their events on the line. Put yours after. Now you see the past and the present together.

Look at the flag of the United States. It is red, white and blue. It has stars and stripes. A flag is a symbol. A symbol is a thing that stands for something bigger.

Count the stars. There are fifty. Each star stands for one state. Illinois is one star. Our country has fifty states, so the flag has fifty stars.

Count the stripes. There are thirteen. Seven are red. Six are white. They stand for the first thirteen states. Those states started our country long ago.

Many schools say the Pledge in the morning. Kids stand up. They face the flag. They put a hand on their heart. They say the words together.

A pledge is a promise. The Pledge says we will be loyal to our country. Loyal means you stick with something and care for it. It says our country is one country, all together.

The Pledge ends with "liberty and justice for all." Liberty means being free. Justice means being fair. For all means everyone. That is the promise.

A big bird flies over a river. It has a white head. It has a yellow beak. Its wings are wide. It is a bald eagle. It is not really bald. Its head feathers are white.

Long ago, the leaders of our country picked the eagle as a symbol. The eagle is strong. It flies high and free. Eagles live only in North America. That made it a good pick.

Look for the eagle. It is on coins. It is on dollar bills. It is on the seal of the president. Bald eagles live in Illinois too. You can see them by the Mississippi River in winter.

In Philadelphia there is an old bell. It is big and made of metal. It has a crack. It is the Liberty Bell. Long ago, it rang for our new country. Today it does not ring. But people come to see it.

In New York there is a giant green statue. A statue is a figure made of metal or stone. This one is a woman. She holds a torch up high. She is the Statue of Liberty.

France gave the statue to our country as a gift. That was more than one hundred years ago. Ships full of people sailed past her. She was the first thing they saw. She stands for freedom.

A holiday is a special day. Some holidays remember a person. In January we have Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Dr. King worked so that all people would be treated fairly, no matter their skin color.

Dr. King gave speeches. He led marches. He did not fight with fists. He used words. He said all kids should be able to play and learn together. Many people listened.

In February we have Presidents’ Day. It remembers George Washington, our first president. It remembers Abraham Lincoln too. Lincoln lived in Illinois. Both were born in February.

On the Fourth of July we have Independence Day. It is our country’s birthday. On July 4, 1776, our leaders signed a paper. It said we were our own country. That was about 250 years ago.

People wave flags. They have parades. They watch fireworks at night. In Chicago, boats fill the lake. Families have picnics. It is a big party for the whole country.

On November 11 we have Veterans Day. A veteran is a person who served in the military. That means the army, the navy and more. We say thank you to them. Some kids have a veteran in their family.

Abraham Lincoln lived in Illinois. He became president. Back then, some people were held as slaves. A slave is a person who is owned by someone else and is not free. Lincoln worked to end slavery.

Harriet Tubman was a slave. She ran away to be free. Then she went back. Again and again. She led many other people to freedom. It was very dangerous.

Cesar Chavez helped farm workers get fair pay. Jane Addams opened a big house in Chicago. Poor families came there to learn and get help. Each of these people saw a problem and helped.

A citizen is a member of a country or a community. You are a citizen of your class. A good citizen helps. Pick up trash. Share. Help a friend who fell.

A good citizen votes. To vote is to choose. Each person gets one vote. The choice with the most votes wins. Grown-ups vote for leaders. Room 12 voted for Biscuit.

A good citizen speaks up. If something is not fair, say so. Say it kindly. Say it clearly. Dr. King spoke up. Jane Addams spoke up. You can too.