New Guides of Famous Historical Texts is Released

Did Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assassination actually start World War I? Why did Nixon write an entire speech about a dog? And how is "Ich bin ein Berliner" even pronounced? These are the questions every student of history asks themselves. But in school, specific historical texts are often skimmed over for the sake of thinking more broadly about the big picture.

Enter: Shmoop. Shmoop (http://www.shmoop.com), a digital publisher known for its award-winning test prep and certified online courses, has summarized and analyzed nearly fifty famous primary sources from history, squeezing out every bit of historical goodness possible. They provide everything you could ever want to know about these historical documents: a summary that clears up any old-timey or legal mumbo-jumbo that might be in there, an in-depth discussion of the historical context surrounding the document, and a section that compares and contrasts the text with other similar and not-so-similar texts. All that plus an analysis of key figures, themes, and quotes, and dozens of other insights.

From Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman?" to FDR's First Fireside Chat to the Miranda v. Arizona Supreme Court case, each historical text is given the full treatment, topped off with Shmoop's signature wit. As an example, every summary section includes a "tl;dr" recap of the text. The Zimmermann Telegram is summed up with "Yo, Mexico, wanna fight the U.S.? xoxo Germany." And the Stamp Act? "Everything printed on paper is going to cost more. Oh yeah, and dice too." Sounds about right.

"Understanding the big picture in history is absolutely necessary," says David Siminoff, founder of Shmoop. "But it shouldn't come at the expense of digging into the texts themselves. In a world where wars are fought over phrases, actually reading and analyzing the words written by the people who came before us can deepen our understanding of our past-and our future."

Students and teachers looking for more structured history lessons can subscribe to Shmoop and get access to dozens of online courses in history. Schools and districts can get bulk discounts on already below-market-rate materials by contacting sales(at)shmoop(dot)com.

About Shmoop
Shmoop offers hundreds of thousands of pages of original content. Their Online Courses, Test Prep, Teaching Guides, Learning Guides, and interactive Study Tools are written by teachers and experts and balance a teen-friendly, approachable style with academically rigorous concepts. Shmoop sees 15 million unique visitors a month across desktop and mobile. The company has won numerous awards from EdTech Digest, Tech & Learning, and the Association of Educational Publishers. Launched in 2008, Shmoop makes the magic happen from a labradoodle-patrolled office in Mountain View, California.

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