In this historical text, Benjamin Franklin issues a plea to the United States government.

A lecherous man hopes that a rattlesnake will help him get rid of his wife.

Young Quentin wonders why Nancy, the black washerwoman, is afraid of her husband in this Southern Gothic story.

An argument over the definition of “guinea pigs” leads to unanticipated and avoidable problems.

Martin Luther King, Jr., outlines his nonviolence approach to addressing injustice while responding to criticism.

In this pivotal Supreme Court decision, Chief Justice Earl Warren describes the necessity of desegregating American public schools.

Safe inside his home from a disease ravaging the country, Prince Prospero throws an extravagant party for his esteemed friends, only to receive an unexpected guest.

Julia Alvarez discusses the multiple names she has been given over the years.

A sniper during the Irish Civil War exchanges fire with the enemy and suffers a great loss.

A knight and a princess fall in love, but at the cost of betraying their king.

In this note from World War II, General Eisenhower encourages his troops to defeat the enemy on the eve of the Invasion of Normandy.

Marta is a straight-A student who has earned a scholarship jacket, but her financial situation – and an unjust school leader – may prevent her from receiving her reward.

In Theodore Roosevelt’s famous 1910 speech, he puts into words that characteristic for which he is perhaps best remembered: his proclivity toward action.

Soto begins this poem with a line from Shakespeare’s The Tempest to delve into the harsh reality of death and how it is dealt with.

A woman runs into an old friend on the train and is surprised to find out what he has been up to since their last visit.

A soldier laments the loss of his fellow young combatants during the First World War.

While mourning the passing of their saintly mother, a brother and sister uncover a shocking secret.

An ironworks manager leads his friend on an eerie tour of his company shortly after discovering a secret.

A speaker laments the position of women as was then conceived natural: subservient to men.

A speaker depicts the arrival of the "iron horse," or railroad engine and its train.