Do you have students who put their heads on their desks during your history class? Ever wonder how you can overcome their lethargy? Would you consider trying to reach them through their funny bone by making them chortle and chuckle? Perhaps laughter is the key to energizing history in your classes.

Today’s students are the MTV generation; they were raised with television. They expect to be entertained in most phases of their lives—including their schooling. Entertainment is the sine qua non of most presentations made to young people. When kids complain that history is boring, they generally mean it does not entertain them. Of course, you and I know that the true joy of studying history is the way it offers insights into current problems, and inoculates us against expecting too much from human endeavors. I do not think, however, we can sell it that way to the average teenager.

As teachers, we put on a “show” every time we walk to the front of our classrooms. Yet we often face a reluctant adolescent audience. We can ease our task, and sweeten our curriculum, by mixing historical facts with amusing stories of irony and humor. At times, we may even have to become a little silly to make our message more palatable for our students. Within the parameters of our educational philosophy and personalities, we should inject laughter into our history lessons, for it will surely bring rewards.

The use of comedy is natural in teaching history, and we can draw from many amusing episodes and quotes. As we point out the foibles of our leaders, and what they said about each other, we teachers have a plethora of material. Most of our “jokes” can come straight from the lips of such luminaries as Andrew Jackson, John Kennedy, and Alexander Stevens. It is likely, for example, that Andrew Jackson’s order during the battle of New Orleans (“Boys, elevate them guns a little lower”) will invoke a laugh or two. Or maybe your students will chuckle to hear John Kennedy’s assessment of his honorary degree from Yale as giving him “...the best of both worlds—a Harvard education and a Yale degree.” These types of stories can bring levity and life to your classes.

We can also tap some of the comments that historical figures made about, and to, each other. There was an opponent of the diminutive Alexander Stevens who threatened to swallow him. The Georgian retorted: “If you do you’ll have more brains in your belly than you ever had in your head.” And you can remind your students that their generation was not the first to put down each other. What do you suppose would be the comeback to Horace Greeley’s comment that Lewis Cass was a “pot-bellied, mutton-headed, cucumber”?

Another possibility is “picking” on figures with exaggerated and distinct personal characteristics. Abraham Lincoln is a prime target. With his awkward appearance and mannerisms, he could be good for several class periods of mirth. In fact, he could supply the jokes himself. For example, there was the time he responded to a charge of political two-facedness by saying, “I leave it to my audience. If I had another face, do you think I would wear this one?” Or we might mention Mary Todd’s encounter with Abe at a social function when he declared, “Miss Todd, I should like to dance with you in the worst way.” And she reported later, “He certainly did.”

While none of these jokes is likely to find its way into a Jay Leno monologue, they all can add interest to our lessons. They supply not only humor, but also humanity to history. Through these stories, students can see that figures from the past had many of the shortcomings that are evident in today’s society. As such, these stories provide a valuable opportunity to spruce up your history presentation.

If these stories strike you as too “square” to be funny for your sophisticated students, then so much the better. Your corny jokes can, in fact, become the humor in your room. Kids may come to enjoy groaning at the stories you believe are clever, but they see as pretty “lame.” So don’t worry, the fact that you are not amusing may become funny to your students after all.

Over years of instruction, we accumulate our stories and anecdotes. For new teachers, however, there are several shortcuts to adding humor to history lessons. For example, two good sources for “jokes” are Richard Shenkman’s I Love Paul Revere, Whether He Rode or Not and Shenkman and Kurt Reiger’s One Night Stands with American History. I also like the humor in Paul F. Boller Jr.’s Presidential Anecdotes and Congressional Anecdotes. Further, a small but rich resource is Sid Frank’s The Presidents: Tidbits & Trivia. There are countless others, but these books are easily found and offer concentrated sources of humor for new and experienced teachers alike.

In addition to stories, we may need to get our students’ attention by using silly gimmicks in our instruction. At times, it may be necessary to employ some rather unorthodox means to present historical information. For example, I do some crazy things in my classroom. While not in the league of David Letterman or Jerry Seinfeld, I have a knack for making people laugh. One way I use this ability is to show my students pictures of historical figures we are studying with slight modifications to their portraits.

Sometimes, as I show the pictures, I comment on the expressions of the people. In my class, the stern-looking Daniel Webster is transformed into “Mr. Sunshine” when he wears a smiley-face button on his lapel bearing the motto, “Have A Nice Day.” Corny? Of course, but it keeps my students’ attention while I present the Webster-Hayne debate, or describe the struggle over the Compromise of 1850.

Similarly, Franklin Roosevelt’s portrait is adorned with a paper mustache that bears a striking resemblance to Joseph Stalin’s. I do this as we discuss how critics complained that the New Deal had socialistic tendencies that were leading us towards totalitarianism. And I am slightly embarrassed to say that Charles Sumner gets a band-aid over his eye during our discussion of the violent reaction to slavery in the 1850s.

Tacky? A cheap shot? You bet, but as my students laugh or groan, I slip in my historical message. This foolishness works for me. It may not be right for everyone, but it can be modified to fit your personality and educational philosophy. Without a doubt, putting laughter into your curriculum will enhance your students’ interest in history and their memories of the likes of Daniel Webster, Charles Sumner, and Franklin Roosevelt.

Bibliography

Boller, Paul F., Jr. Congressional Anecdotes. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991.

———. Presidential Anecdotes. New York: Oxford University Press, 1981.

Frank, Sid. The Presidents: Tidbits & Trivia. Maplewood, NJ: Hammond, 1986.

Shenkman, Richard. I Love Paul Revere, Whether He Rode or Not. New York: Harper Perennial, 1991.

Shenkman, Richard and Kurt Reiger. One Night Stands with American History: Odd, Amusing, and Little-Known Incidents. New York: W. Morrow, 1980.

Michael Henry is an adjunct professor of history at Prince George’s Community College in Largo, Maryland. He is also a consultant for the College Board in the area of Advanced Placement U.S. history. He has contributed numerous articles to the OAH Magazine of History.