Press Release - White House Unveils Lessons in Liberty for Kids

In an effort to speak directly to children about the War on Terrorism and the history of America's efforts to preserve freedom, the White House today launched a new feature on whitehousekids.gov, a feature of the White House web site dedicated to children. The "Freedom Timeline," a five-part series on topics such as diplomacy and liberty, includes five stories, a vocabulary list, a quiz, and a teacher's guide. The timeline spans from 1777 to 1948 and includes the following anecdotes:

- Unlikely Spy-The story of a Quaker woman from Philadelphia who learned of a sneak attack at Valley Forge in 1777 and warned Gen. Washington's troops.
- Underground Railroad-The story of how Harriet Tubman liberated 300 slaves through the Underground Railroad.
- Statue of Liberty-The history of France's gift to the United States.
- March of Dimes-Through funding from the March of Dimes, a cure for polio liberated Americans from the fear of this disease.
- Berlin Airlift-Candy Bombers-The story of the United States' efforts to provide humanitarian aid to the people of war-torn Berlin in 1948 by dropping food from airplanes as part of Operation Vittles.

Launched as a Presidential "first" in August 2001 by President Bush and Laura Bush, whitehousekids.gov features frequently-updated content for elementary school children ages five to twelve. The purpose of the site is to encourage reading and learning.