New York State Education Department
TASC Transition Curriculum: Workshop 11
You'll C-E-R a difference in classroom achievement after using a helpful instructional activity. Designed for economics, civics, government, and US history classes, participants practice using the CER model to craft arguments about...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: How the First State Constitution Helped Build the u.s. Constitution [Pdf]
Article describes how the written constitutions adopted by each of the 13 colonies were the seeds of the U.S. Constitution including the Bill of Rights. Includes questions for discussion and small group activity.
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch: Violent Response: The u.s Army in Al Falluja [Pdf]
A report on the activities in 2003 of the U.S. Army in al-Falluja, an Iraqi town that has not embraced the United States occupation. Many deaths have occurred there.
C3 Teachers
C3 Teachers: u.s. History: Did the Attack on Pearl Harbor Unify America? [Pdf]
A comprehensive learning module on how America reacted to the attack on Pearl Harbor that includes three supporting questions accompanied by formative tasks and source materials, followed by a summative performance task. Students will...
US Department of Justice
U.s. Department of Justice: Webb v. Clyde L. Choate Mental Health Center [Pdf]
Although specifically a case in which the plaintiff is seeking federal support under the ADA against Illinois, there is an excellent discussion of state v. federal powers in the section labeled "Summary of Argument." The connection to...
US Census Bureau
U.s. Census Bureau: Factfinder for the Nation [Pdf]
The U.S. Census Bureau offers detailed information on the history of census taking in the U.S., what questions are asked, how data is gathered, and how it is used.
US National Archives
Nara: u.s. Response to 1960 1962 Berlin Crisis [Pdf]
A transcript from the U.S. Army Center for Military History regarding the United States' response to the 1960-62 Berlin Crisis.
Other
U.s. Coast Guard: International Military Student Guide to American Culture
The U.S. Coast Guard has taken American culture and condensed it for foreigners coming to the United States. Topics include major cultural elements, verbal greetings, classroom etiquette, slang, etc. This guide has generalizations and...
Digital History
Digital History: The u.s., Cuba, and the Platt Amendment [Pdf]
After the SpanishAmerican War the American occupation of Cuba and the adoption of the Platt Amendment, which was forced upon the Cuban government when it formed its constitution, showed the signs of imperialism on the part of the United...
CPALMS
Florida State University Cpalms: Florida Students: u.s. History: The Populist Revolt
Looks at the unrest of farmers in the 1890s that led to the development of a new populist party called the People's Party. Explains the debate that raged around whether to adopt a gold or a silver standard, examines the election of 1896,...
Other
Our Courts: Bill of Rights: You Mean I've Got Rights? [Pdf]
A great, active instructional activity about the Bill of Rights. Students compare rights they think they should have with the rights in the actual amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The language of the amendments is broken down into...
Other
A Guide to Your Children's Schools: A Parent Handbook [Pdf]
Information about the U.S. school system written especially for immigrant parents but beneficial, nonetheless, for any parent who has questions about school-related issues. Explains, in simple language, the types of schools available in...
US Government Publishing Office
U.s. Government Publishing Office: Constitution of the United States of America: 16th Amendment Income Tax [Pdf]
Read this text of the 16th Amendment, followed by the history of the Amendment and an analysis. (PDF)
Other
John F. Kennedy National Security: u.s.s.r. (Pdf) [Pdf]
This article summarizes U.S.-Soviet relations during the Kennedy administration, including the Russian Missile Crisis and the Vienna Summit.
US Geological Survey
U.s. Geological Survey: Teaching About and Using Coordinate Systems [Pdf]
Provides lessons and activities for teaching about the different types of coordinate systems including the Cartesian coordinate system, the Geographic Coordinate System, the Universal Transverse Mercator grid, and the State Plane...
Other
U.s. Fire Administration: World Trade Center Bombing: Report and Analysis [Pdf]
This is an in-depth report and analysis of the World Trade Center Bombing in 1993. Included in the 132-page document are statistical data, a complete recount of events, numerous diagrams, and much more.
CPALMS
Florida State University Cpalms: Florida Students: Comparing Constitutions: Florida vs. the u.s.
The US Constitution and the Constitution of Florida are compared in this tutorial and how each incorporates the system of federalism. A PDF file of the tutorial is available.
National Institutes of Health
U.s. National Library of Medicine: Call to Action to Prevent Suicide
This page provides a brief look at the topic of suicide in the United States as of 1999. It includes statistics and resources for further study. PDF (requires Adobe Reader).
Other
United States Masters Swimming: Swimming Rules [Pdf]
Read the official rules from U.S. Masters Swimming of all the competitive strokes.
Digital History
Digital History: The Monroe Doctrine and the Roosevelt Corollary [Pdf]
The United States' intervention in Latin American countries has been interpreted in several ways. First read about President Theodore Roosevelt's Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine before investigating the times the corollary was invoked....
Digital History
Digital History: The Philippines [Pdf]
Read about how the United States gained the Philippines as a territory as a result of the Spanish-American War. Find out how several senators felt about this acquisition. The resulting Philippine-American War resulted in extreme hardship...
History Tools
History Tools: Thomas Jefferson Articulates the Agrarian Ideology [Pdf]
Excerpt from Notes on the State of Virginia written by Thomas Jefferson, 1784. In this section, entitled, "Manufactures" Jefferson argues the U.S. should focus on an agrarian economy rather than manufacturing. Paragraph breaks and...
US Department of State
Congressional Research Service: Iraq War: Background and Issues Overview [Pdf]
Published April 22, 2003, this Congressional Research Service Report analyzes the causes of the War in Iraq and the reasons behind the United States' invasion of the country. Although lengthy (59 pages), it provides the most detailed...
Social Science Education Consortium
Ssec: Health Care: Who Should Pay the Cost? [Pdf]
In this investigation, students explore issues around the provision of health care in the United States. They look at how it is financed, why the costs are growing so rapidly, whether it is a public or private good, and possible...