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Lesson Plan
Teaching for Change

History Detectives: Voting Rights in Mississippi, 1964

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Promises made and promise broken. Spies and activists. Voting rights in Mississippi are the focus of a activity that has class members research the history of the struggle in Mississippi. Learners take on the role of voting rights...
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Interactive
Teaching for Change

Voting Rights History Quiz

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
An 11-question online quiz permits young historians to check their knowledge of the history of voting rights in the United States. After reading a short introduction, individuals click through the questions that test their knowledge of...
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Lesson Plan
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Facing History and Ourselves

The Legacies of Reconstruction

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The final lesson in the seven-resource Reconstruction Era collection examines the legacies of Reconstruction. Class members investigate why the period has been called an "unfinished revolution," "a splendid failure," and "the second...
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Lesson Plan
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Facing History and Ourselves

A Contested History

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Memories of and interpretations of history change—that's the key takeaway from a lesson that has young historians compare the story of the Reconstruction Era as told by the historians of the Dunning School to the view of scholars today...
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Lesson Plan
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Facing History and Ourselves

Violence and Backlash

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Revolution and counterrevolution. Protest and counter-protest. Collaborators and bystanders. The focus of the fifth resource in the Reconstruction Era and Fragility of Democracy series is on the political violence that followed Radical...
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Lesson Plan
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Facing History and Ourselves

Interracial Democracy

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Radical Reconstruction, the 10-year period referred to after Congress passed the Reconstruction Act of 1867, saw the establishment of manhood suffrage, men voting without any racial qualifications. Southern states also rewrote their...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Facing History and Ourselves

The Political Struggle, 1865-1866

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Healing versus justice. The central source of tension following the United States Civil War was between the demands for healing and the demands for justice, the battle between President Andrew Johnson and Congress. A video introduces the...
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Lesson Plan
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Facing History and Ourselves

Defining Freedom

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the Confederate states. The Thirteenth Amendment banned slavery in the United States. However, neither document defined freedom. The second lesson plan in the Reconstruction Era series...
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Lesson Plan
C-SPAN

What Makes a Good Campaign Ad?- Advertisement Analysis

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
In the time of a hotly contested presidential election, campaign ads are almost ubiquitous—but what makes them good? Using ads from the 2018 midterm elections, learners consider the various strategies candidates use to get the vote....
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Lesson Plan
Teaching for Change

Selma in Pictures: Socratic Seminar

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Photographs from the freedom movement in Selma, Alabama serve as the basis of two Socratic Seminars. Class members prepare for the seminars by closely observing the images, form a hypothesis, and use evidence from photo to support a...
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Lesson Plan
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C-SPAN

Primary and Secondary Sources: Trailblazers in Congress

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Trailblazers forge the path into uncharted territory, they establish a precedent for others to follow. Young historians research trailblazers in Congress using primary and secondary sources to profile outliers that changed the face of...
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Graphic
PBS

Library of Congress: Media Gallery | Women's Suffrage

For Students 6th - Higher Ed
Designed to support a study of women's suffrage in the United States, a primary source document set from the Library of Congress includes images, song sheets, articles, statistical documents, political cartoon, and audio recordings...
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Activity
US Department of Commerce

The Census Questionnaire: Then and Now

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
As the United States has changed, so has the census! While required by the Constitution, the questions the government asks to allot representation and federal funding has developed over time. Using images of previous censuses, young...
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Activity
US Department of Commerce

Diversity: Minority Entrepreneurship and the Economy

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Using data from the Census Bureau, learners discover the growth in minority-owned businesses over time. After crunching numbers, analytical questions probe the reasons behind the shift. 
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Lesson Plan
Judicial Branch of California

The Power of the Press: The First Amendment

For Teachers 5th Standards
Was what happened in 1886 at the Haymarket riot a crime or a case of xenophobia? Using political cartoons from the time, young historians consider the role the media played in anti-labor sentiment during the time and how that influenced...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Remembering the Fallen

For Teachers 7th - 12th
A thought-provoking activity showcases Civil War battlefield monuments to demonstrate how fallen soldiers are remembered. High school scholars compare Union and Confederate monuments to learn how each group commemorated the battles. They...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Gettysburg 360

For Teachers 9th - 12th
An interactive site allows scholars to explore the Gettysburg battlefield up close, read soldiers' accounts, and view images of the event. In addition, enrichment activities enhance young historians' experience with Gettysburg 360.  
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Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

1861: The Country Goes to War

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
While the firing on Ft. Sumter may have seemed like a sudden event, the long march to war spanned decades. Using games and a presentation, class members review the events that led up to the fateful April day in 1861 when brother turned...
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Assessment
American Battlefield Trust

Middle School Assessment for the Civil War Curriculum

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
The bravery of African American troops on the frontlines directly impacted the lives of the newly freed enslaved people. Using documents, including letters from African American troops and an excerpt of the Emancipation Proclamation,...
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Activity
PBS

Document This

For Students 6th - 12th
Being a historian requires serious sleuthing. They examine primary source documents and look for evidence, for clues that reveal who wrote the document, when, and why. After watching two historians model the process, young history...
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Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Create Your Own Time Capsule

For Students 4th - 12th
The corona virus pandemic is indeed a historic event. A time capsule activity permits young historians to document these days of social distancing, remote learning, and quarantine by collecting artifacts that capture what their lives are...
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Lesson Plan
Stanford University

League of Nations

For Teachers 9th - 12th
An interesting lesson explores the Treaty of Versailles and the creation of the League of Nations to prevent further large scale warfare in World War I. A presentation explains how the United States Congress reacted to the offer to join...
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Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Edward Curtis Photographs

For Teachers 9th - 12th
A picture is worth a thousand words. The photos of Edward Curtis capture the life and culture of Native American Tribes during the early part of the twentieth century. A presentation first gives background information on Edward Curtis...
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Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Explosion of the Maine

For Teachers 9th - 12th
An intriguing lesson features newspaper articles to help academics understand the political impact of the sinking the Maine and how the American media depicted the event. Scholars also view a presentation, participate in group...