Students examine attitudes of children from the North growing up during the time of slavery. Using documents, they discover how abolitionists tried to change people's ideas of using slaves. They explore how women used antislavery fairs...

Should land be redistributed to former slaves after the Civil War? This essential question guides a lesson on the Reconstruction Era, as learners analyze primary sources (linked), recording responses on a worksheet (linked). To model the...

Students analyze the Amistad case and how it impacted slavery in the United States. They, in groups, receive a document, answers the focus questions and presents their findings to the class.

How the Kansas-Nebraska Act created Bleeding Kansas is complicated—until scholars research and examine documents from the time. After completing activities that include mapping, photo, document analysis, and discussion, learners...

Students will reflect upon the use of music to teach lessons throughout history. The focus of the study is based upon early American History. The tie of music and the abolition of slavery makes for interesting inquiry for learners.

Students explore the causes of the Civil War. In this lesson on slavery students use primary sources to examine the evolution of the issue of  slavery and in the American political system. Students will then write a follow-up essay...

Students imagine they are archaeologists who are looking for treasure under the sand or sea. They work in teams to create the story and site of a shipwreck in a tub or aquarium filled with sand and water.

Students are introduced to a groups of African American inventors. In groups, they research the role of each person in improving different industries. They also examine the barriers African Americans faced from the Civil War to the...

The Crusades sounds like a glamorous time period in the Middle Ages full of glory—but was it? Scholars find and review the truth of the Crusades' influence on the world through the resource. The study guides, separated individually by...

Students examine and draw conclusions from an excerpt from a slave narrative. They analyze excerpts from two recently discovered slave narratives. They draw connections among the narrative excerpts and historical texts by investigating...

Free the slaves! Scholars research primary documents and videos while working together to create abolitionist posters. They examine the John Brown raid as a template to creating their own demonstration. 

How has the American Bill of Rights influenced the rest of the world? An interactive web activity helps individuals see the similarities between countries' bills of rights. A text-to-text tool compares the American Bill of Rights to...

Fourth graders investigate slavery by reading a book with their classmates. In this abolitionist movement lesson, 4th graders read the story The Patchwork Path, and discuss the creation of the Underground Railroad. Students create...

Young scholars examine the difference in politics in the North and South during the Civil War. Using that information, they discuss how politics and ideologies led to the war. They explain the causes and effects of the war and evaluate...

Sixth graders discuss the idea of separation in today's society. In groups, they examine the laws used in the past with a focus on "separate, but equal". They review the Brown v. Board of Education case and determine if it caused or...

What a great list of brief research projects for reviewing the era of westward expansion in the United States! Learners are directed to choose and complete three of the projects on the given list, which includes opportunities to design...

Students explore the Civil War by reading a children's book in class. In this underground railroad activity, students read the story Henry's Freedom Box and discuss the plot, settings and characters. Students create their own "freedom...