DocsTeach
The Suffrage and the Civil Rights Reform Movements
It's the American way to put one foot in front of the other and march. Using images of protests from the civil rights and women's suffrage movements, young historians analyze similarities between the two watershed moments of social...
Center for History Education
Reshaping American Society: How did Immigration and Urbanization Affect America in the mid 1800s?
From the Know-Nothings to the Bible Riots, immigration and urbanization changed the face of America in the middle of the 1800s. Using documents that range from immigrant experiences to renderings of violent conflict between immigrants...
Center for History Education
Methods of Reform: The Lowell Mill Girls
Although the girls and women who worked in the Lowell Mills are not often seen this way, they are the forbearers of the American labor movement. Pupils examine primary sources, including testimony about life at Lowell and labor laws, as...
DocsTeach
The New Deal: Revolution or Reform?
Scholars weigh in on FDR's New Deal policies in an in-depth activity. The resource uses historical documents to explore whether the New Deal polices were reformatory or revolutionary. Learners review documents, rate them using a scale,...
Center for History Education
Frances Ellen Watkins Harper: 19th Century African-American Writer and Reformer
Although some African American abolitionists—such as Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass—are well known, others, like Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, remain in the shadows of history. Harper was a poet and activist who played an...
City University of New York
African Americans and the Populist Movement
Why did the Populist Party fail to ally itself with African American farmers? To answer this essential question, class members investigate the Populist Era (188-1900) and read an article written by Tom Watson, a Populist leader.
Defining US
Integration of Education and American Society
How did the struggle for Civil Rights during the 1950s transform American society and politics? Why are American schools integrated today? Class members explore these essential questions by examining a series of primary and secondary...
DocsTeach
A Revolution, a Reaction and a Reform: Getting Ready for National History Day
Get ready for National History Day! A thought-provoking activity focuses on a hypothetical project for National History Day (NHD). Academics review three primary sources to determine if they would meet the criteria for a NHD project....
City University of New York
Urban Politics: Machines and Reformers
What were political machines and whom did they serve? As part of a study of US immigration patterns and how these patterns influenced politics, groups investigate how Tammany Hall and other political machines gained support from voters.
K12 Reader
Civil Rights Biography: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Why do schools and government offices close one day every January to honor the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.? Young learners discover the achievements and lasting significance of this influential figure in American history...
Curated OER
Frances Ellen Watkins Harper: 19th Century African-American Writer and Reformer
Students investigate African-American author Frances Ellen Watkins Harper by analyzing her life and poetry. They explore the reformist messages communicated in her writings and evaluate the potential impact of her work.
Curated OER
Prisons and Their Functions
Learners explore the history of prisons. They examine how Reformers and Progressives influenced the functions of today's prisons. Students analyze whether or not the function of prisons has changed over time.
Curated OER
The Birth Control Movement
Students examine the resistance to the birth control movement. They compare and contrast the reasons for and against birth control and examine the social agendas of the supporters of birth control.
National First Ladies' Library
The First Great Awakening
Connecting social studies and American literature, students study the Great Awakening and draw comparisons between its impact on England and on parts of Colonial America. They research the lives and experiences of people who lived during...
NPR
Progressive Era Lesson Plan
The women working for equal rights in the early 20th century weren't a part of one large group; rather, they were members of dozens of small groups focused on social reform. Explore the ways groups in the Progressive Era like National...
Curated OER
A New Society Project
Ninth graders examine the social and political movements of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. In this American history lesson, 9th graders work in groups to form their own society and laws. Students make a diagram of their town and...
City University of New York
The Split Over Suffrage
Compare and contrast Frederick Douglass's and the National Women's Suffrage Association's stances on equal rights and suffrage with a series of documents and worksheets. Learners work together or independently to complete the packet, and...
City University of New York
Women's Suffrage and World War I
Democracy cannot exist where not everyone has equal rights. Discuss the state of democracy and women's suffrage during World War I with class discussions, debates, and primary source analysis, in order for class members to connect...
DocsTeach
The SS Quanza and European War Refugees
World War II not only resulted in major loss of life, but it also displaced thousands of people. An eye-opening activity uses primary documents to explore the refugee crisis during World War II. Scholars compare the event to modern-day...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Eleanor Roosevelt and the Rise of Social Reform in the 1930's
Eleventh graders explore the various roles that Eleanor Roosevelt took on. In this US History activity, 11th graders analyze the views that Eleanor Roosevelt held as an advocate for social justice. Students evaluate her contributions to...
Curated OER
Prudence Crandall House and Little Rock High School
Students examine how Prudence Crandall influenced the education of African Americans in New England prior to the Civil War and compare and contrast events in Canterbury, CN in the 1830's to those in Little Rock, AR in the 1950's.
Curated OER
EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all About It!
Students are able to synthesize information on increasing regulatory reforms during the Progressive Era through individual research and presentation of material. They are responsible for a list of regulatory reforms with dates and...
City University of New York
Woman's Suffrage and World War I
How did women use President Wilson's ideals and rhetoric in their bid for suffrage? To answer this essential question, class groups analyze primary written documents and visual images.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
The Election of 1912
The Election of 1912: an election with four competitive opponents. Pupils get to know the candidates with informative reading passages that provide context to the election. Then, the class engages in a debate and answers questions as one...