Smithsonian Institution
Cuban Missile Crisis
The United States—specifically John F. Kennedy—played a large role during the Cuban Missile Crisis. A history resource poses questions that encourage critical thinking as well as in-depth analysis of images from the time period.
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Land, Liberty and the Struggle for the American Dream
Students investigate equality by reading a historical fiction book in class. In this civil rights lesson, students read the story Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry with their classmates and define the Jim Crow Laws that kept blacks...
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Activating Students
Students view and analyze one example of student activism in the 1960's and then apply their learning to their own situations. They work cooperatively to develop and implement their own "activist" or community service learning plan.
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Reaganomics Debate
Students examine the effectiveness of 'trickle down' economics. In this "Reaganomics" instructional activity, students use readings, analogies, discussion and debate to understand basic economic concepts. Students will analyze the what...
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American Economics after WWII
Students analyze the American culture after WWII. Through a variety of activities, students gain an understanding of ecomonics and prosperity in the US following WWII.
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World War I: War in a Democratic Society
Students research opposition and support for World War I from a number of perspectives. They analyze a number of primary and secondary sources, while considering what (if anything) makes a war just and write a letter expressing his/her...
National Endowment for the Humanities
A Raisin in the Sun: Whose "American Dream"?
How does Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun factor into a discussion of the American dream? High schoolers define the American dream and recognize the historical setting of the play. Additionally, they identify forms of...
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Lincoln's Legend and Legacy
Young scholars evaluate Lincoln's impact on American History. In this Civil War lesson, students view a film clip of writings about Lincoln. Young scholars take notes and compare how the writings define his legacy. Students write their...
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Populists and Progressives
Students study the Gilded Age in American History. They present a speech demonstrating knowledge of the platforms of the Progressives and Populists.
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Choices and Commitments: The Soldiers at Gettysburg
Students investigate the Gettysburg Campaign and the major actions for each day of the battle. They read primary source documents, write a diary entry, analyze the Gettysburg Address, and write a persuasive speech regarding an issue in...
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Sectionalism and the Kansas-Nebraska Act
Students define and discuss sectionalism and popular sovereignty, analyze impact of popular sovereignty in creation of state of Kansas, compare issues in territorial Kansas to current politically divisive topic, and evaluate primary...
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America's Civil Rights Movement
Eleventh graders explore, analyze and study the background to America's Civil Rights Movement through the court system, mass protest, public opinion, political cartoons and legislation. They research Rosa Parks, Brown vs. Board of...
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Birth and Early Childhood
Eighth graders read and compare creation stories of different cultures around the world. They identify and define the concept of the cycle of life and collect and analyze birth and childhood folk beliefs and stories in their families...
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With Malice toward None: Lincoln's Assassination
Students study the manhunt for, John Wilkes Booth, the man who assassinated Abraham Lincoln. In this lesson about a president, students write and role-play they are announcers who are informing the world of the assassination. Students...
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Reconstruction to Civil Rights
Eighth graders complete a unit of lessons on the period of time from Reconstruction to the Civil Rights movement. They analyze and interpret political cartoons and editorials, conduct research on famous civil rights places, and complete...
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Images of Cowboys
Students examine the image of the cowboy that is presented in popular culture. Students read about Native American, African American, Mexican, and Canadian Cowboys. For homework, they analyze a classroom textbook's depiction of cowboys.
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The Legacy of Imperialism
Tenth graders research the historical background of a chosen country. They analyze the effects of Imperialism from a personal, historic, and modern-day perspective. They formulate a postion regarding the effects of Imperialism in their...
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FDR's Fireside Chats: The Power of Words
Students examine Franklin D. Roosevelt's Fireside Chats. In this presidential history lesson, students listen to the radio broadcasts of select FDR Fireside Chats. Students analyze the effectiveness of his messages to the public as well...
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A New Birth of Freedom: Black Soldiers in the Union Army
Students use primary documents to analyze the events surrounding black soldiers joining the Union Army. In this content area reading lesson, students view multiple primary documents, analyzing and answering questions about them.
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Cartoons for the Classroom: Fine Tooning a Candidate's Message
In this current events learning exercise, students analyze political cartoons featuring John Kerry. Students respond to 4 talking point questions.
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Cartoons for the Classroom: Bushwhacked
In this historical events instructional activity, students analyze political cartoons that feature caricatures of President George W. Bush. Students respond to 3 short answer questions.
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What Was South Carolina's Role in the Spanish American War?
Seventh graders investigate the role of South Carolina in the Spanish American War. In this imperialism lesson, 7th graders analyze primary documents and photographs, in collaborative groups, to determine how the state was involved in...
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Popular Sovereignty Under the Kansas-Nebraska Act
Seventh graders examine the implications of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. In this slavery lesson, 7th graders examine a map of 1820 America and discuss the balance of power implied by the map. Students then read Stephen Douglas's speech on...
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Populism and the People’s Party
Students examine the history of the Populist Party as it relates to its reforms and economic plight. In this Populism and the People's Party lesson, students explore why farmers experienced financial difficulty at the end of the century....