Students will explore the documents that were used in shaping the United States, before, during, and after its creation. While studying these documents, students will use reading skills to interpret and analyze documents. By the end of...

The Our Documents group provides a look at the original, signed Declaration of Independence as well as a print version distributed soon after the original was signed. View and learn about the document and its history. RI.9-10.9 US Documents

An actual interactive copy of the original Tennessee Valley Authority Act that created cheap power in the Tennessee Valley. Links to larger images, a typed transcript, and a downloadable .PDF file are included on this site. Make sure to...

On December 6, 1830, President Jackson spoke to Congress about his position on relocating Indians in order to make way for settlers in the west. This paved the way for government policy in dealing with native peoples even after his...

[Free Registration/Login Required] In this Structured Academic Controversy (SAC), young scholars read four documents that give different accounts of how Lewis and Clark treated the Native Americans they met on their expedition. Students...

[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read primary source documents to solve a problem surrounding a historical question. In this inquiry lesson, two letters to George Washington allow students to consider the competing politics...

[Free Registration/Login Required] Students use primary source documents to investigate central historical questions. In this investigation, students must determine whether John Brown was a "misguided fanatic," by examining a speech by...

[Free Registration/Login Required] Learners use primary source documents to investigate central historical questions. In this investigation, students read six different sources that provide insight into what happened at Haymarket Square...

[Free Registration/Login Required] Students use primary source documents to investigate central historical questions. In this investigation, students examine a political cartoon, a muckraker text, and the defense of a political boss to...

[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read primary source documents to solve a problem surrounding a historical question. This document-based inquiry lesson allows students to read anti-war literature from World War I critics to...

[Free Registration/Login Required] Students solve a problem surrounding a historical question by reading primary source documents. When the USS Maine exploded in Havana Harbor, triggering the Spanish-American War, the New York Times and...

A collection of primary source materials presented on a timeline that showcase events in the history of the United States from 1625 on. Click on an image to go to a page with descriptive information about each item. Each description has...

[Free Registration/Login Required] In 1925, Tennessee lawmakers passed the Butler Act, explaining that teachers were not to discount Creationism in the classroom. Through documents and discussion provided with this instructional...

This site summarizes what a historian does, what tools they use, and how to prepare to ask a historical question.

These primary source documents are about ordinary Americans throughout US history. There is a full search feature. All the historical documents, whether they are text, image, or audio, have been vetted by a historian. They are initially...

Historical documents trace how the abolitionists virulently decried slavery and denounced those who supported it.

Contains the text of documents on the Sand Creek Massacre, including two editorials from the Rocky Mountain News, Congressional testimony by John S. Smith, and a deposition by John M. Chivington

The Freedom Train was a seven-car train that traveled across the United States from September 1947 until January 1949. This photographic essay describes the train, how it was created, the documents and exhibits that were on it, and the...

The Library of Congress provides several hundred documents relating to the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention. Content includes drafts of the Constitution, journals of Congress, resolutions, proclamations, committee...

This website is an excellent resource for teaching with primary sources. This resource features Holocaust lessons, lesson plan strategies, and podcasts.

A collection of primary source materials presented on a timeline that showcase illuminated manuscripts from 764 to 1889 that are in European museums and libraries. Click on an image to go to a page with descriptive information about each...

This site offers some historical background information about the passing of the GI Bill. Also lists the current benefits provided by the bill, along with the main provisions of the GI Bills associated with World War II, the Korean...

Students learn about archives and primary sources as they research original historical documents. While preparing an imaginative first-person account as if witnessing an historical event, they learn to appreciate the value of the...

A great resource that features a noteworthy collection of images relating to important events in Florida history.