PBS
Democracy in Action: Freedom Riders
This is a must-have resource for every social studies teacher covering the civil rights movement. Through an engaging video and detailed viewing guide, young historians learn about the Freedom Riders, and discover how everyday...
McGraw Hill
Study Guide for The Scarlet Letter
How does or society punish people who break the law? What effect does guilt have on a person's life? In what way does or society demand we conform to certain conventions? Such questions, found in this study guide, are sure to...
Film Education
Glory
If you are previewing the film Glory for your young historians, this packet may help you spark ideas for discussion and offer some interesting facts and quotations that may add to your presentation of this Civil War narrative. It...
PBS
The Diary of Anne Frank
While designed to supplement a viewing of the PBS Masterpiece Classic The Diary of Anne Frank, this resource can also serve as an excellent informational text and activity source for your students on the historical context and timeline...
University of Colorado
University of Colorado: American History and Film: Time Magazine the Generation Gap
These excerpts appeared in "Time Magazine" between 1967 and 1968 and reveal the country's frustration with the growing influence of the sixties counterculture.
National Women’s History Museum
National Women's History Museum: Anna May Wong
Appearing in over sixty movies throughout her career, Anna May Wong was the first Chinese American film star in Hollywood.
The History Place
The History Place: The Triumph of Hitler: Triumph of the Will
Describes Hitler's rallies in Nuremberg and the film, Triumph of the Will, directed by Leni Riefenstahl that was used in the Nazi propaganda campaign.
Other
Reel Classics: Shirley Temple
This guide offers a history of child film star Shirley Temple's career. Includes audio and video. Requires Quicktime.
White Pine Pictures
White Pine Pictures: Breaking the Ice: The Mary Ann Shadd Story
Mary Ann Shadd was born in Wilmington, Delaware in 1823. She emigrated to Windsor, Upper Canada and was a leader in advocating for integrated schools at a time when most Canadians believed segregated schools should predominate. This web...
White Pine Pictures
White Pine Pictures: Black Battalion
This site, support material for a documentary film, outlines the history of the No. 2 Construction Battalion, a non-combatant Black battalion established in 1916. It was created to permit Blacks to participate in the war effort. This new...
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Bill Robinson
Learn about the life and career of Bill Robinson, an American dancer of Broadway and Hollywood, best known for his dancing roles with Shirley Temple in films of the 1930s.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: James Earl Jones
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features James Earl Jones, an American actor who made his name in leading stage roles in Shakespeare's Othello and in The Great White Hope, a play about the tragic career of the first black...
Smithsonian Institution
Lemelson Center: Tracing the Roots of America's Motion Picture Industry
In the late 1800's, Thomas Edison and his fellow inventors were key in the American film industry's boom.This web site provides a podcast and accompanying transcript tracing the roots of the film industry in America. Podcast [21:27]
Other
Kingwood Library: American Cultural History: 1940 1949
Take a walk through this part of American history surrounding World War II. Each section includes cultural history of the time, with links pertaining to art and architecture, books and literature, education, fads and fashion, historic...
Other
Something About Mary Pickford
This article is about the life and career of Mary Pickford, a Canadian-born actress who gained fame as a silent film star in Hollywood.
Library of Congress
Loc: America at the Turn of the Century
A short report on America by 1900: "..the American nation had established itself as a world power. The West was Won. The frontier -- the great fact of 300 years of American history -- was no more."
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Laurence Fishburne
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Laurence Fishburne, an American actor noted for the intensity of his performances. He was the recipient of a Tony Award (1992) for his work in August Wilson's play Two Trains Running, and...
The Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute: A Century of Development
The Franklin Institute looks at the invention of the Brownie camera, which helped put photography into the hands of amateurs and allowed the middle class to take their own snapshots as well in the early 20th century.
Alberta Online Encyclopedia
Alberta Online Encyclopedia: Famous 5 Heritage Edukit: Student Zone
The Famous 5 Heritage Edukit is a great place to increase your knowledge and understanding of these important women in Canada's history. Learn about the individual women by visiting the 'profiles section'. View films such as 'Now that we...
White Pine Pictures
White Pine Pictures: Hungarian Revolution 1956
As part of the film series produced about various groups that resettled in Canada, White Pines Pictures gives a brief historical background of the wave of Hungarian immigration in 1956. Click on the teacher link at the top for lesson...
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Melvin Van Peebles
Learn about the life and career of Melvin Van Peeples, the American filmmaker who wrote, directed, and starred in Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971), a groundbreaking film that spearheaded the rush of African American action films...
Wikimedia
Wikipedia: Paris, Ontario
Paris Ontario is located on the Grand River in Ontario and was first settled in 1829. It was named for local gypsum deposits that were used to make plaster of Paris. Home to many famous Canadians it has also been featured in numerous...
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Paul Winfield
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Paul Winfield, an American film and television actor perhaps best known for his role in the film Sounder (1972).
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Jamie Foxx
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Jamie Foxx, an American comedian, musician, and actor, who became known for his impersonations on the television sketch-comedy show In Living Color and later proved himself a versatile...