Your history students will be on the edges of their seats during this fascinating presentation, which details the abolition movement and slave life during the Antebellum period in the American South. Students will be left agape at the...

Using primary source documents, pupils consider how the United States' democratic story has evolved over time. A second essay question examines the role of geography in history, and multiple-choice questions sharpen test-taking skills.

Project Paperclip, the Redstone Arsenal, and the Huntsville Space Center are all featured in a resource that investigates the contributions of Dr. Werner von Brawn and other German scientists to the US space program....

While canals are not the way to travel today, in the first half of the nineteenth century, they were sometimes the best way to move goods and people. Scholars examine primary sources, including maps and pictures, to investigate the role...

Fourth graders identify the impact of railroads on life in Texas. They explain how the railroad was used for transportation and communication. They brainstorm and create a list of transportation available in Texas during the Civil War.

Young historians research one of the most colorful periods in US History: the cattle drives of the 1800's. They research the three most popular trails, and complete mapping and writing assignments about each one. The lesson has many...

Young scholars examine history of slavery in United States, discuss abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass who worked to end slavery, listen to excerpts from Douglass' autobiography, and visit interactive Underground Railroad web site.

Learners develop computer research skills while searching facts about Harriet Tubman. Students learn about ways in which Harriet Tubman's childhood influenced her future. Learners learn to use primary documents to learn about the...

Middle schoolers put their geography skills to work. In this geography skills lesson, students research maps and other primary and secondary sources to simulate the site selection process for the Pennsylvania Railroad Shops post World...

Looking for an exam that uses primary sources to test young historians' analytical muscles? Check out a standardized test that asks learners to answer multiple-choice and essay questions to demonstrate their understanding of American...

The post-Civil War convict leasing program, rarely covered in textbooks, is the focus of a lesson that asks class members to use information drawn from primary source documents to assess the program. While the focus is on Alabama's...

Eleventh graders utilize a painting to explore the effects of the railroads on the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They discover how art can reflect the mood and spirit of the time in which they are created.

Students study the history of the United States in the 1800s, including the issue of slavery. They discover that the Underground Railroad was a network of people and hiding places in the United States and Canada, set up to help escaping...

Students explore desegregation in the courts. In this civil rights lesson, students listen to their instructor present a lecture on Supreme Court cases Brown v. Board of Education and Plessy v. Ferguson. Students examine the...

Students investigate primary documents to summarize the causes and effects of the Industrial Revolution, along with new inventions and industrial production methods.

Students view a painting as a document to find out about the Indian Treaty Councils.  In this artist's perspective lesson, students study the conflicts as shown in various pictures.  Students answer questions about what they...

Fourth graders discover the meaning of the different objects on the State Seal. They identify changes in the State Seal over time students hypothesize why elements have changed students suggest what elements should represent the State of...

America sure did have a few growing pains during the Industrial Revolution. Share the problems, causes, effects, and reformation that marked the turn of the century and shift in policy during US industrialization. This slide show...

Third graders describe some of the factors that brought early settlers to Ann Arbor. They read Narrative-A Trip from Utica, New York, to Ingham County, Michigan in 1838. As an added challenge, 3rd graders can use maps to track Silas...

A gold mine for American history teachers, this presentation cascades through the middle of the 19th century with the central themes of moral and social reform. Between the blossoming Mormon church, the tightening of the Temperance...

Although popular culture tells the story of the American West simplistically, its reality is far more complex. Native American tribes—while already on the land—didn't have the same interests, and conflicts between white settlers and...

Tenth graders compare the activities of the Underground Railroad with the Amistad Case. In this slavery lesson, 10th graders research primary and secondary sources to discover information about Connecticut abolitionists. Students use...

Eighth graders explore Louisville, KY area Underground Railroad museums. In this Underground Railroad instructional activity, 8th graders read Day of Tears by Julius Lester as well as other listed articles. Students discover how the...

Students examine aspects of the Transcontinental Railroad. In this Westward Expansion lesson plan, students conduct a web-quest in order to gather information about the Transcontinental Railroad. Students will use their information to...