Alabama Department of Archives and History
Alabama's Secession in 1861: Embraced with Joy and Great Confidence. Why?
From December 20, 1860 to June 8, 1861, eleven states seceded from the Union. Alabama seceded on January 11, 1861. Why did so many white Alabamians want to secede? Why did they believe the South could win the war? These are the essential...
City University of New York
Jim Crow and Voting Rights
Class groups examine primary source documents to determine how the voting rights of African Americans were restricted after the failure of Reconstruction, and how African American participation in World War II lead to change.
National Endowment for the Humanities
A Journalist’s Report: The Better Vision for Black Americans
After reading a series of primary source documents detailing the teachings of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, class members craft newspaper columns assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each man's vision, and present their...
PBS
African American History: Climbing the Wall
Imagine the challenge of trying to trace your family genealogy if no records were kept of births and deaths. Where would you look for information? What types of documents could provide you with the information you seek? History...
New York State Education Department
Global History and Geography Examination: June 2015
Looking for a new writing prompt or primary source practice for your global history or geography class? Take a look at a helpful state standardized test for additional practice for your learners. Writing prompts include asking scholars...
Curated OER
Making the Most of Primary Sources: The Successful Interview
In this interviewing skills worksheet, students read a 2-page outline of tips for conducting interviews as part of the research process and then use the tips to interview someone.
Curated OER
Can you Prove it?
Tenth graders examine how primary source documents help authors and museum curators interpret historic events. For this social studies lesson, 10th graders research primary source documents. Students create a powerpoint to...
Curated OER
Analysis of the Diary of Narcissa Whitman
Seventh graders explore the West through the eyes of a settler. For this Westward Expansion lesson, 7th graders read excerpts from the diary of Narcissa Whitman as she journeyed West from Pennsylvania. Students respond to critical...
Staples Foundation For Learning
The President’s Desk
What stories can a desk paperweight and picture frame possibly tell us about the president of the United States? Pupils are transported to the desk of President John F. Kennedy through an engaging interactive site. The guide offers...
Curated OER
Ideas have Consequences—The Reformation
Young scholars examine information regarding the Protestant Reformation. In this primary source analysis lesson, students read teacher-selected primary sources that enable them to analyze the ideas and consequences of the Reformation.
Curated OER
Civil War Narratives found in a Trunk
Students consider how the American Civil War affected Northerners and Southerners. In this primary source analysis instructional activity, students read the provided narratives of the war and respond to questions about both of the...
Curated OER
Unchained Memories
Eleventh graders consider what life was like for American slaves. In this primary source analysis lesson, 11th graders read slave narratives from Unchained Memories and then participate in a discussion about the conditions in which...
Curated OER
Interpreting Political Cartoons – Vietnam Era
Eleventh graders explore opinions regarding U.S. involvement in Vietnam. In this primary source analysis lesson, 11th graders analyze political cartoons related to the Vietnam War and then respond to the provided discussion questions.
Curated OER
Using Primary Sources in the Classroom: Slavery Unit Lesson 1: Slave Code of 1833
Students explore the concept of slavery. In this primary research lesson, students read the Alabama Slave Code of 1833 and discuss its implications. Students also examine emancipation-related documents and respond to questions regarding...
Library of Congress
Marco Paul's Travels on the Erie Canal: An Educational Voyage
Following the book, Marco Paul's Travels on the Erie Canal, readers complete an activity for each chapter, take part in discussions, and respond to several questions. To show what they know, scholars create an alphabet book using primary...
Syracuse University
American Industrial Revolution
While the Industrial Revolution may have fueled America's rise to the top of world markets, the child laborers often faced dangerous conditions. Using primary source images and other information, scholars consider what these children...
Syracuse University
Erie Canal
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...
Library of Congress
Stars, Stripes and Symbols of America: Comparing Our Flag, Past and Present
Your young historians will compare and contrast the details of the American flag today with an an image of the nation's flag from the post-Civil War era, and identify the flag's importance as a national symbol through analysis...
Middle Tennessee State University
Help Is on the Way: Civil War Women and Relief Work
The role women played in the Civil War, especially in relief efforts, is the focus of this seven-page resource. Groups examine primary source materials to determine how this work reflected and expanded the traditional roles women held in...
American Battlefield Trust
Antietam 360
It was the single bloodiest day in Civil War history. Now, class members have the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of soldiers who fought in the Battle of Antietam using an interactive website. Supplemental resources include...
US National Archives
WWII: Western Europe 1939-45 – Battle of Britain
Had Britain not emerged as the victors of the 1940 Battle of Britain, World War II would have ended much differently—and the world as we know it would be catastrophically altered. Learn more about this pivotal moment that kept the Nazis...
Center for History Education
This Land is Whose Land?
Whose land is it, anyway? Young scholars debate the question using primary sources from a case where Maryland indigenous people petitioned for land rights after they lost their original tribal lands. An included chart helps organize...
Curated OER
Understanding Clues from the Past: School Days
Third graders read primary and secondary sources as the study about schools in the early years of Kansas. In this primary and secondary source lesson, 3rd graders examine how historians use primary source documents to tell about the past...
Curated OER
African Americans in Aviation: The 1940s- A Decade of Change
Students investigate African Americans in aviation. In this primary resources lesson plan, students examine primary resources to research the history of African American in aviation. Students answer two research questions and write an...