Curated OER
Active Viewing: Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided
Young historians consider the cause and effects of the Emancipation Proclamation. They use handouts, response sheets, and class discussion to build an opinion about the subject after viewing the PBS documentary Abraham and Mary Lincoln:...
NPR
Civil Rights of Japanese-American Internees
Prompted by a viewing of Emiko and Chizu Omori’s Rabbit in the Moon, a documentary about the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, high schoolers examine a series of documents, including the Bill of Rights and the UN’s...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Volume 2 - A History of the United States: Modern Times—Late 1800s to the 2000s
The second volume of the Core Knowledge History of the United States ebook begins by asking young scholars to consider the impact immigration, industrialization, and urbanization had on the United States in the late 1800s. The text ends...
Curated OER
Images at War
High schoolers examine American attitudes toward war as revealed in Civil War photographs and WWII homefront posters. They analyze and discuss photos, explore the National Archives website, and organize a statement of their findings.
Center for History Education
Continuity or Change? African Americans in World War II
While World War II was a pivotal moment in history, historians debate its importance to the civil rights movement. Class members consider the implications of segregation and the war using a series of documents and a jigsaw activity....
Curated OER
Was There an Industrial Revolution? Americans at Work Before the Civil War
Students investigate the First U.S. Industrial Revolution. They identify positive and negative effects of early industrialization, read first-hand accounts, role-play and interview individuals, and participate in a debate.
Lehigh University
Glory (1989) - Should it be Shown in Class?
This is a fantastic activity that prompts learners to think like educators and consider the value of a historically based film beyond just the accuracy of information. Your young historians will work in groups to do a close reading and...
Center for History Education
Helping to Move On? An Analysis of the Reconstruction Amendments
Reconstruction amendments: a helping hand or another form of slavery? An inquisitive lesson compares the Reconstruction legislation that ended slavery, granted citizenship, and protected voting right for African American men. Scholars...
NET Foundation for Television
1850-1874 African American Settlers
Go West, young man! Scholars investigate the impact of African American settlers moving to the Nebraska territory, following the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in the mid 1800s. Using primary sources, timelines, maps, and...
Crafting Freedom
Man in the Middle: Thomas Day and the Free Black Experience
How did free and enslaved blacks work to craft freedom for themselves and their families before the Civil War? Young historians read about the life of Thomas Day, a free black man who also owned slaves and had abolitionist ties in...
US House of Representatives
“The Fifteenth Amendment in Flesh and Blood,” The Symbolic Generation of Black Americans in Congress, 1870–1887
The reading of a contextual essay launches a study of Black Americans who served in Congress from 1870 through 1887. Young historians identify the African Americans who served during this period, investigate the ways they won national...
Southern Poverty Law Center
Teaching Hard History: A Framework for Teaching American Slavery
Pupils investigate American slavery from colonial times through the Civil War. They incorporate primary sources, video clips, and firsthand accounts to understand how the slavery issue gripped the nation. Essays, presentations, and...
Facing History and Ourselves
The Legacies of Reconstruction
The final lesson in the seven-resource Reconstruction Era collection examines the legacies of Reconstruction. Class members investigate why the period has been called an "unfinished revolution," "a splendid failure," and "the second...
National Park Service
Discover the Mary Ann Shadd Cary House
Mary Ann Shadd Cary was an extraordinary woman, no matter the time period. Academics research the life and achievements of Mrs. Cary, who was born a free African American in 1823. The lesson plan uses primary sources, worksheets, written...
US House of Representatives
Hispanic Congressional Representation in the Era of U.S. Continental Expansion, 1822–1898
From the Louisiana Purchase to the Spanish-American War, the history of the United States is intertwined with the story of Hispanic Americans. Using an article about Hispanics in Congress during the 1800s, learners research their lives...
Humanities Texas
Primary Source Worksheet: Excerpt from the Diary of Union Soldier Samuel Cormany
Young historians read and analyze a soldier's direct account of his participation in the battle of Gettysburg, as well as consider the overall strategy and tactics taken by the Union and Confederate troops.
Center for History Education
Slavery and Civil Disobedience: Christiana Riot of 1851
When is it a moral obligation to disobey the law or to fight back? Using primary sources that document the "Christiana Riot" of 1851, learners consider these questions. The firsthand accounts tell the story of the riot, which happened...
Anti-Defamation League
The Road to Brown
As part of the study of segregation in U.S. schools, scholars research and create a timeline of events that led to the historic Supreme Court case, Brown V. Board of Education. Groups research a topic or event that led to the decision,...
Curated OER
Addressing the Nation
Middle schoolers examine the leadership skills of Civil War leaders. In this American Civil War lesson, students describe attributes of effective leaders and then debate the effectiveness of leaders during the war.
Curated OER
The Home Front (Circa 1863)
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this American Civil War instructional activity, students examine sources and then write personal accounts of the war.
Curated OER
Hoosier Soldiers and the Emancipation Proclamation
Eighth graders examine the impact of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation through the eyes of Indiana soldiers. For this American Civil War lesson, 8th graders read the proclamation and then students write essays that included letters...
Curated OER
The Life of a Hoosier Soldier, based on the letters of Lt. John V. Hadley
Eighth graders take a closer look at the life of Union soldiers. In this American Civil War lesson, 8th graders read and analyze a series of letters from Lt. John Hadley to his fiancée. Students chart their findings from the letters on...
C3 Teachers
Emancipation: Does It Matter Who Freed the Slaves?
Scholars generally agree on the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. This inquiry-based lesson asks high schoolers to consider more than the claims of who freed the enslaved people but the significance of the issues...
Curated OER
The Massachusetts 54th Regiment: Honoring the Heroes
Learners use art and images analyze the Civil War. In this instructional activity on the Shaw Memorial, students engage in 3 activities, discussion, and art analysis to better comprehend the events of the Civil War. This instructional...