Read Works
Read Works: Lincoln and the 13th Amendment to End Slavery
[Free Registration/Login Required] This ReadWorks passage provides a brief history of the official end to slavery in America, the 13th Amendment. A paired passage is part of this module, along with a lower level passage with related...
Internet History Sourcebooks Project
Fordham University: Modern History Sourcebook: United States: The Espionage Act, 1918
Find the text of the amended Section 3 of the Espionage Act.
PBS
Pbs News Hour: Your Safety and Security or Your Civil Liberties Lesson
The object of this lesson is to take a look at the USA Patriot Act and the controversies around the Act. Does the Patriot Act defy our Civil Liberties? This lesson will explore that question and more.
A&E Television
History.com: Women's History Month
Comprehensive site that delves into the history of women's suffrage and the famous women that we celebrate that helped to change history.
Thomson Reuters
Find Law: Jurisdiction of Federal Courts
This site describes the jurisdiction of the Federal Court system. The site breaks the court's jurisdiction into three main areas of institutional conflict: Federal Restraint of State Courts by Injunctions, Habeas Corpus: Scope of the...
A&E Television
History.com: Black History Milestones
A detailed account of the history of African Americans is presented in this article. Divided by main topics or periods of time, the coming of slavery to America is the first focus. Followed by plantation life and escapes to freedom and...
Cornell University
Cornell University: Library: I Will Be Heard! Abolitionism in America
A collection of original manuscripts, letters, photographs, rare books, and other materials on abolitionism from the 1700s through 1865.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: "With Malice Toward None"
A four-page discussion of Reconstruction from the plans Lincoln made while the Civil War was still raging to the end of Reconstruction with the election of Rutherford B. Hayes.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Ap Us History: 1844 1877: Reconstruction: Black Codes
Discusses the Black Codes that white Southerners imposed on African Americans after the Civil War and the efforts by Republican politicians to protect their rights.
US National Archives
Docsteach: Letter to President Abraham Lincoln From Annie Davis
Students will study a letter from Annie Davis, a woman who was enslaved in Maryland and wrote a letter to President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War to find out if 'we are free.' The students will decide if she received her freedom...
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: What Is Freedom?: Politics and Reconstruction [Pdf]
A lesson plan from the producers of the 16-episode PBS series "Freedom: A History of US" that guides students through an examination of the outcomes of the Civil War. Includes discussion prompts related to the effectiveness of...
Tennessee Historical Society
Tennessee Encyclopedia: Memphis Race Riot of 1866
A brief article outlining reasons for the anger and frustration of many whites in the Memphis area after the Civil War which resulted in the Memphis Race Riot.
Then Again
Then Again: Web Chron: World History Chronology: The 14th Amendment Is Ratified
Read about the 14th Amendment and its impact on the lives of African Americans during Reconstruction and later.
Columbia University
Columbia University: Columbia University & Slavery Post 1865: Faculty and Admin
After the Civil War concluded in 1865 and the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery, Columbia University's faculty members shaped historical interpretations of slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction, as well as scientific theories...
Curated OER
Passge of the 13th Amendment
Passge of the 13th amendment. Scene in the House on the passage of the proposition to amend the Constitution, January 31, 1865.
Then Again
Then Again: Web Chron: Reconstruction Era
A short timeline on the main events of the period of Reconstruction from 1865 to 1897. A few of the events are clickable and can be followed for additional information.
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Foreign War and Domestic Freedom: (Civil Liberties Lesson Plan)
A lesson plan that directs students to review the concept of civil liberties and to examine examples from American history wherein rights were restricted. They will investigate key arguments between those who seek to restrict liberties...
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: Freedom: A History of Us: We Shall Overcome Webisode 15
Webisode 15 - We Shall Overcome. The history of the United States is presented in a series of webisodes, within each are a number of segments.Included are links to lesson plans, teacher guides, resources, activities, and tools.
US House of Representatives
History, Art, and Archives: Us House of Representatives: Legislative Interests
The goals of third generation congresswomen were aimed at creating opportunities for women in education and the workplace. Women members continued to play a prominent part in legislation on diverse national concerns, ranging from Cold...
Library of Congress
Loc: African American Odyssey: Reconstruction and Its Aftermath
From the Library of Congress, this resource documents the course of post-Civil War, post-slavery life for black Americans. Topics include education, constitutional amendments, voting rights and the many challenges African Americans faced...
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Samuel Freeman Miller
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Samuel Freeman Miller, an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1862-90), a leading opponent of efforts to use the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution to protect business...
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: John Marshall Harlan
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features John Marshall Harlan, an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1877 until his death and one of the most forceful dissenters in the history of that tribunal. His best...
US National Archives
Our Documents: A National Initiative on American History, Civics, and Service
Our Documents is home to one hundred milestone documents that influenced that course of American history and American democracy. Includes full-page scans of each document, transcriptions, background information on their significance, and...