A tutorial that looks at the main causes of the American Civil War. A PDF file of the tutorial is available.

Trace the causes and debates that led to the Spanish-American War, including "yellow journalism" press coverage, President McKinley's declaration of war, and sentiments about imperialism. In this interactive lesson from WGBH, students...

A list with descriptions of the major events that led up to the outbreak of the Civil War.

[Free Registration/Login Required] In the Civil War and Reconstruction unit, students engage in contentious historiographic debates about the period: Was Lincoln a racist? Was Reconstruction a success or failure? Was John Brown a...

With this Teacher's Guide to "Diet Wars," students will learn about the USDA food pyramid, evaluate their own food consumption, and examine their school lunch program for nutrition and health purposes. This FRONTLINE documentary examines...

From National Public Radio, the controversy surrounding President Bush's domestic wiretapping program is looked at. Learn what it's all about. Ongoing coverage of the debate is provided.

The Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1858 exemplified the rift in the nation concerning the issue of slavery and who should be able to determine whether states were free or slave. Read about this war of ideas that moved from the stage in...

Take this quiz to assess your knowledge on the Cold War.

The day before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Roosevelt gave the go-ahead to scientists to develop an atomic bomb. This site gives a good overview of the war in the Pacific against Japan, the increasing successes of the...

The Compromise of 1850 did not solve all the slavery issues in the territories, which was not surprising. Read about the Kansas-Nebraska Act, put forth by Sen. Stephan Douglas, who proposed that the issue be decided by popular...

This collection of documents examines the post-Korean War disputes and debates within the Korean Workers' Party which culminated in the 1956 August Plenum.

The Compromise of 1850 attempted to settle sectional disagreements about slavery in the volatile pre-Civil War period. The compromise, actually a series of bills, had an enormous impact on the nation's slow march to civil war. See...

Assess how the Emancipation Proclamation expanded ideas of freedom and liberty, looking at the antislavery debate that led to the proclamation, the influences on Lincoln's decision, and the provisions of the document. In this interactive...

[Free Registration/Login Required] Leaders European democracies, like Britain, utilized the appeasement policy during the years during Hitler's dictatorship prior to World War II. The decision to use the policy are greatly debated still....

Learn about the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Passed in 1854, it reopened the debate over the expansion of slavery in the United States.

[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart contains information about the renewed debate over the spread of slavery after the Mexican War. It describes the Wilmot Proviso, popular sovereignty, the Compromise of 1850, the Fugitive...

Read about the campaign and election of 1960 in which the Democratic candidate, Senator John F. Kennedy, ran against the Repbulican candidate, Vice-President Richard M. Nixon. Find out about the issues, the famous debates, and Kennedy's...

Presents key ideas for examining the events and issues that led to the American Civil War.

Examines the circumstances surrounding Texas's entry into the Union in 1845 as a slave state. It was an uneasy union, with ongoing controversy around the issue of slavery. This lasted through the Mexican-American War and helped to...

A 2004 essay from Smithsonian Magazine on the debate over the surprise attacks of the Tet Offensive. The author, who was a reporter during the Vietnam War, explores the topic by asking who utlimately won?

The formation of the Second Bank of the United States and its actions were a prelude to the very important Supreme Court decision, McCulloch v. Maryland. Read about the issues that were debated and the unanimous decision handed down by...

Provides biographical facts about Stephen Arnold Douglas in bulleted list format.

Overview of Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration after his decisive re-election in 1936. Discusses political party organization and the debate over government responsibility to citizens.

[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart details the growing political divisions in the United States in the decade before the Civil War. It includes information on the election of 1856, the Dred Scott Decision, the Lincoln...