American Idealist: What Is an Idealist?

What's missing from most studies of the American Revolutionary War is information about the role African Americans played in the conflict. To correct this oversight, middle schoolers research groups like the Black Loyalists and ...

Pupils define freedom, unity, progress, and responsibility in relation to American Heritage. They explore the origin of how American Heritage was developed and ways in which they can continue it today.  They also determine ways they...

Students consider American values. In this individual responsibility activity, students discuss democratic ideals that the nation was founded on and participate in an activity that requires them to create "What is an American?" collages...

Dividing the art of the Antebellum period into several different genres, this vibrant presentation is sure to get your students' attention. It takes your students on a walk through an art museum with famous paintings, architecture, and...

Eleventh graders ponder about what it means to be an "American." They discuss the impact of an author's word choice and sentence structure on text. They identify some major themes and development of the Letters... Compose paragraphs and...

Film analysis takes critical thinking, connections, and context. Upper graders look at the film installation, Crystal Palace in terms of the film makers choices, presentation, and perspective of truth. After an analytical discussion...

High schoolers explore the public service contributions of Sargent Shriver. In this public service lesson, students explore the work of the Peace Corps and investigate other service learning opportunities.

Learners explore cultural myths in America by collecting images and characteristics of stereotypical Americans. They read a primary source document, discussing the views of the author in class. Next, they compare the terms used to...

Did the Declaration of Independence really intend to grant liberty for all? Get your class thinking about historical perspective with documents relaying the experiences of women, white men, and African-Americans during the Revolutionary...

Students explore America's War on Poverty. In this American history activity, students research the work of Sergeant Shriver regarding poverty during the Johnson administration. Students share their research finding in an essay or oral...