Housing and Houselessness: A Guide for Pre-Service Teachers
Help students understand the how policy and structural forces have shaped how people in the U.S. access housing.
For Us the Living
A series of five primary source based learning modules that encourage high school students to explore American history through the stories found in Alexandria National Cemetery.
Prohibition: A Film by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick
What did the effects of the 18th Amendment look like? Explore 1921 through 1933 through images and film.
The Montgomery Bus Boycott: They Changed the World
How was the 1955–1956 Montgomery Bus Boycott covered in Montgomery? Take a look with this archive from a Montgomery newspaper!
Turning Students into Historians
How do you engage students with primary sources and their community? Jasmine Alinder shares a success story!
The March on Milwaukee Civil Rights History Project
Wisconsin teachers, bring the Civil Rights Movement home to your students with this archive of primary sources.
Teaching the Emancipation Proclamation on Constitution Day
This Constitution Day, the National Endowment for the Humanities asks, how is the Emancipation Proclamation like the U.S. Constitution?
Women's Rights: Sarah Bagley Letters
What do these letters from a women’s rights activist reveal about social causes in the 1840s?
Film Review: Prohibition
Historian Tona Hangen takes a look at Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s three-part documentary on Prohibition.
Women's Suffrage: Jane Addams's Article
Who was Jane Addams, and how is her article “Why Women Should Vote” still relevant today?
Women's Suffrage: Burroughs's Article
In the struggle for women’s suffrage, how did African American women represent themselves? TJ Boisseau reads an article by activist Nannie Helen Burroughs.
Women's Suffrage Photographs
How did the women’s suffrage movement use the rise of journalism to its advantage? TJ Boisseau looks at what photographs reveal.
Women's Suffrage Cartoon
How does a political cartoon use popular beliefs about women to make its point? Historian TJ Boisseau examines the conventions in this image.
The Short-Handled Hoe
History is imbedded in the smallest objects. In this lesson, students examine how a simple farming tool connects to the work done by United Farm Workers.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The government acts for fauna as well as society. When did this start? Why?
Establishing Connections: Teaching the Progressive Era
Students are often disconnected from the past. Why not immerse them in historic study by building off things they already know?
Instigating a Ban on "Spirituous Liquors"
Discover the motivations fueling the 19th-century temperance movement.
Jackie Robinson and Martin Luther King Jr.
What connections do documents related to the Jackie Robinson Testimonial Dinner in 1962 make between these two men?
Voices of Women's Reform
There’s more to it than Seneca Falls.
The Standardization of American English
Why is colonial written English so different from the version we use today?
African American History Month: Civil Rights Worldwide
These African American civil rights activists affected more than the U.S.
Reading a Cartoon: Massive Resistance
What do the objects in this 1954 editorial cartoon stand for?
Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman
Can you trust a biography? Historian Tiya Miles analyzes an 1869 biography of abolitionist Harriet Tubman.
In Dr. King's Words
People can identify (some of) the words of Martin Luther King Jr. Can you place these quotes?
Resources for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Do you use Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a teachable moment? Our spotlight page and other resources can help!
Abolitionist Speeches by African American Women
How do the speeches of Sojourner Truth and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper differ? Historian Carla Peterson examines documents for answers.
Lewis Hine: Caption Critique
Does a caption change the meaning of a photograph?
Puerto Rico Encyclopedia/Enciclopedia de Puerto Rico
Connect with your ELL students with this bilingual Puerto Rico Encyclopedia!
Shays' Rebellion and the Making of a Nation
Engage your students in historical thinking with this interactive site on the rebellion led by Daniel Shays.
Constitution Day Count
How does the Constitution measure up to other important documents in U.S. history?
Sewall-Belmont House Museum Collections
Allow the National Woman’s Party to show you their collection on women’s progress to equality.
Joe Hill
Union strikes. Murder. Itinerant songwriting. The life of martyr Joe Hill could hardly have been more dramatic or mysterious.
iCivics
Games can be more than mindless fluff. When content-rich, they can engage your students in learning during play.
Finishing the Dream: Learning from the Civil Rights Era
This collection of short videos recognizes the civil rights movement as ongoing struggle.
Freedom Riders
Meet the American men and women who traveled the South in the name of black/white equality.
Amy Trenkle on Glogging Class Greats
Posterboard and rubber cement may work for some projects, but students can also avoid the mess—and incorporate audiovisuals—by making glogs (virtual posters) online.
Anthony Pellegrino on Teaching Segregated History
Anthony Pellegrino explores the history of one segregated school, and complicates his understanding of a traditional textbook narrative.
Joe Jelen's Ads as Primary Sources: The Ad Council's Historic Campaigns
Advertisements don’t always use ideas to sell products—sometimes they use ideas to sell ideas. Explore the ideas the Ad Council’s PSAs have sold, Joe Jelen suggests.
American Resistance to a Standing Army
Americans of the 18th century took a much dimmer view of the institution of a professional army than current views of the U.S. military.
In Pursuit of Freedom
Frederick Douglass approached the abolition of slavery from within the confines of the Constitution.
Black-Robed Regiment
Not technically a military force, the “Regiment” proved integral to the success of the American Revolution.
National History Day Project: The Civil Rights Act of 1964
Learn more about the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
On Gendering the Constitution
The agitation among women’s rights activists over the language of the 14th Amendment.
Roosevelt's Tree Army
The work of the Civilian Conservation Corps in central New York State.
Historical Improbabilities
Truth is stranger than fiction, they say. Can you tell the difference?
The Garden of Infants
Kindergarten came to America in the 19th century on a wave of German Romantic Idealism.
Anthony Pellegrino's Into the Weeds: Harnessing the Power of Music to Teach Social Studies
Present the context first, or later? Teaching with music can be valuable both ways, says teacher educator Anthony Pellegrino.
Zinn Education Project
Wanting to go deeper into the history of labor and marginalized groups in the U.S.?
Dissent in the Ranks
George Washington’s military career and reputation were not pure successes. His military losses caused some to question his ability to lead a nation.
Cold War Wrestling Match
How political cartoons illustrate international events and the artists beliefs.
A Day On, Not a Day Off
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! Celebrate this holiday as a day of public service.
Diversity in the 1920s
Segregation and equality in America was a case of double standards.
Civil Rights Sit-in
“Local custom” was at odds with company policy in Jackson, MS.
Taxation to Revolution
It was reasoned that no colonists could fear an act that made them drink cheaper tea.
The Disaster of Innovation
How the cotton gin revolutionized the use of slaves and the production of cotton in the Southern United States.
Freedom's Story: Teaching African American Literature and History
Slavery, Reconstruction, the Civil Rights Movement—you have to teach these topics, so check out these essays to enrich your curriculum!
Intertwined Development: Railroads and Political Parties
The influence of the booming rail system on the growth and development of three political parties in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Picturing the American Revolution
Looking for a creative way to teach the American Revolution to struggling readers? Check this out!
Anthony Pellegrino: Let the Music Play!...in Our Classrooms
Teach with punk, hip hop, and classic rock with these suggestions from teacher educator Anthony Pellegrino.
Forming Lesson Plans Around State Mandates
How do you teach the effects of WWI on art and literature? Transforming a content standard into a solid lesson plan.
OurStory
Link literature and history with activity sets for 18 books and a database of over 270 other books for young readers.
Civil War Photos: What Do You See?
Analysis of photographs of Civil War artillery broadens students understanding of the American Industrial period.
The Cost of Industrialization
Use the Triangle Shirtwaist fire to examine the benefits and costs of industrialization.
Voices in the Whirlwind
To each prophet, a certain way of speaking. Match civil rights leaders with their words.
United We Stand: Industry and Famous Strikes
Stand up (or sit down) for better working conditions! Test your knowledge of strikes in U.S. history.
We the People . . . Rarely Agree
What does the Constitution mean to you? Match each quote to the historical figure whose view of the Constitution it reveals.
Monuments to a Dream: Martin Luther King Jr. Memorials
Answer these questions about memorials to the life and ideals of MLK.
Fly Away Jim Crow
Equality requires more than a Proclamation. Try to answer these questions on Jim Crow.
Teaching the 20th
When does the past go from ‘recent’ to ‘history?’ Consider these questions about textbook portrayals of late 20th-century events.
The Era of Reform
Was the antebellum period the height of reform movements in U.S. history?
Snuff ‘n Sniff
Cities as olfactory factories and what, historically, humans have thought and done about it.
Seattle General Strike Project
In 1919, Seattle workers launched the first general strike in U.S. history. Explore labor history with over 100 newspaper articles and other sources on the strike.
Chicano/a Movement in Washington State History Project
Washington State educators, bring diversity and reform activism into your classroom with resources on this civil rights movement.
Cross-checking Sources and Testing Hypotheses
Challenge students to gather evidence from multiple primary sources. Here, a high school student uses two related primary sources to understand the civil rights movement.
Reading for Context
If students lack historical context, they can miss the substance of a reading. Watch a high school sophomore use what he knows about the 1950s and 1960s to approach a diary extract.
Woman Suffrage and the 19th Amendment
Relive the dream of the women’s vote through roleplay or interfacing with primary documents.
Laboring to Bring Forth Child Labor Statistics
How many children were at work on the eve of World War II? What types of jobs did they hold?
Massive Resistance through Political Cartoons
Watch 4th-graders analyze cartoons about Virginia and Brown v. Board of Education.
Third Graders Analyzing Historical Sources
A 3rd-grade teacher leads her students through analysis of child labor photographs.
Voting Rights and the 14th Amendment
How did women suffer no suffrage through the 14th Amendment?
Land of (Unequal) Opportunity
460 documents and images on civil rights in Arkansas, from before, during, and after the civil rights movement.
Wisconsin Historical Society: Freedom's Journal
All 102 issues of the first African American newspaper conveniently presented in PDF format.
Trial of The Chicago Seven
Explore radical activism and 1960s culture through the trial of the Chicago Seven.
Bisbee Deportation of 1917
Learn about labor history through the infamous Bisbee Deportation.
Carrie Chapman Catt Girlhood Home and Museum
A useful gateway site for materials on Carrie Chapman Catt and the women’s suffrage movement.
The Whole World Was Watching: An Oral History of 1968
An oral history of 1968, as told by a variety of Rhode Island residents, focusing on Civil Rights and Vietnam.
Liberty Rhetoric and 19th-Century American Women
Compare early women’s rights campaigns to the rhetoric of the American Revolution.
The Crisis of the Union
An impressive array of tracts (and more) brought together for your convenience.
Civil Rights Oral History Interviews: Spokane, Washington
From racism to civil rights movement music, listen to the memories of these eight individuals.
African-Americans--Biography, Autobiography, and History
Read a selection of the world’s greatest speeches by prominent African American figures.
African Americans in Massachusetts
Compare perspectives on educational desegregation. How did it affect the community?
Lesson Plans Library
Hundreds of lesson plans, right at your fingertips. Incorporate them in the classroom.
Lift Every Voice: Music in American Life
What work can be accomplished through music?
History Through Deaf Eyes
What has the U.S. deaf population experienced?
Austin Treasures: Online Exhibits from the Austin History Center
Discover the depth of Austin, Texas’s urban history through 10 online exhibits containing images and essays.
We Shall Overcome: Historic Places of the Civil Rights Movement
Which locations, open for visitation, are most relevant to the civil rights movement?
Heading West and Touring West
View maps of the West, while simultaneously looking into the lives of traveling performers.
Democratic Vistas: The William Clyde DeVane Lecture Series
Look to the past to consider the prospects of democracy in the U.S.
Agents of Social Change: 20th-Century Women's Activism
Source documents to help you approach 20th-century feminism.
Regional Oral History Office
Explore California oral histories, or learn to conduct your own interviews.
An American Family: The Beecher Tradition
Did you know that Harriet Beecher Stowe’s family was also involved in abolitionism?
Jo Freeman.com
Explore women’s political history and activism from the 1960s onward.
Hall of Black Achievement Gallery
Meet 30 influential African Americans who contributed across a wide variety of fields.
Papers of John Jay
Read the correspondence of lesser known founding father John Jay.
One Hundred Years of Photography from the National Archives
Relive the 20th century through iconic imagery—more than 70 photographs represent major U.S. events.
History Cooperative
Catch up on the latest scholarly research, and learn and incorporate new scholarship or innovative findings into the classroom.
May 4 Collection, Kent State University
What can we learn from the Kent State Riots?
Pioneering the Upper Midwest: Rare Books c. 1820-1910
Explore Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin life through rare books.
Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920
What do the songs people sing tell us about their lives?
Florida Heritage Collection
Explore Florida state, regional, and local history.
Brooklyn Daily Eagle Online (1841-1902)
Explore the history of Brooklyn, 1841 through 1902, with historical newspaper issues.
Earliest Voices: A Gallery from the Vincent Voice Library
Hear the conviction and charisma of seven renowned turn-of-the-century speakers.
Across the Generations: Exploring U.S. History through Family Papers
Experience Caucasian, middle-class Northeastern life through the collections of four families.
Picturing Modern America Project
Create your own thematic exhibits using Library of Congress images.
WTO History Project
Take a peek at Seattle protest history through the WTO Ministerial Week.
Woman's Legal History Biography Project
How many female lawyers can you think of in U.S. history?
With an Even Hand: Brown v. Board at Fifty
Examine the events which led to and the aftermath of Brown v. Board of Education.
The Pill
How has the birth control pill altered sexuality and feminine gender expectations?
Women Working, 1800-1930
What did women think of their work at home, in the arts, and in business?
American Memory Learning Page
Try lesson plans based on the Library of Congress’ American Memory collections.
Women of Valor
Meet international anarchist and women’s rights activist Emma Goldman.
Civil Rights Movement Veterans
Access the human stories of the civil rights movement.
New Jersery History Partnership Project
Use New Jersey during the American Revolution as a national microcosm.
Vietnam War Era Ephemera Collection
Explore campus protest ephemera and the youth movements of the 1960s and 70s.
Lest We Forget: The Triumph Over Slavery
Explore slavery in America from nine thematic perspectives.
Columbia River Basin Ethnic History Archive
Which ethnic groups have made their homes in the Columbia River Basin?
Say it Plain: A Century of Great African American Speeches
Hear 12 renowned speeches by African Americans, including Marcus Garvey’s only known recording.
Adams Family Papers
You probably know about John Adam’s political career, but what of the Adams’ domestic life?
Slavery and the Making of America
An extensive glimpse into slave life and the history of slavery in the United States.
Freedom Now! An Archival Project of Tougaloo College and Brown University
Immerse yourself in the historical struggle for the African American vote in Mississippi.
Benjamin Franklin: In His Own Words
Get to know Benjamin Franklin through his own writings, cartoons, and letters.
Library of Congress: Webcasts
Access more than 500 webcasts from the Library of Congress.
Helen Keller Kid's Museum
Present Helen Keller’s story in more detail with photographs and historical background.
The History Box
Have a question about New York City or state history? More than 750 articles available.
The Malcolm X Project
Read FBI files on and watch interviews about Malcolm X, human and African American rights activist.
Jewish Women and the Feminist Revolution
What roles have Jewish women played in the Second Wave of feminism?
Las Vegas: An Unconventional History
Why is Las Vegas one of the world’s most popular destinations? How has it changed?
The Lives and Writings of Antebellum Students at UNC
What did college students think about their lives and larger issues in the 19th-century?
Teaching Future Historians: U.S. History Lesson Plans Using Primary Documents
A diverse array of Antebellum, Civil War, and Gilded Age lesson plans for your convenience.
Illinois During the Gilded Age
Listen to, read, and sing sources from the Gilded Age canvassing women, religion, and more.
Women of Protest: Images from the Records of the National Woman's Party
See the suffragettes who gave over 50% of U.S. citizens the right to vote.
Harlem History
Explore the politics, neighborhoods, culture, and arts of Harlem.
Negroes With Guns: Rob Williams and Black Power
Do you think armed resistance is a justifiable reaction to racism? Explore Rob William’s motives.
Seattle Black Panther Party History and Memory Project
Who exactly were the Black Panthers? Explore the history and memories of the Seattle chapter.
Native American Constitution and Law Digitization Project
Tie civics into units involving Native American history using relevant full-text legal documents.
Northern Visions of Race, Region, and Reform in the Press
Investigate racial issues during and after the Civil War through letters, illustrations, and official documents.
Home Sweet Home: Life in 19th-Century Ohio
Examine 19th-century domestic life through sheet music and audio song files.
Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse
Review litigation studies ranging from mental health facilities and jail conditions to equal employment.
StoryCorps
Connect 20th-century events and daily life with real human experiences through oral history audio files.
American State Papers, 1789-1838
Access Congressional documents from the first 25 Congresses.
Madison: Celebrating 150 Years
Learn about Madison, WI, from early settlement through its time as the “queen of bootleggers.”
The Lincoln Institute
Explore Lincoln’s presidency; and access related classroom resources, including lesson plans.
North American Women's Letters and Diaries: Colonial Times to 1950
Read the personal correspondence and diaries of women such as Phyllis Wheatley and Margaret Fuller.
Atlanta in the Civil Rights Movement
What was Atlanta’s role in the larger African American civil rights movement 1940 through 1970?
The Adoption History Project
Did you know that adoption was only recognized as a legal U.S. operation in 1851?
Center for Dewey Studies, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Discover the life of pragmatist and education reform advocate John Dewey (1859-1952).
John Brown, Harpers Ferry, Students, History and Technology
Middle school students interpret history at Harpers Ferry.
Court Packing Controversies
What do Presidents Ulysses Grant and Franklin Roosevelt have in common? Both were accused of packing the Supreme Court.
A Look at Slavery through Posters and Broadsides
How to identify the author, audience, date, and message of historical posters.
Prosperity and Thrift: Coolidge Era and the Consumer Economy
An array of primary sources follows the rise of the consumer economy under Coolidge.
Literature and Culture of the American 1950s
Explore the cultural, intellectual, and political trends of the 1950s in a diverse array of primary and secondary sources.
Dynamics of Idealism: Volunteers for Civil Rights, 1965-1982
Learn about the volunteers who participated in a 1965 Southern Christian Leadership Conference voter registration effort.
The History of Social Security
We all know what the Social Security Administration does, but do you know how it was formed?
African-American Perspectives: Pamphlets from 1818-1907
Pamphlets and documents from 1875 to 1900 highlight African American leaders and organizations.
Voices from the Dust Bowl: 1940-1941
Great Depression documentation of migrant work camps in central California.
Samuel J. May Anti-Slavery Collection
With over 300,000 pages available for full-text searching, this is one of the richest collections of anti-slavery and Civil War materials in the world.
Oral History Digital Collection
In full-text narratives, more than 2,000 people from northeast Ohio discuss issues significant to the state and the nation.
Emma Goldman Papers
Learn more about Emma Goldman, radical and feminist activist, through this collection of primary and secondary sources.
Child Labor in America, 1908-1912: Photographs of Lewis W. Hine
Sixty-four photographs taken by Lewis W. Hine between 1908 and 1912 document child labor conditions.
American Radicalism Collection
From the Ku Klux Klan to the IWW, examine 129 historical documents from radical organizations.
Alcohol, Temperance, and Prohibition
More than 1,800 primary sources provide a window into the Temperance Movement and Prohibition.
Slaves and the Courts, 1740-1860
Delve into the complex history of slavery and the law with this collection of primary sources.
Television News of the Civil Rights Era
View contemporary coverage of the Civil Rights Movement from two Roanoke, VA television stations.
Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project
Primary and secondary sources document the minority struggle for civil rights in Seattle’s history.
Votes for Women: Selections from the NAWSA, 1848-1921
10,000 pages of records on the struggle for votes for women, including papers by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
A variety of primary sources and background essays explore the 1911 fire, a hallmark tragedy of the industrial age.
Chicago Anarchists on Trial: Evidence from the Haymarket Affair, 1886-1887
The court proceedings surrounding the Haymarket Affair look at the event that led to the first “Red Scare” in America.
Anti-Saloon League, 1893-1933
Printed materials preserve the public campaigns of the Anti-Saloon League from 1893 to 1933.
Thomas Paine National Historical Association
Explore the life and works of one of the most famous revolutionaries—Thomas Paine.
Territorial Kansas Online
Primary and secondary sources examine the growing divisions in Kansas and the nation prior to the Civil War.
Slavery in New York
Nine galleries explore the history of slavery in New York City.
Evolution of the Conservation Movement, 1850-1920
Documents the birth of the conservation movement through published works, manuscripts, images, and motion picture footage.
American Transcendentalism Web
Presents texts by and about the major figures of American Transcendentalism.
Kentuckiana Digital Library
Collects photographs, texts, and oral histories drawn from 15 Kentucky colleges, universities, libraries, and historical societies.
Africans in America
Trace the history of Africans in America through Reconstruction, with 245 images, maps, and documents.
Digital History
Multimedia resources for teaching slavery, private life, technology, and film.
Teach Women's History Project
Provides teaching and reference materials on the women’s rights movement of the past 50 years.
Flint Sit-Down Strike
Provides a multimedia introduction to “the greatest strike in American history.”
Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600-2000
Offers 45 mini-monographs on U.S. women’s history, each organized around an analytical question concerning a social movement.
Marchand Archive
Memorializes Roland Marchand with more than 6,100 images, including more than 2,000 advertisements, and 48 lesson plans drawn from his collection.
Florida State Archives Photographic Collection
Presents more than 137,000 photographs of Florida on specific localities from the mid-19th century to the present.
Women in Journalism
Archives 44 “full-life” interviews with American women journalists.
History and Politics Out Loud
Captures significant events and personalities of the 20th century through 107 audio items, including speeches, addresses, and private telephone conversations.
Historical Thinking Matters
Presents four guided investigations—on the Spanish-American War, the Scopes Trial, Social Security, and Rosa Parks—designed to teach students to read primary sources and construct historical narratives.
Disability History Museum
Explore the experiences of those with disabilities through documents and images dating from the 18th century to the present.
Urban Experience in Chicago: Hull-House and Its Neighborhoods, 1889-1963
Peruse this collection of over 900 items relating to Chicago’s Hull House to discover its influence on 20th century urban development.
Margaret Sanger Papers Project
Selected materials by and about the “birth control pioneer” Margaret Sanger.
Like a Family: The Making of a Southern Cotton Mill World
Offers oral history resources examining life in southern textile mill towns from the 1880s to the 1930s.
American Leaders Speak: Recordings from World War I and the 1920 Election
Access 59 sound recordings of 1918-1920 speeches by American leaders.
Uncle Tom's Cabin and American Culture
Explore Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin as the American cultural phenomenon it was.
Sunday School Books: Shaping the Values of Youth in 19th-Century America
Provides full-text transcriptions and page images of 1815–1865 Sunday school books addressing religious instruction for youth.
Freedmen's Bureau Online
Read about crimes committed in the former Confederate states between 1865 to 1868.
Online Archive of California
Explore California from Japanese American internment or the Free Speech Movement to oral histories.
Brown v. Board of Education
Examine segregation and desegregation through summaries and the court’s opinions for two major cases.
South Texas Border, 1900-1920: The Robert Runyon Collection
This site showcases over 8,000 images documenting the history and development of South Texas and the border.
Civil Rights in Mississippi Digital Archive
150 oral history interviews and 16 collections of documents address the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi.
Atlantic Slave Trade and Slave Life in the Americas: A Visual Record
Showcases more than 1,230 images depicting the enslavement of Africans, the Atlantic Slave Trade, and slave life in the New World.
Our Documents
Presents 100 milestone documents in American history, from the Richard Henry Lee Resolution of June 7, 1776, to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Gifts of Speech: Women's Speeches from Around the World
More than 400 speeches by women—politicians, scientists, and celebrities.