Welcome to History Content

Spotlight on Elementary Education

History has been shaped and influenced by the out come of ancient trials—such as the Trial of Socrates in 399B.C.—to Rosenberg Trial in the 1950s. This site offers a comprehensive look at 50 prominent court trials throughout history and its resources can be used to give young learners an introduction to the history of the modern judicial system.

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Website Reviews

Find quality websites & primary sources
National Security Archive: The Pentagon Papers
Photo, President Reagan meeting with.., Feb. 2, 1981, Reagan Presidential Lib.

In 1971, the "Pentagon Papers" formed the center of a legal debate over [...] »

Around the World in the 1890s: Photographs, 1894-1896
Lantern slide--hand colored, Street car, 1895, W. H. Jackson, LoC.

Explore this archive of over 900 images by American photographer, William [...] »

Western History Photography Collection
Photo, Wood’s Saloon, Turret, 1905, Western History Photography Collection

How does your view of the American West compare to the visual reality?

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History Quiz

Test your history knowledge
The "Daisy" Ad

Johnson, Goldwater, and the politics of fear.

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Paradise in a Breakfast Bowl

A morning meditation on flakes: Do your morals and values help you decide [...] »

Turning Turtle: Shipwrecks and Disasters at Sea

The ship's on her beam-ends and all's lost! Test your knowledge of maritime [...] »

Beyond the Textbook

Question textbook narratives
Causing the Civil War
Postcard, Train Load of Cotton for Export, South, 1902-1903, NYPL

Did King Cotton cause the Civil War? Or should you look further?

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Coal and the Industrial Revolution
Photo, At the close of the day, January 1911, Lewis Hine, Library of Congress

How can the story of coal help students understand the nature of today's [...] »

Slavery
Photo, "An ex-slave," 1897, New York Public Library Digital Gallery

What was it like to be a slave in 19th-century America? Accounts contrast. [...] »

National Resources

Federal teaching resources
Team Ships

Learn the basic steps to building and commissioning a Navy vessel.

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National Endowment for the Arts

Watch videos on jazz and opera history, courtesy of the National Endowment [...] »

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Photo, Russ Hopcroft, from the University . . . , 2002, Ian MacDonald, NOAA

Explore the history of science and technology, maritime history, and the [...] »

Ask a Historian

Gettysburg: Turning Point or a Small Stepping-Stone to Victory?
colored lithograph, The battle of Gettysburg, 1863, Currier & Ives, LOC

History is often muddled by modern hindsight. Discover the true meaning of [...] »