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
Omaha Indian Music
Photo, Alan Jabbour Provides an Introduction..., 1985, Library of Congress

Listen to a century of Omaha speeches and songs. Hear the influences of [...] »

Wisconsin Magazine of History
Photo, Hauling Logs With Oxen, c. 1880, Wisconsin Historical Society

Take in full articles from the 1917 through 2005 editions of the Wisconsin [...] »

History Quiz

Test your history knowledge
Earth Day: Lost to History

Human history affects more than human beings.

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A Hoax Provokes Folks: Why Lie?

Peruse the news, but beware hot air? Examine famous U.S. hoaxes.

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Victory Vegetables

WWII Victory Gardens allowed citizens to raise food...and wage war!

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Beyond the Textbook

Question textbook narratives
The Modern Civil Rights Movement: A River of Purposeful Anger
Dynamics of Idealism- Volunteers for Civil Rights, 1965-1982 432x240

Textbooks are silent about defining race and racism, even though the modern [...] »

Jim Crow Segregation: The Difficult and Anti-Democratic Work of White Supremacy
Print, For the Sunny South. An Airship. . . , 1913, Library of Congress

The fight against segregation and its discriminatory practices does not [...] »

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
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

Service-learning and history don't have to be exclusive. Consider the [...] »

Supreme Court of the United States

From John Jay to Sonia Sotomayor, the Supreme Court is the final word in law [...] »

National Park Service
Screencapture, FDR Memorial, National Park Service homepage

Lesson plans, essays, multimedia, activities, and artifacts of U.S. heritage [...] »

Ask a Historian

Why Did President Polk Want War with Mexico?
James K Polk

During the 1840s, Manifest Destiny remained an effusive spirit rather than [...] »