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
Trial of The Chicago Seven
Photo, Chicago 7 Group Photo, 1969-70, Famous American Trials: The Chicago Seven

Explore radical activism and 1960s culture through the trial of the Chicago [...] »

Supreme Court Historical Society

The U.S. Supreme Court has shaped American ideals into practice since 1789, [...] »

Built in America: Historic American Buildings Survey and Engineering
Photo, Front elevation, March 3, 1937, John P. O'Neill, Library of Congress.

Government organizations document historic sites in drawings, photographs, [...] »

History Quiz

Test your history knowledge
As American as Mom…

You know Mother's Day is all about mom, but do you know the history of the [...] »

Thanksgiving: Presidential Turkeys

How many turkeys have presidents pardoned?

[...] »
Selling the Dream

"Don’t Sell the Steak—Sell the Sizzle!"

[...] »

Beyond the Textbook

Question textbook narratives
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 [...] »

The Atomic Bomb: Hiroshima and Nagasaki
photographic print, Second atomic bombing of Nagasaki, 1945 August, LOC

Controversial issues are often simplified in textbooks. Discover the facts [...] »

Rise of the Automobile
Photo, Model A Ford in front of antique gas pumps, August 4, 2007, Flickr

Americans today take cars for granted. How did they change American life? [...] »

National Resources

Federal teaching resources
National Endowment for the Arts

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

National Museum of the American Indian

Make sure that your students know not all Native Americans lived in tipis or [...] »

Social Security Administration

Explore both the history of the SSA itself and that of the Social Security [...] »

Ask a Historian

Cold War Wrestling Match
1961, B&W photo, Meeting in Vienna: JFK and Khrushchev, Presidential Library

How political cartoons illustrate international events and the artists [...] »