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
Quilts and Quiltmaking in America, 1978-1996

From the queer to the quite extraordinary—explore the art of quiltmaking in [...] »

Documenting the American South
Drawing, A Negro Wedding, 1897, Maude Cowles, Charles Scribner's Sons.

Nearly 1,400 documents covering Southern life from the 18th to early 20th [...] »

History Quiz

Test your history knowledge
To the Source!

Where do historians turn for historical evidence?

[...] »
California or Bust

Who went west when? Answer questions about migration from 1935 to 2000.

[...] »
Stamping Out Free Speech?

The Stamp Act of 1765 had colonists crying foul. Answer these questions [...] »

Beyond the Textbook

Question textbook narratives
The Early Conservation Movement
photographic print, Quentin Roosevelt Planting a Tree, c1904, Edward S. Curtis,

The "go-green" movement is rampant in modern America. However, support for [...] »

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?

[...] »
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 Museum of African Art

Approach African American history and culture through African art.

[...] »
U.S. Fire Administration
Photo, Angel Island Fire, Behind Alcatraz, October 12, 2008, LeeLeFever, Flickr

Give historical fires perspective through modern statistics.

[...] »
National Archives and Records Administration
Letter, . . . Flag Design Suggestion, 10/1958, Sheryl Byland, NARA

With more than 10 billion items addressing U.S. history, you're bound to [...] »

Ask a Historian

Bank Notes of the Second Bank of the United States
Headquarters of the 2nd Bank of the U.S., Chestnut Street, Philadelphia

The impermanence of paper money was matched by the impermanence of the bank [...] »