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
Great Lakes Maritime History Project
Photo, Lake Michigan Sunrise, October 13, 2009, Indy Kethdy, Flickr

Delve into Wisconsin's maritime history. Discover the multiple ways in which [...] »

Thomas Jefferson Papers

The largest collection of original Jefferson documents in the world. Really [...] »

Nixon Tapes
Photo, President Nixon (right) meets with staff, 1970, Nixon Library, NARA.

What was the nature of Nixon and Echeverria's political relationship?

[...] »

History Quiz

Test your history knowledge
Presidential Moments: Hail to the Chief Nicknames

Fond or far-fetched, everyone has one—but as president, nicknames garner the [...] »

A-mouldering in the Grave

"John Brown's Body" keeps reappearing. What do you know about the song?

[...] »
The "Daisy" Ad

Johnson, Goldwater, and the politics of fear.

[...] »

Beyond the Textbook

Question textbook narratives
Denmark Vesey
An official report of the trials of sundry Negroes, 1822

Tried and executed in 1822, along with many other slaves, for a plotted [...] »

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
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Photo, Kids watching rockets at the Summer Adventure, LANL site

Follow the development of Weapons of Mass Destruction through the protection [...] »

National Postal Museum
Ink on paper, Kodak advertisement, c. 1942, National Postal Museum

When going postal is actually a good thing! Explore the Museum's extensive [...] »

Bureau of Justice Statistics
Graph, "Sentences for those convicted in federal court," BJS

Everyday you read about local crime in the newspaper, but are the rates [...] »

Ask a Historian

With or Without Slavery?
Forcing Slavery Down the Throat of a Free Soiler, 1856

Forcing the issue in Bleeding Kansas. The Lecompton Constitution, slavery, [...] »