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
Flashing Across the Country: Mr. Zip and the ZIP Code Promotional Campaign
Advertisement, 1968, Post Office Department, National Postal Museum

Have you ever wondered what your zip code means or when the codes came into [...] »

Alexander Graham Bell Family Papers
Alexander Graham Bell, May 26, 2009, Thiophene_Guy, flickr.com

Alexander Graham Bell's work and interests extended far beyond the invention [...] »

History Quiz

Test your history knowledge
Probing Probate

How do we know what people in the past owned and valued?

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American Myths: Popular Music

Each song has a story. What inspired it? When was it made? By whom?

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Presidential Moments: Inaugural Addresses

Can you match these famous first words with their presidential speakers?

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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 [...] »

Labor and Trade in Colonial America
Photo, Weavers at Colonial Williamsburg, May 29, 2010, animalvegetable, Flickr

Was colonial trade really triangular? What kinds of work did colonists do, [...] »

John Brown's Raid
Painting, John Brown, 1867, Thomas S. Noble, NYPL Digital Gallery

Did Northerners all respond the same way to Brown's infamous raid? [...] »

National Resources

Federal teaching resources
U.S. Navy

Who defends our seas, and how do they do it? Explore primary sources and [...] »

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 [...] »

Federal Trade Commission
Woodcut, Igirisujin Yokohama. . . , 1861, Sadahide Utagawa, LoC

Keeping businesses on the straight and narrow. Discover more about the [...] »

Ask a Historian

Divided Loyalties?
Which one is our star?

How citizenship determines eligibility for the U.S. presidency.

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