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
Chicano/a Movement in Washington State History Project
Viva La Raza painted by UW students

Washington State educators, bring diversity and reform activism into your [...] »

The African American Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship

A comprehensive guide consisting of over 240 primary source items detailing [...] »

Manufacturers' Catalogs from the First Decade of American Automobiles
Specifications, Model "D" Palace Touring car; Price $ 2750.00, 1909, NYPL

Curious about early cars? View more than 800 automobile manufacturer catalog [...] »

History Quiz

Test your history knowledge
Presidents Day: Growing Up to Be President

Even American presidents were babies once!

[...] »
Westward Expansion: Image vs. Reality

East or West? See if you can determine which region produced these images on [...] »

Naming Colonial History

Everyone knows what "American Revolution" means. But can you identify these [...] »

Beyond the Textbook

Question textbook narratives
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, [...] »

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?

[...] »
Coal and the Industrial Revolution
Photo, At the close of the day, January 1911, Lewis Hine, Library of Congress

How can the story of coal help students understand the nature of today's [...] »

National Resources

Federal teaching resources
Central Intelligence Agency
Glass negative, "Belle Boyd," Confederate spy, Between 1855 and 1865, LoC

You've seen spy movies, but what is the real history of U.S. [...] »

U.S. Army
Photo, The 101st Airborne troops move out of Bastogne. . . , 1944, U.S. Army

Increase your knowledge of the people, past, and technology of the United [...] »

Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum

Design embodies both artistic ingenuity and responses to everyday problems [...] »

Ask a Historian

On Gendering the Constitution
The Force of Truth, 19th century allegorical image

The agitation among women’s rights activists over the language of the 14th [...] »