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.

FIND OUT MORE »

Website Reviews

Find quality websites & primary sources
Salem Witch Trials: Documentary Archive and Transcription Project
Oil painting, Accused of Witchcraft, 1884, Douglas Volk, Corcoran Gallery.

Examine the verbatim transcripts of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials.

[...] »
National Jukebox

Dance the jitterbug, or enjoy lunch break to the sounds of a brass band.

[...] »

History Quiz

Test your history knowledge
When Whales Lit the World

Up to the 20th century, whalers provided oil for the industrial revolution. [...] »

Westward Expansion: Image vs. Reality

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

Turning Turtle: Shipwrecks and Disasters at Sea

The ship's on her beam-ends and all's lost! Test your knowledge of maritime [...] »

Beyond the Textbook

Question textbook narratives
The Modern Civil Rights Movement: A River of Purposeful Anger
Dynamics of Idealism- Volunteers for Civil Rights, 1965-1982 432x240

Textbooks are silent about defining race and racism, even though the modern [...] »

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 [...] »

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?

[...] »

National Resources

Federal teaching resources
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Photo, Barking Frog, Mark A. Musselman, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The government acts for fauna as well as society. When did this start? Why [...] »

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services

Are you a special education educator? Teach in an inclusive classroom?

[...] »
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. [...] »

Ask a Historian

American Indian Women
Kutenai woman 1910

Different kinds of power in different cultures. Perceptions of dignified and [...] »