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
Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
worker at a Tennessee factory

Experience a multimedia website that engages learners and makes Tennessee [...] »

Daguerreotype Portraits and Views, 1839-1864
Daguerreotype, William Cassiday Cattell, holding large Bible, 1848-1860, LoC.

Examples of early photographs preserve the likenesses of cities, famous [...] »

History Quiz

Test your history knowledge
Textbook Twisters: Salem Witch Trials

Burn the witch! Discover how historical coverage of the Salem Witch Trials [...] »

When Whales Lit the World

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

The "Daisy" Ad

Johnson, Goldwater, and the politics of fear.

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Beyond the Textbook

Question textbook narratives
Causes of the American Revolution
Broadside, A card, New York, 1774, LoC, rbpe 10700100

What were the causes of the American Revolution? They were more complicated [...] »

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?

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Slavery
Photo, "An ex-slave," 1897, New York Public Library Digital Gallery

What was it like to be a slave in 19th-century America? Accounts contrast. [...] »

National Resources

Federal teaching resources
Federal Aviation Administration

The FAA regulates air safety and influences the development of civil [...] »

National Agricultural Statistics Service

Why did George Washington start gathering national data on agriculture?

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National Endowment for the Arts

Watch videos on jazz and opera history, courtesy of the National Endowment [...] »

Ask a Historian

Spanish Louisiana vs. Great Britain
Ceiling painting in the Salon de Carlos III, Madrid

Spain pursuing its own goals against Great Britain.

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