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
James Madison Papers
Print, James Madison, 4th president of the US, 1830s, Library of Congress.

Explore James Madison's life through his correspondence, personal notes, [...] »

Now What a Time : Blues, Gospel, and the Fort Valley Music Festivals, 1938-1943
Image, Now What a Time: Blues, Gospel, and the Fort Valley.., 1938-43, 2001, LoC

Listen to African American Blues from the Fort Valley Music Festivals of [...] »

Portal to Texas History
Postcard of Woman, n.d., Portal to Texas History

Texas educators, looking for primary resources on state history? Search this [...] »

History Quiz

Test your history knowledge
Early American Artifacts

What did people living in what is now known as North America leave behind? [...] »

Probing Probate

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

[...] »
Women in the Lab (and the Field)

Marie Curie and Jane Goodall—you may know these female scientists, but can [...] »

Beyond the Textbook

Question textbook narratives
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 [...] »

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? [...] »

The Atomic Bomb: Hiroshima and Nagasaki
photographic print, Second atomic bombing of Nagasaki, 1945 August, LOC

Controversial issues are often simplified in textbooks. Discover the facts [...] »

National Resources

Federal teaching resources
U.S. Mint

A magician may be able to pull coins out of thin air, but most of us can't [...] »

National Institutes of Health
Photo, Dr. Thomas Starzl, 1960-1980, Office of History, NIH

Repository for the history of the federal agency, medical profession, and [...] »

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Official poster, Veterans Day, 2008, United Staes Department of Veteran Affairs

Learn about the men who fought for American ideals and survived.

[...] »