Welcome to History Content

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
The Adoption History Project

Did you know that adoption was only recognized as a legal U.S. operation in [...] »

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, [...] »

The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire

Exhibit and archive featuring an extensive collection of primary source [...] »

History Quiz

Test your history knowledge
California or Bust

Who went west when? Answer questions about migration from 1935 to 2000.

[...] »
Back to School

Binders, buses, and backpacks—consider the history of these back-to-school [...] »

First Impressions: The U.S. and Japan

In 1854, Japan signed a treaty with the U.S. How did the U.S. and Japan see [...] »

Beyond the Textbook

Question textbook narratives
20th-century Jewish Immigration
Dry plate negative, approx. 1920-1930, Jewish colonies and settlements, LOC

Divided into two waves of immigration by textbooks, the continuity of [...] »

Rise of the Automobile
Photo, Model A Ford in front of antique gas pumps, August 4, 2007, Flickr

Americans today take cars for granted. How did they change American life? [...] »

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 [...] »

National Resources

Federal teaching resources
National Park Service
Screencapture, FDR Memorial, National Park Service homepage

Lesson plans, essays, multimedia, activities, and artifacts of U.S. heritage [...] »

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 [...] »

Smithsonian
Negative, Dinsmore, Frances. Of Smithsonian. . . , 1915, Harris & Ewing, LoC

What can 19 museums, nine research centers, and the National Zoo offer your [...] »

Ask a Historian

Introducing Taxation
Engraving, The Tea-Tax Tempest, 1778, NYPL Digital Gallery

Taxes are a part of our everyday life. But was this always true in the [...] »