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
Native American Constitution and Law Digitization Project
Gelatin silver print, Native American little girl at. . . , Flickr Commons

Tie civics into units involving Native American history using relevant full- [...] »

Votes for Women: Selections from the NAWSA, 1848-1921

10,000 pages of records on the struggle for votes for women, including [...] »

American Women's Dime Novel Project
Book Cover, "Weaker than a Woman by Bertha M. Clay,"

What was the turn-of-the-century woman's "beach read"?

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History Quiz

Test your history knowledge
Back to the Future . . .

In the year 1900, what did Americans think the next century would bring?

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Presidents Day: Growing Up to Be President

Even American presidents were babies once!

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Presidential Moments: Inaugural Addresses

Can you match these famous first words with their presidential speakers?

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Beyond the Textbook

Question textbook narratives
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? [...] »

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?

[...] »
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
National Atlas

Explore maps that enable you to better understand the country that you live [...] »

Voice of America

Find out how to pronounce tricky names, and listen to official international [...] »

U.S. Navy

Who defends our seas, and how do they do it? Explore primary sources and [...] »

Ask a Historian

Alternative Outcomes of World War II
Germany, March 1945 - Gens. Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, and Hodges, LOC

Can historians answer questions about alternate history? No, but they can [...] »