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
Illinois During the Gilded Age

Listen to, read, and sing sources from the Gilded Age canvassing women, [...] »

Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition
Map, Slave Trade Map of Equatorial Africa, ca. 1887, Church Missionary Society.

What was said, written, and drawn about slavery? Gain a more complete image [...] »

Our Documents
Treaty of Paris, 1783, Itnl Treaties and Related Records; National Archives.

Presents 100 milestone documents in American history, from the Richard Henry [...] »

History Quiz

Test your history knowledge
Exploration and Innovation

Crossing vast oceans required specialized tools and knowledge. Discover more [...] »

Veterans Day: Medals and Merit

You know the Purple Heart, but can you identify these honors?

[...] »
Playing History

Board games preserve the past in squares, paper money, and toy tokens. [...] »

Beyond the Textbook

Question textbook narratives
Huey Long
Stereograph, U.S. Senator Huey Long, c.1933, Keystone View Company

How exactly did U.S. Senator Huey Long intend to end poverty across the U.S [...] »

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. [...] »

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
Federal Judiciary

Can’t tell an affadavit from an acquittal? Learn the legal lingo.

[...] »
National Museum of American History

See our history come to life within the expansive exhibits and educational [...] »

Presidents of the United States

The White House offers historic photos and biographies of its past and [...] »