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
Harlem History

Explore the politics, neighborhoods, culture, and arts of Harlem.

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The Malcolm X Project
Negative, Malcolm X, 1964, Marion S. Trikosko, Library of Congress

Read FBI files on and watch interviews about Malcolm X, human and African [...] »

Cold War: Postwar Estrangement
Document, Telegram to President Truman, June 16, 1945, Stalin

A collection of Soviet archival documents which take visitors inside the [...] »

History Quiz

Test your history knowledge
Go West, Young Woman!

Men and women both settled the West. Answer these questions on women’s [...] »

Political Animals

A menagerie of terms for politicians, parties, factions, and movements.

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Beyond the Textbook

Question textbook narratives
Labor and Trade in Colonial America
Photo, Weavers at Colonial Williamsburg, May 29, 2010, animalvegetable, Flickr

Was colonial trade really triangular? What kinds of work did colonists do, [...] »

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?

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National Resources

Federal teaching resources
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Photo, NASA, ESA, and M. Livio and the Hubble 20th Anniversary Team (STScI)

Since its inception, NASA has accomplished many scientific and technological [...] »

Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum

Design embodies both artistic ingenuity and responses to everyday problems [...] »

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Photo, Barking Frog, Mark A. Musselman, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The government acts for fauna as well as society. When did this start? Why [...] »

Ask a Historian

Spy in a Petticoat
map of 1776 British attack on Charleston

"She had outwitted the British and oh how they hated her."

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