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
Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Map, Mouth of the Columbia River, WA and OR, Nov. 16-25, 1805, W. Clark, Codex 1

Presents the complete text of the Nebraska edition of the Lewis and Clark [...] »

African American Women
Life story, Elizabeth Johnson Harris, Duke University

Read the memoirs and letters of three 19th-century African American women on [...] »

Slavery and the Making of America
Oil, Olaudah Equiano or Ottobah Cugoano, 18th century, The Atlantic. . .

An extensive glimpse into slave life and the history of slavery in the [...] »

History Quiz

Test your history knowledge
Reading Photographs: A Dusty Street

When and where was this photo taken? See what clues you can spot!

[...] »
Fly Away Jim Crow

Equality requires more than a Proclamation. Try to answer these questions on [...] »

Naming Colonial History

Everyone knows what "American Revolution" means. But can you identify these [...] »

Beyond the Textbook

Question textbook narratives
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 [...] »

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 Early Conservation Movement
photographic print, Quentin Roosevelt Planting a Tree, c1904, Edward S. Curtis,

The "go-green" movement is rampant in modern America. However, support for [...] »

National Resources

Federal teaching resources
U.S. Senate Historical Office
Lithograph, "The Great Congressional Tramp. . . ," 1882, Mayer, U.S. Senate site

Political cartoons, photos, oral histories, artifacts, essays, and facts. [...] »

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.

[...] »
National Portrait Gallery

Allow students to "meet" their favorite historical figures.

[...] »

Ask a Historian

Civil War Convicts: Unraveling a Misconception
stereograph, Officers of 3d Regiment Massachusetts Heavy Artillery, 1865, LOC

Did criminals fight during the Civil War? Not exactly, but some soldiers [...] »