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
Frontera Collection of Mexican American Music
Photograph, Lydia Mendoza, The Arhoolie Foundation.

Listen to clips from more than 100,000 recordings of Mexican American [...] »

Dolley Madison Project

Read the letters of Dolley Madison while learning about her life—from [...] »

Linus Pauling and the Race for DNA: A Documentary History

Meet Linus Pauling, from his Nobel prizes to his "dirty laundry."

[...] »

History Quiz

Test your history knowledge
Teaching the 20th

When does the past go from 'recent' to 'history?' Consider these questions [...] »

Past Rebel Lines

Benedict Arnold wasn't the only spy in the American Revolution. Take this [...] »

Celebrate More Than St. Patrick

The Irish contributed more to the U.S. than shamrocks and folktales.

[...] »

Beyond the Textbook

Question textbook narratives
The Modern Civil Rights Movement: A River of Purposeful Anger
Dynamics of Idealism- Volunteers for Civil Rights, 1965-1982 432x240

Textbooks are silent about defining race and racism, even though the modern [...] »

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?

[...] »

National Resources

Federal teaching resources
Social Security Administration

Explore both the history of the SSA itself and that of the Social Security [...] »

National Postal Museum
Ink on paper, Kodak advertisement, c. 1942, National Postal Museum

When going postal is actually a good thing! Explore the Museum's extensive [...] »

U.S. Postal Service
Photo, City Carrier, 1975, United States Postal Service

Come rain or shine, the mail must go through, bringing information and [...] »

Ask a Historian

Laboring to Bring Forth Child Labor Statistics
watching Labor Day parade 1940

How many children were at work on the eve of World War II? What types of [...] »