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.

FIND OUT MORE »

Website Reviews

Find quality websites & primary sources
Powers of Persuasion: Poster Art from World War II
Poster, When You Ride Alone You Ride with Hitler. . . , 1941-1945, NARA

Explore American propaganda and advertising during the second world war.

[...] »
Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music

Scanned images of more than 18,000 pieces of sheet music, including covers, [...] »

Perry Visits Japan
Scroll painting, of Sumo, 1854-1906, anonymous Japanese artist, Perry. . . site

Explore the official beginning of U.S.-Japan international relations.

[...] »

History Quiz

Test your history knowledge
Food 50 Years Ago

Is your favorite food a recent invention?

[...] »
Naming Colonial History

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

When Whales Lit the World

Up to the 20th century, whalers provided oil for the industrial revolution. [...] »

Beyond the Textbook

Question textbook narratives
Women's Reform Movement
Print, A downright gabbler, or a goose that deserves to be hissed, 1829

The Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments in 1848 reflected the voices of [...] »

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? [...] »

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
Preserve America

Preserve America is a White House initiative uniting the work of 11 federal [...] »

U.S. Secret Service

How did the Secret Service begin protecting our leaders and solving crimes [...] »

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. [...] »

Ask a Historian

Contradictions in John Fremont's Political Chart of the US (1856)
John Fremont, detail of his Political Chart of the United States

The 1850s were a time of rapid industrialization and urbanization in the [...] »