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
Mapping the National Parks
Print, Tertiary history of the Grand cañon district..., Dutton, LoC

Track the exploration and use of Acadia, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and [...] »

Truman Presidential Museum and Library

Government documents, oral histories, photographs, and political cartoons [...] »

Living Voices, Voces Vivas
Graphic. Living Voices

How do Native Americans preserve their heritage in the world of today?

[...] »

History Quiz

Test your history knowledge
Lewis Hine: Caption Critique

Does a caption change the meaning of a photograph?

[...] »
Classroom Glory

Does the movie "Glory" depict historical accuracy or wholesale fiction?

[...] »
Native American Heritage Month: Questioning Photos

Photographs capture how someone appeared at one moment in time. But who [...] »

Beyond the Textbook

Question textbook narratives
The Tet Offensive
Eddie Adams, Vietcong shooting prisoner cropped

American historians have depicted the Tet Offensive as the turning point for [...] »

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 [...] »

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
National Atlas

Explore maps that enable you to better understand the country that you live [...] »

Anacostia Community Museum
Photo, "Ms. Yavocka Wilson," March 11, 1997?, Anacostia Community Museum

What is community? What does it do for us, and how does it shape who we are [...] »

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

The Possible Path of Barnard Bee
Digital image, Carol Highsmith, Confederates Marching, Library of Congress, 2010

Examination of counterfactual questions and how they are used in historical [...] »