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
The Perilous Fight: America's World War II in Color

Explore World War II's color film footage.

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Slaves and the Courts, 1740-1860

Delve into the complex history of slavery and the law with this collection [...] »

Mark Twain in His Times

Focuses on Mark Twain's life and career, including creation of his popular [...] »

History Quiz

Test your history knowledge
Playing History

Board games preserve the past in squares, paper money, and toy tokens. [...] »

Selling the Dream

"Don’t Sell the Steak—Sell the Sizzle!"

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Mapping the Past

A map can tell you more than east, west, north, and south.

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Beyond the Textbook

Question textbook narratives
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 [...] »

20th-century Jewish Immigration
Dry plate negative, approx. 1920-1930, Jewish colonies and settlements, LOC

Divided into two waves of immigration by textbooks, the continuity of [...] »

Slavery
Photo, "An ex-slave," 1897, New York Public Library Digital Gallery

What was it like to be a slave in 19th-century America? Accounts contrast. [...] »

National Resources

Federal teaching resources
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services

Are you a special education educator? Teach in an inclusive classroom?

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U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Lithograph, [Patent medicine label for unnamed. . . ], 1830-1870, LoC

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has images of patents online [...] »

National Museum of the American Indian

Make sure that your students know not all Native Americans lived in tipis or [...] »

Ask a Historian

Bank Notes of the Second Bank of the United States
Headquarters of the 2nd Bank of the U.S., Chestnut Street, Philadelphia

The impermanence of paper money was matched by the impermanence of the bank [...] »