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
New Deal Stage: Selections from the Federal Theatre Project, 1935-1939
Color slide, Photographic Slide from Hartford..., March 22-24, 1939, LoC.

Learn about the New Deal through the Federal Theatre Project, designed to [...] »

Shaping the Constitution
Cartoon, Making the Polls. . . , 1915, Ralph Barton, Shaping the Consitution

What role did Virginia play in defining the U.S. and upholding rights we now [...] »

Modern and Contemporary American Poetry
Painting, Portrait of Gertrude Stein, Pablo Picasso, English 88, Modern and...

Read hundreds of poems by major and lesser known figures.

[...] »

History Quiz

Test your history knowledge
Presidential Moments: Inauguration

The first day on the new job is difficult for everybody—including U.S. [...] »

Thanksgiving: Presidential Turkeys

How many turkeys have presidents pardoned?

[...] »
Turning Turtle: Shipwrecks and Disasters at Sea

The ship's on her beam-ends and all's lost! Test your knowledge of maritime [...] »

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 [...] »

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
Selective Service System
Lithograph, Don't wait for the draft--Volunteer, 1917, Library of Congress

Did you know that the draft was used in times of peace, as well as war?

[...] »
Military History
Photo, The Five of Hearts - Renault. . . , U.S. Army Center of Military History

The U.S. Armed Forces maintain multiple historical offices within each [...] »

National Endowment for the Humanities

Meet the largest governmental funder of humanities programs in the U.S.

[...] »

Ask a Historian

Presidential Death During the Election Process
Vice-President James Schoolcraft Sherman

Unforeseen events and potential crises forced politicians and lawmakers to [...] »