Incorporating 20th Century US Environmental History in the 6-12 Classroom
This guide consists of curated primary and secondary sources to help students connect environmental history to broader themes in twentieth century US history.
History of Higher Education: A Guide for Pre-Service Teachers
Help students understand the different types of universities and colleges in the U.S. by examining and analyzing a wide range of photographs from the Library of Congress
History of Education and Indigenous Americans: A Guide for Pre-Service Teachers
Help students reflect on the purpose of learning history and of education in general by using Library of Congress primary sources to better understand the history of education of Indigenous people in the United States.
Rethinking "Westward Expansion": A Guide for Preservice Teachers
Help students reconsider the how the expansion of the United States from 1865 to 1890 was perceived by Native peoples in the west using primary sources from the Library of Congress.
1916 Children's Code of Morality: A Guide for Pre-Service Teachers
Primary sources from the Library of Congress help students explore a fascinating episode from U.S. history: the campaign to teach children to be more moral.
Pockets from the Past: Daily Life at Monticello
What do the contents of pockets say about their owners? TAH teachers model strategies for examining and questioning artifacts.
Open Parks Network
View over 1 million images from U.S. national parks and historic sites.
American Archive of Public Broadcasting
Watch and listen to thousands of public broadcasting programs from across the U.S.
Children's Lives at Colonial London Town
Invite young students into colonial history with the stories of children from three very different families.
Turning Students into Historians
How do you engage students with primary sources and their community? Jasmine Alinder shares a success story!
Tenement Life
Students examine primary sources related to the life of an immigrant girl and her family to discover what life might have been like at the turn of the century.
Who Won the War (of 1812)?
How do textbooks from different countries treat the War of 1812?
Reading a Cartoon: Massive Resistance
What do the objects in this 1954 editorial cartoon stand for?
Guampedia
Guam is often left out of discussions of U.S. history. Remedy the situation!
Teachinghistory.org Teacher Representative Wins 2011 National History Teacher of the Year
Congratulations to Stacy Hoeflich, the 2011 National History Teacher of the Year!
The Jewish Americans
This site, produced by PBS, uses multiple resources to examine the history and influence of Jewish culture in the U.S.
Puerto Rico Encyclopedia/Enciclopedia de Puerto Rico
Connect with your ELL students with this bilingual Puerto Rico Encyclopedia!
Introducing Students to Interactive Whiteboards
SMART boards are only as useful as you make them.
Valerie Tripp: Salty Ham: Using the Senses in Historical Research
Have you tasted pioneer foods like apple butter? Listened to old records on a phonograph?
Bland County History Archives
Looking for proof that students can handle extensive local history projects? You’ve found it.
From Slavery to Freedom: The African-American Pamphlet Collection, 1822-1909
Peruse an extensive collection of pamphlets related to African-American life leading up to, during, and following the Civil War.
Throughout the Ages
Looking for a primary source website created especially for elementary teachers?
Researching the Role of the Map in History Teaching
Need to understand the theory behind maps as a history education tool? Look no further.
Anthony Pellegrino on Teaching Segregated History
Anthony Pellegrino explores the history of one segregated school, and complicates his understanding of a traditional textbook narrative.
APPARTS Strategy: Origins and Implementation
Engrain the APPARTS strategy into young students, and they’ll be well on their way to AP-level performance.
Joe Jelen's Ads as Primary Sources: The Ad Council's Historic Campaigns
Advertisements don’t always use ideas to sell products—sometimes they use ideas to sell ideas. Explore the ideas the Ad Council’s PSAs have sold, Joe Jelen suggests.
Clinical Experiences
When did universities start making teaching students do student teaching?
Laura Jernegan: Girl on a Whaleship
Make whaling, a rich part of New England history, relevant to young students with the diary of a six-year-old at sea.
Finding a Speaker Willing to Use Digital Networks
Bring history to life with Skype and other digital technologies.
The Garden of Infants
Kindergarten came to America in the 19th century on a wave of German Romantic Idealism.
Animoto
Discover new classroom possibilities with this easy-to-use video presentation tool.
Teaching and Learning History in the Digital Age (AHA 2011)
Rwany Sibaja recaps our presentation at the 2011 American Historical Association conference in Boston.
Using Visual Fine Arts to Enrich Understanding
The socio-cultural impact of historic events or time periods and the interpretation through various forms of media.
Students Working in Local Historic Preservation
Engage your students in preserving local history! Use this teacher’s successful service learning activity to guide you.
Vaccinations: Rites of Passage
Have you had your shots? Which childhood diseases do these public health announcements address?
Researching for a Research Topic
Paring down a larger idea to answer one specific question.
Textbook Twisters: Salem Witch Trials
Burn the witch! Discover how historical coverage of the Salem Witch Trials has changed over time.
Teaching the 20th
When does the past go from ‘recent’ to ‘history?’ Consider these questions about textbook portrayals of late 20th-century events.
Constitution Day
Securing the blessings of liberty for ourselves and for posterity—answer these questions on the U.S. Constitution.
Mind Mapping: Visualizing Historical Thought
Discover the extent of students’ understanding of historical subjects with this tool.
Colonial Teenagers
Young people in their teens were not thought of as a distinct group, but as young adults who were obliged to work for their living, whether they lived at home or not.
My History at School
To make something real, make it personal. Abstract concepts can best be understood when applied to individual experience.
Close Reading for Vocabulary, Context, and Tone
Analyzing a source requires context for a more complete understanding.
Primary Sources as Windows into the Past
Excite students by introducing them to primary sources that answer questions they have—not just questions you pose to them.
Tackling Tough Topics
Race, ethics, stereotyping—all are thorny issues integral to our history. How can you encourage empathy?
Meshing History and Montessori Method
In the Montessori philosophy, which prioritizes creativity, how can you best present history?
Religious Orders of Women in New France
Lives dedicated to teaching and nursing.
Truth in Transit: Crafting Meaningful Field Trips
Leave your students with intellectually and emotionally significant memories of their own experiences with history.
National Institute for Literacy
Do you have struggling readers in your class? Try incorporating literacy teaching into your history lessons.
Seeking Simulations
For when your students need a healthy dose of participation to liven up the classroom.
Two-Year High School U.S. History Programs
What are the benefits and detriments of implementing a two-year U.S. history course?
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
Are you a special education educator? Teach in an inclusive classroom?
Integrating Technology into the Classroom
Upgrade to “school 2.0” through making the most of technological resources.
Voice of America
Find out how to pronounce tricky names, and listen to official international radio programs.
Multiperspectivity: What Is It, and Why Use It?
Simply pondering “multiperspectivity” (a European term for “multiple perspectives”) introduces the concept.
Tramping Through History: Crafting Individual Field Trips
Go forth, and contextualize! Give students the opportunity for solo connection to historical places.
Peace Corps
Explore world and U.S. history simultaneously through universal development issues.
Tennessee's Social Studies Curriculum
Standardization is a fairly new concept in education.
Tennessee's Social Studies Curriculum
Standardization is a fairly new concept in education.
Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) Resources for Teachers
A vast collection of resources for teachers, including lesson plans and literature.
Civil Rights Oral History Interviews: Spokane, Washington
From racism to civil rights movement music, listen to the memories of these eight individuals.
Life Interrupted: The Japanese American Experience in WW II Arkansas
What was life like during Japanese American internment?
North Carolinians and the Great War
How did World War I effect the lives of the everyday North Carolinian?
Carnegie Libraries of California
Learn about the California libraries built with Carnegie funding.
Images of African Americans from the Cook Collection of Photographs
What might your life have been like as an African American in Virginia c. 1900?
African Americans in Massachusetts
Compare perspectives on educational desegregation. How did it affect the community?
Selected Historical Decennial Census Population and Housing Counts
What questions have past censuses posed? What were the results?
Worthington Memory, Online Scrapbook
Explore the history and development of a small town. The online scrapbook provides an uncanny lens into town life.
1939 World's Fair Photograph Collection
What images does a state choose to describe its way of life to the nation?
History of American Education Web Project
Explore the history of education within the U.S, through writings and images.
Student Voices from World War II and the McCarthy Era
Imagine traveling from a university to work on a farm.
Voices of the Colorado Plateau
There’s more to the West than cowboys.
History Through Deaf Eyes
What has the U.S. deaf population experienced?
Characteristics of Census Tracts in Nine U.S. Cities, 1940-1960
How many hospital beds did New Orleans have in 1960? Was it able to accommodate the poor and sick?
AdFlip
Nostalgic for X-ray glasses advertisements?
Democratic Vistas: The William Clyde DeVane Lecture Series
Look to the past to consider the prospects of democracy in the U.S.
Regional Oral History Office
Explore California oral histories, or learn to conduct your own interviews.
William Gedney Photographs and Writings
See American life through Gedney’s eyes and European and Indian life through American eyes.
A Southern Mill Village: History of Old West Durham
Follow the development of a mill town from its birth to its current status.
Historical Atlas of the Twentieth Century
Compare global statistics on topics from infant mortality to literacy.
Civics Online
Gain inspiration for new ways to approach political history.
The 19th Century in Print: Books
What were people reading around the time of the Civil War?
Florida Heritage Collection
Explore Florida state, regional, and local history.
Conversations with History
Brush up on your understanding of international relations with these interviews.
Little Cowpuncher: Rural School Newspaper of Southern Arizona
If you were a pioneer, what would you have to say about your schooling? Students take up their pens and invoke their democratic freedom of the press.
SDA: Survey Documentation and Analysis
Observe statistical trends in U.S. beliefs and demographics from free speech to zodiac signs.
Reston Collection Images
Explore the planned community of Reston, VA. Gain a better sense of the town that has become a burgeoning suburb.
Harrisburg's Old 8th Ward
Visit the businesses and meet the people of Harrisonburg, PA’s 8th Ward.
With an Even Hand: Brown v. Board at Fifty
Examine the events which led to and the aftermath of Brown v. Board of Education.
Brown v. Board of Education 50th Anniversary Digital Archive
Explore Brown v. Board of Education through interactive activities and personal recollections.
University of California History Digital Archives
Discover the history of the University of California through primary sources.
The New Georgia Encyclopedia
Need a comprehensive site on Georgia history? Why, here you go!
American Memory Learning Page
Try lesson plans based on the Library of Congress’ American Memory collections.
Education by Design: Using Visual Aids
Seek inspiration from classroom visual aids of the past.
Home Economics Archive: Research, Tradition, History
What would your life have been like as a housewife in 1850?
George Mason University Electronic Documentary History
How does a university grow into its own?
Connecticut History Online
Take a look at the “Constitution State,” with approximately 14,000 images depicting Connecticut’s history from the 19th through the 20th century.
Bethlehem Digital History Project
Imagine life as a Moravian in Bethlehem, PA.
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
How can you incorporate digital technology into your teaching, study, or understanding of history?
National Center for Education Statistics
Ever wondered about the numbers behind the latest teaching trends?
Resources on Native American History
When the resources readily available to you are just not comprehensive enough.
Voice of the Shuttle: Web Page for Humanities Research
An impressive gateway site for all humanities subjects.
Investigating the Vietnam War
A good starting point for student research regarding the Vietnam War and its aftermath.
The Digital Classroom
An informative introduction to the practice and excitement of historical research.
Scout Report Archives
An exceptional research resource, this gateway website offers a full-text search of over 12,000 websites.
H-Net: Humanities and Social Sciences OnLine
A great resource for scholars in any humanities discipline. It provides forums and keeps historians at the cusp of latest scholarship and ideas.
National Center for History in the Schools
What serves as a starting point for state standards? Browse the 1996 edition of the National Standards for History.
Children in Urban America: A Digital Archive
Imagine what it might have been like growing up over 100 years ago.
Alaska's Digital Archive
View images related to Alaskan statehood and Native Americans.
Lest We Forget: The Triumph Over Slavery
Explore slavery in America from nine thematic perspectives.
Slavery and the Making of America
An extensive glimpse into slave life and the history of slavery in the United States.
Freedom Now! An Archival Project of Tougaloo College and Brown University
Immerse yourself in the historical struggle for the African American vote in Mississippi.
Library of Congress: Webcasts
Access more than 500 webcasts from the Library of Congress.
Vincentian Postcards
Explore 200 years of postcards which document the Vincentian religious order of educators and nurses.
Helen Keller Kid's Museum
Present Helen Keller’s story in more detail with photographs and historical background.
Anne Sullivan Macy: Miracle Worker
When teaching about Helen Keller, why leave out her friend and educator Anne Sullivan Macy?
Wisconsin Local History and Biography Articles Collection
Search Wisconsin newspapers mainly from 1860 through 1940.
The History Box
Have a question about New York City or state history? More than 750 articles available.
Portal to Texas History
Texas educators, looking for primary resources on state history? Search this portal for thousands of images and documents drawn from Texas-based archival collections.
U.S. Census Bureau
The U.S. Census counts everyone! It creates a current image of the nation with its diversity and class variations.
The Lives and Writings of Antebellum Students at UNC
What did college students think about their lives and larger issues in the 19th-century?
Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
Did you know that Micronesia was once a U.N. trusteeship administered by the United States?
Silicon Valley History Online
Silicone Valley is known as a high-tech industry center, but has it always been?
McVicar/Stein Photo Copy Service Collection
Imagine life in Madison, WI, between 1920 and 1970.
Coming of Age in the Twentieth Century, Stories from Minnesota and Beyond
What can oral histories tell us about girlhood, adolescence, and more in the United States?
Dolley Madison Digital Edition
Read Dolley Madison’s personal correspondence from her youth through her widowhood.
Northern Visions of Race, Region, and Reform in the Press
Investigate racial issues during and after the Civil War through letters, illustrations, and official documents.
Home Sweet Home: Life in 19th-Century Ohio
Examine 19th-century domestic life through sheet music and audio song files.
Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse
Review litigation studies ranging from mental health facilities and jail conditions to equal employment.
Early American Imprints, Series II: Shaw-Shoemaker, 1801-1819
Uncover novels, readers, hymnals, almanacs, diaries, maps, treaties, and more from between 1801 and 1819.
StoryCorps
Connect 20th-century events and daily life with real human experiences through oral history audio files.
Atlanta in the Civil Rights Movement
What was Atlanta’s role in the larger African American civil rights movement 1940 through 1970?
Center for Dewey Studies, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Discover the life of pragmatist and education reform advocate John Dewey (1859-1952).
American Historical Association
Research the history professional field, communicate with other historians, and access relevant resources.
American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning
Looking for a new way to teach history? Peruse new media and educational resources.
Alabama Maps
How have boundaries changed over time? Compare the maps of yesteryear with those of today.
Lionel Hampton: His Life and Legacy
Jazz musician Lionel Hampton and the University of Idaho shared a rich relationship, explored in this tribute site.
First Century of the First State University: The Creation of UNC
Primary sources document the history of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the first U.S. public university.
Historical Agency in History Book Sets (HBS)
Looking for ways to use fiction in your elementary history curriculum? Read on for suggestions!
Is the Story of George Washington and the Colt a True Story?
Is it all right to make up stories about real people to teach children about honesty? In the 19th century, some people thought so.
Lincoln Bicentennial: A Teachable Moment (updated February 24)
An ongoing reference to exhibits, events, lectures, reenactments, ceremonies, and other tributes commemorating the significance of Lincoln’s life and his presidency during this 200th-year anniversary.
Register for Your Virtual Seat: Smithsonian Education Online Lincoln Conference
If you missed this two-day online event, watch the videos from the Abraham Lincoln: a Smithsonian Education Online Conference on the website.
Seeking U.S. History Books for 9th and 11th Graders
Look for school districts and teachers’ shared lists.
Save the Date! National Teach-In on Lincoln!
Register now for this program with expert historians geared for middle and high schoolers.
Why Was the Boston Tea Party Not Stopped by British Troops?
To some extent, the Boston Tea Party was the result of unintended consequences.
Abraham Lincoln
This lesson leads students to see how Lincoln’s life in Springfield influenced important national issues.
Bringing National Parks into the Classroom
The National Park Service offers traveling exhibits, media-on-loan, and in-class speakers.
Quoting Economic Policy
Milton Friedman and Herbert Hoover are excellent sources.
Literature and Culture of the American 1950s
Explore the cultural, intellectual, and political trends of the 1950s in a diverse array of primary and secondary sources.
Oral History Digital Collection
In full-text narratives, more than 2,000 people from northeast Ohio discuss issues significant to the state and the nation.
AIDS at 20
New York Times articles from 1981 to 2001 follow the development of the AIDS epidemic.
Hypertext on American History from the Colonial Period until Modern Times
Collects more than 375 documents related to United States history from the colonial period to the present.
History Matters: The U.S. Survey Course on the Web
Provides links, primary sources, and eight modules for teachers and students in three main features: WWW.History, Many Pasts, and Making Sense of Evidence.
Sourcing a Primary Document
See sourcing in action, as a historian reads a document about the Scopes Trial.
Rutgers Oral History Archives
Listen to oral history interviews with Americans who served overseas and on the home front during World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, and the Cold War.
Nineteenth-Century American Children and What They Read
Examines 19th-century children in America: what they read, what was written about them, and what was written for them.
Teach Women's History Project
Provides teaching and reference materials on the women’s rights movement of the past 50 years.
Marchand Archive
Memorializes Roland Marchand with more than 6,100 images, including more than 2,000 advertisements, and 48 lesson plans drawn from his collection.
Florida State Archives Photographic Collection
Presents more than 137,000 photographs of Florida on specific localities from the mid-19th century to the present.
Posters from the WPA, 1936-1943
Showcases more than 900 Work Projects Administration (WPA) posters produced as part of the New Deal.
Historical Thinking Matters
Presents four guided investigations—on the Spanish-American War, the Scopes Trial, Social Security, and Rosa Parks—designed to teach students to read primary sources and construct historical narratives.
Disability History Museum
Explore the experiences of those with disabilities through documents and images dating from the 18th century to the present.
Urban Experience in Chicago: Hull-House and Its Neighborhoods, 1889-1963
Peruse this collection of over 900 items relating to Chicago’s Hull House to discover its influence on 20th century urban development.
Kate and Sue McBeth, Missionary Teachers to the Nez Perce
Presents the letters and diaries of Kate and Sue McBeth, late 19th-century missionaries and teachers among the Nez Perce Indians.
Sunday School Books: Shaping the Values of Youth in 19th-Century America
Provides full-text transcriptions and page images of 1815–1865 Sunday school books addressing religious instruction for youth.
Online Archive of California
Explore California from Japanese American internment or the Free Speech Movement to oral histories.
Internet Moving Images Archive
Reproduces a privately held collection of American ephemeral films produced between 1927 and 1987.
Brown v. Board of Education
Examine segregation and desegregation through summaries and the court’s opinions for two major cases.
Reclaiming the Everglades: South Florida's Natural History, 1884-1934
Contains 10,000 pages and images on Everglades reclamation efforts and the history of south Florida.
Civil Rights in Mississippi Digital Archive
150 oral history interviews and 16 collections of documents address the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi.