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.
Incorporating 20th Century US Environmental History in the K-5 Classroom
This guide consists of curated primary and secondary sources to help students connect environmental history to broader themes in twentieth century US history.
Native Women and Suffrage - Beyond the 19th Amendment: A Guide for Pre-Service Teachers
Using primary sources from the Library of Congress, help students reconsider the standard narrative around women’s suffrage by exploring the history of Native, Black, Latin American and Asian women who kept advocating for expanding suffrage after 1920.
Religion and the Labor Movement: A Guide for Pre-Service Teachers
Engaging Library of Congress primary sources that connect religion and organized labor.
For Us the Living
A series of five primary source based learning modules that encourage high school students to explore American history through the stories found in Alexandria National Cemetery.
Children's Lives at Colonial London Town
Invite young students into colonial history with the stories of children from three very different families.
Families on the Farm
What was life like for women and girls on late 19th- and early 20th-century farms?
Women's Rights: Sarah Bagley Letters
What do these letters from a women’s rights activist reveal about social causes in the 1840s?
Film Review: Amelia
What is the cultural terrain staked out by Amelia, the Hollywood biopic about the intrepid flyer Amelia Earhart?
Women's Suffrage: Jane Addams's Article
Who was Jane Addams, and how is her article “Why Women Should Vote” still relevant today?
Women's Suffrage: Burroughs's Article
In the struggle for women’s suffrage, how did African American women represent themselves? TJ Boisseau reads an article by activist Nannie Helen Burroughs.
Women's Suffrage Photographs
How did the women’s suffrage movement use the rise of journalism to its advantage? TJ Boisseau looks at what photographs reveal.
Women's Suffrage Cartoon
How does a political cartoon use popular beliefs about women to make its point? Historian TJ Boisseau examines the conventions in this image.
Voices of Women's Reform
There’s more to it than Seneca Falls.
Film Review: Iron Jawed Angels
How does modern television portray early 20th-century suffragists? Through very modern eyes, says Historian Carla Bittel.
Resources for Women's History Month
Teach women’s history in March and all year long with these resources.
Abolitionist Speeches by African American Women
How do the speeches of Sojourner Truth and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper differ? Historian Carla Peterson examines documents for answers.
Guampedia
Guam is often left out of discussions of U.S. history. Remedy the situation!
Socks to War
Even humble, everyday artifacts have a rich place in history.
1804 Inventory
What can an inventory tell you about daily life in Delaware in 1804? Curator Barbara Clark Smith asks this document four questions.
e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia
There’s far more to West Virginia than stereotypes suggest. Why not take some time to explore the state?
Puerto Rico Encyclopedia/Enciclopedia de Puerto Rico
Connect with your ELL students with this bilingual Puerto Rico Encyclopedia!
Industrializing Women
Did industrialization result in more women working outside the home or in more women in domestic spheres only?
Sewall-Belmont House Museum Collections
Allow the National Woman’s Party to show you their collection on women’s progress to equality.
Gilded Age Plains City
Delve into Great Plains urban development c. 1900 by way of a compelling, unsolved murder mystery.
Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project
What role have women played in war and the military?
Amy Trenkle on Glogging Class Greats
Posterboard and rubber cement may work for some projects, but students can also avoid the mess—and incorporate audiovisuals—by making glogs (virtual posters) online.
Women in the Lab (and the Field)
Marie Curie and Jane Goodall—you may know these female scientists, but can you name any American women scientists?
The Conspirator in the Classroom
With the new film, The Conspirator, out in theaters, here are a few resources to help you explore the story of Mary Surratt and America’s first presidential assassination.
On Gendering the Constitution
The agitation among women’s rights activists over the language of the 14th Amendment.
Historical Improbabilities
Truth is stranger than fiction, they say. Can you tell the difference?
Children and Youth in History
Bring history home to young students with sources they can relate to—and prompt older students to think about the construction of concepts like “child” and “teenager.”
Women in Blues (and Jazz)
In the early 20th century, the new music recording industry embraced hundreds of artists—including women.
Women at War
Women have fought in every U.S. war, but only recently have they gained official military status.
The Salem Witch Trials
Absolving the guilty and punishing the innocent. Historian Elizabeth Reis looks at primary sources recording testimony in witchcraft trials.
Women Taking History: Women's History Month 2011
This Women’s History Month, remind your students that women have made history in more ways then one—by recording it, as well as being recorded.
Zinn Education Project
Wanting to go deeper into the history of labor and marginalized groups in the U.S.?
Martha Ballard
Learning about the life of a midwife in 18th-century Maine through her diary and other sources.
OurStory
Link literature and history with activity sets for 18 books and a database of over 270 other books for young readers.
Potent Quotables: Every Vote Counts
After more than two centuries of citizenship, much has been said about voting. Can you tell who said what?
Textbook Twisters: Salem Witch Trials
Burn the witch! Discover how historical coverage of the Salem Witch Trials has changed over time.
As American as Mom…
You know Mother’s Day is all about mom, but do you know the history of the holiday?
First Ladies' Firsts
What about the other occupants of the White House?
Go West, Young Woman!
Men and women both settled the West. Answer these questions on women’s records of the experience.
Playing House—Homemaking for Children
How have childhood and gender roles changed over time? Browse five housekeeping books for girls.
Feminist Art
Explorations of the body, self-reference, and the entanglement of art and politics have all been the themes of feminist art—as they have been themes of other art of our time.
Reading for Context
If students lack historical context, they can miss the substance of a reading. Watch a high school sophomore use what he knows about the 1950s and 1960s to approach a diary extract.
Woman Suffrage and the 19th Amendment
Relive the dream of the women’s vote through roleplay or interfacing with primary documents.
Voting Rights and the 14th Amendment
How did women suffer no suffrage through the 14th Amendment?
Land of (Unequal) Opportunity
460 documents and images on civil rights in Arkansas, from before, during, and after the civil rights movement.
Peace Corps
Explore world and U.S. history simultaneously through universal development issues.
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?
Jacob Lawrence: Exploring Stories
Frame your lessons on the Great Migration with the life and works of Jacob Lawrence.
Cleveland Digital Library
Explore the history of “the forest city.”
American Women's Dime Novel Project
What was the turn-of-the-century woman’s “beach read”?
Oral History Research Center
What do Vegas showgirls have to say about their time in the city?
Encyclopedia Britannica: The 1911 Edition
Find out what people thought of everything from ablation to vinegar in 1911.
The Commercial Closet
How have GLBT lifestyles been portrayed and used by the commercial media?
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?
Agents of Social Change: 20th-Century Women's Activism
Source documents to help you approach 20th-century feminism.
Regional Oral History Office
Explore California oral histories, or learn to conduct your own interviews.
An American Family: The Beecher Tradition
Did you know that Harriet Beecher Stowe’s family was also involved in abolitionism?
Women Artists of the American West
What have women artists considered worthy of depiction in the U.S. West?
Jo Freeman.com
Explore women’s political history and activism from the 1960s onward.
Conversations with History
Brush up on your understanding of international relations with these interviews.
Across the Generations: Exploring U.S. History through Family Papers
Experience Caucasian, middle-class Northeastern life through the collections of four families.
Picturing Modern America Project
Create your own thematic exhibits using Library of Congress images.
Woman's Legal History Biography Project
How many female lawyers can you think of in U.S. history?
The Pill
How has the birth control pill altered sexuality and feminine gender expectations?
Women Working, 1800-1930
What did women think of their work at home, in the arts, and in business?
American Memory Learning Page
Try lesson plans based on the Library of Congress’ American Memory collections.
Colonial House
Companion to a PBS television program, this site provides insight into everyday colonial life.
Women of Valor
Meet international anarchist and women’s rights activist Emma Goldman.
TUPPERWARE!
Have you ever heard of a Tupperware party? Find out more about the household brand.
The Story of Virginia
State standards require you to teach VA history? Worry not! This site covers Virginia history from prehistoric times to the present.
Home Economics Archive: Research, Tradition, History
What would your life have been like as a housewife in 1850?
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.
New Jersery History Partnership Project
Use New Jersey during the American Revolution as a national microcosm.
Vietnam War Era Ephemera Collection
Explore campus protest ephemera and the youth movements of the 1960s and 70s.
Adams Family Papers
You probably know about John Adam’s political career, but what of the Adams’ domestic life?
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.
Dolley Madison Project
Read the letters of Dolley Madison while learning about her life—from childhood to widowhood.
The History Box
Have a question about New York City or state history? More than 750 articles available.
The Malcolm X Project
Read FBI files on and watch interviews about Malcolm X, human and African American rights activist.
Jewish Women and the Feminist Revolution
What roles have Jewish women played in the Second Wave of feminism?
U.S. Census Bureau
The U.S. Census counts everyone! It creates a current image of the nation with its diversity and class variations.
Teaching Future Historians: U.S. History Lesson Plans Using Primary Documents
A diverse array of Antebellum, Civil War, and Gilded Age lesson plans for your convenience.
Illinois During the Gilded Age
Listen to, read, and sing sources from the Gilded Age canvassing women, religion, and more.
Women of Protest: Images from the Records of the National Woman's Party
See the suffragettes who gave over 50% of U.S. citizens the right to vote.
Automobile in American Life and Society
Enter the world of automotive history through oral histories and scholarly essays.
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.
McKinley Assassination Ink: A Documentary History
Explore the assassination of President McKinley and the social context thereof.
Getting the Message Out! National Political Campaign Materials, 1840-1860
What were common presidential campaign strategies between 1840 and 1860?
Probing the Past
What might you have owned in Maryland or Virginia in 1740-1810? (Lesson plans included!)
StoryCorps
Connect 20th-century events and daily life with real human experiences through oral history audio files.
North American Women's Letters and Diaries: Colonial Times to 1950
Read the personal correspondence and diaries of women such as Phyllis Wheatley and Margaret Fuller.
The Adoption History Project
Did you know that adoption was only recognized as a legal U.S. operation in 1851?
Fly Girls
Explore the experiences of World War II’s Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) at this companion website to the PBS American Experience documentary.
Historical Agency in History Book Sets (HBS)
Looking for ways to use fiction in your elementary history curriculum? Read on for suggestions!
Remember the Ladies—But Not Just in March
Women’s history should be integral to the total narrative of American history.
Willa Cather Archive
Read the annotated works of author Willa Cather (1873–1947), including O Pioneer! and My Antonia.
Emma Goldman Papers
Learn more about Emma Goldman, radical and feminist activist, through this collection of primary and secondary sources.
AIDS at 20
New York Times articles from 1981 to 2001 follow the development of the AIDS epidemic.
Votes for Women: Selections from the NAWSA, 1848-1921
10,000 pages of records on the struggle for votes for women, including papers by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
A variety of primary sources and background essays explore the 1911 fire, a hallmark tragedy of the industrial age.
Jewish Women's Archive
Learn more about American Jewish women’s contributions to their communities and the wider world with these exhibits and resources.
Thomas Paine National Historical Association
Explore the life and works of one of the most famous revolutionaries—Thomas Paine.
Making of America
Provides more than 1.5 million pages of text in an effort to digitize more than 11,000 volumes and 100,000 19th-century journal articles.
Teach Women's History Project
Provides teaching and reference materials on the women’s rights movement of the past 50 years.
Flint Sit-Down Strike
Provides a multimedia introduction to “the greatest strike in American history.”
Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600-2000
Offers 45 mini-monographs on U.S. women’s history, each organized around an analytical question concerning a social movement.
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.
Women in Journalism
Archives 44 “full-life” interviews with American women journalists.
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.
Margaret Sanger Papers Project
Selected materials by and about the “birth control pioneer” Margaret Sanger.
Ad*Access
Archives more than 7,000 newspaper and magazine advertisements printed in the U.S. from 1911 to 1955.
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.
Alexander Street Press
Databases of digitized firsthand accounts and literary works document periods in American history, the experiences of minorities, and other topics.
The Great Depression to World War II: Photos from the FSA-OWI
Explore this database of over 150,000 photographs that capture the true nature of this crisis and its solutions.
Salem Witch Trials: Documentary Archive and Transcription Project
Examine the verbatim transcripts of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials.
Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Presents the complete text of the Nebraska edition of the Lewis and Clark journals, along with supplementary secondary sources.
Do History: Martha Ballard's Diary Online
Explore the diary of midwife Martha Ballard and the creation of two modern historical studies based on the diary.
Accessible Archives
Presents articles from 18th- and 19th-century newspapers, magazines, and books, with a focus on the Mid-Atlantic region.
Gifts of Speech: Women's Speeches from Around the World
More than 400 speeches by women—politicians, scientists, and celebrities.