Curated OER
The American War for Independence
High schoolers complete a unit of lessons that examine the goals of the Americans during the Revolutionary War. They explore an online interactive map of major campaigns, read and analyze primary source documents, and analyze diplomatic...
Historical Thinking Matters
Spanish-American War: 5 Day Lesson
Nine historical documents, an interactive online notebook, and a fantastic opportunity for historical inquiry await your pupils in this 5-day lesson plan. Class members identify and discuss various causes for the Spanish-American War...
Smithsonian Institution
Spanish American War
Today, Cuba and America sometimes struggle with diplomatic relations, but did you know that America went to war against Spain to free Cuba? Learners examine many interesting facts related to the Spanish American War using an informative...
Smithsonian Institution
War of Independence
Want to explain the War of Independence without using just a textbook? The resource, an online exhibition, provides direct instruction to scholars. It discusses what led up to the war, the time of the war, and the legacy left behind long...
Curated OER
Creating a Cartoon of the Philippine-American War
During the Industrial and commercial expansion of the United States, war broke out between America and the Philippines. Explore conflict, American Imperialism, and political cartoons with this creative project. Learners view the film,...
Friends of Fort McHenry
Was the War of 1812 Our Second War of Independence?
Though it occurred almost 40 years later, could the United States have been fighting for their independence again in the War of 1812? Using appropriate primary source material from each of the two wars, compare and contrast the situation...
Curated OER
The War for Independence: 4th Grade
Here is a great interactive idea that may need a little refining. Students play 3 rounds, where they answer questions explaining how different countries have gained independence throughout history. While this resource has music and...
Curated OER
American Becomes a Colonial Power
Exploring the idea of America joining "the imperialist club" at the end of the 19th century, this presentation presents reasons why America not only had the drive to explore the world, but the power and wealth with which to do so....
Curated OER
Debate: Should the U.S. Annex the Philippines?
Building an argument with supporting evidence is a vital skill. Learners engage in a debate over the annexation of the Philippines after the Spanish-American War. They take on the perspective of an individual from that time period,...
Friends of Fort McHenry
A Just War or Just a War?
What, if anything, makes a war "just"? This is an interesting and important question to explore with your class, and you can utilize an excellent lesson plan to support your group inquiry. The American Revolution and the War of 1812 are...
Curated OER
The War in the South, 1778-1781
Students explore the major terms of the Franco-American alliance and their importance to the cause of independence. The most important military engagements in the South are discussed and their significance for the outcome of the war noted.
Curated OER
The War for Independence: 4th Grade
Colonial Independence is a hot topic in the 4th and 5th grade; this PowerPoint highlights the victories, the decision for Independence, and the forces for and against colonial independence from England. This PowerPoint presents scant...
Curated OER
Battles of the American Revolution
Wow, now here's a presentation that tells a story! Your class can follow along the battle lines of the American Revolution to learn key players, dates, and events that marked each twist and turn in the fight for American independence....
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Patriots or Traitors - Point of View in the War for Independence
Patriots or traitors? Class members analyze images that present widely differing views of the Boston Tea Party, identifying the point of view of the image, the propaganda devices used, and the intended audience.
US House of Representatives
Hispanic Americans in Congress During the Age of U.S. Colonialism and Global Expansion, 1898–1945
New ReviewTo be Puerto Rican, in the words of one politician, is to be "foreign in a domestic sense." Young historians consider the American role in colonialism and its impacts on Hispanic Americans through the first part of the twentieth century...
Smithsonian Institution
Who's in Camp?
Pupils complete readings, a group activity using cards, and a writing activity to better understand people's lives during the American Revolution. The resource emphasizes people such as the militiamen, women, officers, and children,...
Los Angeles Unified School District
Why Is the Declaration of Independence Important?
Fair or unfair? To begin a study of the American Revolution, class members review the treatment of the people of the American Colonies by the King of England and decide which were fair and which were unfair. Class members then annotate a...
Curated OER
The American Revolution: 1775 - 1783
Track the ins and outs and wartime strategies used by both the British and the Americans during the Revolutionary War. Multiple comparisons are made between both factions, maps, statistical data, images, and light text is used throughout...
Curated OER
Chapter 28: Red Flags and Velvet Revolutions: The End of the Cold War, 1960-1990
Set your historians up for testing success using this interactive flashcard tool. It is one of many learning strategies offered in this thorough online resource. Although designed for use with a text, the site is valuable independently....
Curated OER
Vietnam 1945 - 1975 :The 10,000 Day War
Each phase of the Vietnam War is fully developed and defined in terms of political cause and effect and social action. Phase one covers the onset of the war in 1945 through the French defeat at Dienbienphu. Phase two discusses American...
Curated OER
Empire to Independence
Here is a wonderful presentation, perfect for setting the stage for the Revolutionary War. Containing great information and images, it acts as a timeline of events starting with the French Indian War and ending with the dawn of the...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Declaration of Independence
Give budding historians a guided exploration of the Declaration of Independence, historic photos, videos, and more as they deepen their understanding of the American Revolution and the attitude of the colonists leading up to the war.
National Endowment for the Humanities
The War in the South, 1778–1781
The second in a three-part look at the Revolutionary War focuses the years from 1778 through 1781 and zooms in on military operations in the southern colonies, the French alliance, and the role African-Americans played in events. Class...
Curated OER
The War in the North, 1775-1778
High schoolers investigate the hardships and difficulties that the Continental army faced in the early years of the American War for independence. the battles of Lexington and concord and the expectations of the Continental Army forms...