Smithsonian Institution
Cuban Missile Crisis
The United States—specifically John F. Kennedy—played a large role during the Cuban Missile Crisis. A history resource poses questions that encourage critical thinking as well as in-depth analysis of images from the time period.
Curated OER
An Early Threat of Secession: The Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Nullification Crisis
Students analyze an interactive map of the Missouri Compromise to identify the regions and their relation to slavery. In this pre-civil war era lesson, students read primary source documents and research online to answer questions...
Curated OER
The Growth of U.S.-Japanese Hostility, 1915-1932
Learners explore the relationship between Japan and the United States between 1915 and 1932. In this diplomacy lesson, students examine the Open Door Policy, 21 Demands, and the invasion of Manchuria by Japan. Learners conduct research...
Curated OER
Connection to the Past
Students learn basic interviewing and biography writing skills. They first identify a senior citizen in their community who remembers the Great Depression.
Curated OER
The Great Depression - FDR and the New Deal
Learners consider the role that government should play in economics. For this Great Depression lesson, students analyze New Deal legislation to develop an informed opinion about the public programs and then present their findings to...
Curated OER
America's Wars
Students classify information regarding American involvement in wars. In this classification lesson, students examine the causes of the war in which the United States has been involved, and classify them as mainly political, social,...