Heroic civil rights leader Harry T. Moore is murdered! An eye-opening activity delves into the past to understand the murder of prominent civil rights leader and educator Harry Moore and his wife. Academics also read President Truman's...

Uncle Sam wants you to integrate the military! The activity uses images and documents to help scholars understand the integration of African Americans into the mainstream military. Academics analyze a series of military photos and...

Unlike most children, Edith Lee-Payne of Detroit went to the March on Washington with her mother to celebrate her 12th birthday. Pupils walk the march with her by analyzing a closeup image of her that has come to represent the pivotal...

The Vietnam War was the first war to come into American living rooms with its images of American soldiers fighting in jungles far, far away. Young historians analyze and curate photos from the conflict, deciding how they would create a...

Why did African American voters switch from the Republican Party to the Democratic party during the Depression Era? That is the question young historians attempt to answer as they study primary source documents from the period. The focus...

Much of history is distasteful. Primary sources often reveal attitudes acceptable at the time that no longer are. But to understand controversial historical events, historians must examine primary sources that represent a wide variety of...

The instructional activity examines President Kennedy's response to the Bay of Pigs Crisis and  Cold War tensions. Academics learn how the information President Kennedy had affected his response to the question of whether to invade...

Speak your mind! The lesson explores the difference in free speech between the United States and the Soviet Union. Academics review the constitutions of both governments, political cartoons, and case studies to understand how freedom of...

Desegregation does not mean equality. An eye-opening lesson focuses on the impact of the Brown v. Board of Education decision to end school segregation. Scholars review a series of political cartoons to understand how the public viewed...

Scholars analyze a propaganda poster against communism. The resource uses the poster to examine the domino theory and containment policies used by the United States to stop the spread of communism in Vietnam. Scholars work in pairs or...

They sunk our battleship! An engaging activity focuses on the Gulf of Tonkin Incident and the sinking of the USS Maddox. Young historians learn how it increased tensions leading to the Vietnam War and read through a first draft of the...

When Rosa Parks took her seat on a public bus to protest segregation, she also took her place in history. Learners examine a clue from this story—a diagram of the bus—to see if they can figure out the pivotal role of  this...

There aren't a lot of details on the document, but Rosa Parks's arrest is now a legendary story of the civil rights movement. Class members examine the record—with Parks's names blotted out—to see if they can tell who this document...

When Martin Luther King Jr. took a stand against the Vietnam War, interests collided. With a letter from Jackie Robinson to Lyndon B. Johnson, the baseball legend urges the president to remain firm in his resolve for civil rights. Young...

Before her career as a Supreme Court Justice, the Notorious RBG was a legal activist for women's rights. Using a letter from then-Professor Ginsburg, young historians carefully examine a letter from Ginsburg to a member of Congress...

The brutality of Bloody Sunday—when non-violent protesters who supported voting rights for African Americans were beaten by police—captured a nation. Young historians examine the letter of one horrified American to Congress to consider...

An interesting resource explores President Truman's decision to enter into the Korean War to contain the spread of communism. Historians analyze the document using an online worksheet before participating in group discussion on the...

Even the Great Bambino wasn't above suspicion during World War I. An eye-opening activity explores America's greatest pastime through the lens of government officials during WWI. Academics examine Babe Ruth's draft card to understand how...

In the effort to soothe the suffering of the Great Depression, New Deal programs funded a variety of approaches - including a theater project that proved controversial! Using documents such as oral histories, as well as photographs of...

While many think the United States was neatly divided between Northern and Southern states during the Civil War, border states like Maryland are more complicated. Using hands-on activities to measure distance and primary sources,...

An eye-opening activity honors those soldiers that have fallen in battle but remain nameless. Scholars analyze the Unknown Solider Resolution created after World War I to honor those who died. Academics participate in group discussion to...

Scholars explore claims from two Titanic survivors, a first-class passenger and a person from the steerage class. The activity uses primary documents to help pupils determine whether the White Star Line showed preferential treatment to...

An enlightening activity explains how a telegram prompted the United States to enter World War I. Scholars examine the telegram and work to decode it. To finish, individuals complete a worksheet and participate in group discussion to...

One man's unsinkable dream became a disaster for many. An intriguing activity uses primary sources to examine the claims made by Titanic survivors against the White Star Line. Scholars analyze the claims, complete a worksheet, and...