Students research the positions of civil defense and nuclear disarmament during the Cold War era. They participate in a class debate to support a given position.

Eleventh graders examine transcripts of the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates and create a platform for each candidate in the 1858 Senate race.

Students comprehend how the United States became involved in what one historian called the quagmire. Students identify and analyze the importance of the Tet Offensive in turning American public opinion against the Vietnam War. Students...

Why did Stephen Douglas support the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854? Why did Abraham Lincoln oppose it? Young historians examine how the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 affected the political balance between free and slave states and explore how...

Young scholars examine the status of free blacks in Illinois and slavery in the U.S. They read and analyze primary source documents, answer and discuss questions, participate in a group discussion, and present the group's findings to the...

Students analyze two life masks of Abraham Lincoln. In this Life Masks of Lincoln lesson students determine which events during his presidency formed the change in Lincoln's countenance. Lastly students create a timeline of important...

Students analyze the career of Ulysses S. Grant. In this Grant presidency lesson, students listen to their instructor present a lecture regarding the details of Grant's presidency. Students respond to discussion questions regarding the...

In this lesson plan, students explore the history, relevance and current application of international tribunals for war crimes. Students look at cases from the Nuremberg trials, Tokyo trials and the Bosnian War.

Who gets to vote? Learn more about struggles for suffrage throughout United States history with a lesson based on primary source documents. Middle schoolers debate the importance of women's suffrage and African American...

Students continue their examination of the United States Constitution. Individually, they identify events in which the government has limited our civil rights and write an essay. In groups, they debate the issue and answer...

Students study Presidential Reconstruction during the Civil War years. They examine the role of the Executive Branch of government, especially in wartime. They investigate the complex issues of how Congress took on the role of...

Students explore and analyze the position of freedmen in the post Civil War period as well as the impact of Andrew Johnson's presidency on Reconstruction. In addition, they evaluate the laws and amendments that were put in place during...

From indentured servitude to involuntary race-based servitude, slavery has taken many forms in American history. Class members examine three manumission petitions that reveal how the rights of African Americans and African American...

Students analyze conditions under which sections of United States Constitution are superceded, research history of Native Americans, African Americans, and Japanese Americans, and debate policy of reparations for various minority groups...

Students summarize support for free market labor vs. slave labor in antebellum America. They explain how existing economic conditions influence support for free market labor vs. slave labor.

On April 4, 1967 Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his speech "Beyond Vietnam." The controversy that followed is the focus of a three-lesson unit that asks class members to consider the political and social implications of King's...

What does a true American represent? Scholars investigate the equal rights era of the 1960s and 1970s in the 20th installment of a 22-part series on American history. Using photographic, magazine, written, and video evidence, groups...

Students read a letter by Shaw to his wife after the Union raid at Darien, Georgia; then will draw conclusions about it. Students debate about the Emancipation Proclamation as well as the possibility of allowing blacks to serve in the...

US history classes explore constitutional rights as they relate to court cases involving teens. Your class must already be familiar with the Bill of Rights before beginning this series of exercises. In preparation for a debate-style...

Bilingual education, voting rights, and Congressional redistricting come up often in the news. Explore these topics from another view—the perspectives of Hispanic members of Congress. Activities include an article with comprehension and...

Students explore the use of martial law at the Battle of New Orleans. In this Andrew Jackson lesson, students analyze primary documents pertaining to the move by Jackson to use martial law in the battle. Students then consider situations...

Students, after listening to a lecture, examine Nigeria from slave trading to the Civil War as well as listen to the Arrested Development song about slavery. In addition, they create a circle diagram for essay #1.

Students examine the transcripts of the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates and create a platform for each candidate in the 1858 Senate race. They utilize the candidates' arguments to explore the historical and political impact.

Students analyze quotes and poetry related to relationships in society. In this civics lesson plan, students participate in small group debate game and focus on communication skills that reinforce civil discussion. Students reflect and...