Go West, young man! Scholars investigate the impact of African American settlers moving to the Nebraska territory, following the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in the mid 1800s. Using primary sources, timelines, maps, and...

Even though American slaves were officially emancipated in 1865, the effects of slavery perpetuated throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Middle and high schoolers learn about the ways that discrimination and the Jim Crow laws...

Uncle Sam wants you! During World War II, the US government and military created a propaganda campaign to gain public support. The activity uses primary documents such as photos to explain how and why the propaganda campaign was...

The era after the Civil War saw a flourishing of African Americans exercising their rights. Using graphic organizers and Internet research, pupils consider the legacy of Benjamin Sterling Turner, who sat in Congress. Afterward, they...

Students examine a historical photograph to gather information and draw conclusions.

The legacy of President Lincoln continues to endure. Scholars view images of three statues that have been created to honor President Lincoln. Academics analyze the three images and share their findings in a group discussion format. Young...

While America says it welcomes from other countries the tired and poor yearning to be free, the record is mixed on whether there has been a warm reception for immigrants. Class members use an interactive graphic scale and primary source...

Students evaluate photographs as historical documents and photographs as propaganda.

Students investigate the history of unequal education in the United States and the impact on African American history. For this unequal history lesson, students discuss the purpose of education and describe an ideal school. Students...

Students compare and contrast the Lincoln portraits using a Venn diagram and included analysis tool. In this presidential photography lesson, students write a journal entry and a letter as if they were Abraham Lincoln. Lastly students...

Third graders compare how the lives of African American slave children differed from children's lives today.  In this analysis of slavery lesson plan, 3rd graders evaluate and discuss the conditions of slavery in collaborative...

Students research documents and photographs by Lewis Hine on child labor. They examine documents and summarize them. Students complete several photograph analysis worksheets. Their research and documents begin after the Civil War.

Briefly detailing the goals and issues within the Polk election and presidency, this presentation can help your students to bridge their knowledge of American politics and issues prior to the Civil War. It includes photographs of Polk,...

Middle schoolers identify the problems with battlefield surgery and factors in successful operations. They evaluate the methods of field surgery concerning communicable diseases and infections. Students analyze period photographs to...

Students explore the content of Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address. In this Abraham Lincoln lesson, students analyze the text of the speech to determine how Lincoln sought to reconstruct the country as the Civil War drew to a close.

Students use a multimedia project, The Valley of the Shadow: Two American Communities in the Civil War, to create a presentation about the significance of the Gettysburg Address. They work on expert teams to explore the interactive...

Eleventh graders demonstrate their knowledge of the effects of television on the political, economic, religious, social, intellectual and artistic life of the US nation from the 1950's. Research how television shaped public opinion with...

Students locate historical photographs of different types of transportation on a given website. They choose three to analyze and write about. If there is no information with the photo, students will need to research their chosen types of...

Third graders read photographs for information and discuss reactions. They take pictures of several sites or topics that depict change, tension, historic sites or community icons. They choose one to describe, mount and label.

Young scholars explore human rights issues. In this social justice lesson plan, students examine human rights as they read segments of the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights," discuss photographs with human rights implications, and...

Eleventh graders create a timeline of events. In this vocabulary lesson plan, 11th graders work in groups to create a timeline of major events that occurred during the Civil Rights era. Students present to class then create a larger...

Sudents compare specific excerpts from The Red Badge of Courage to first-hand accounts of Civil War battles, in text and images and list elements of Crane's style in The Red Badge of Courage that contribute to its realism.

Learners explore the history of Montana's Native Americans by reading James Welch's Fools Crow. Set shortly after the Civil War, the novel focuses on a young Blackfoot Indian and his tribe. Over the course of several weeks, class members...