Curated OER
National Park Service: Timothy Pickering
This site provides a nice portrait of Secretary of War, Timothy Pickering. Biographical information is also included, which discusses Pickering's many political achievements.
US Army Center
U.s. Army Center of Military History: Peace Becomes Cold War, 1945 1950
A discussion of historical events that led to the Cold War from the perspective of the U.S. Army. Particular emphasis is placed on military leadership and policy.
Stanford University
Sheg: Document Based History: Reading Like a Historian: Hamilton v. Jefferson
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read primary source documents to solve a problem surrounding a historical question. For this inquiry lesson, two letters to George Washington allow students to consider the competing politics...
University of Virginia
Miller Center at Uva: u.s. Presidents: John Quincy Adams
This site contains a detailed biography of John Quincy Adams. From the right-hand toolbar, select information about his life before and after his presidency, his campaigns and elections, and his domestic and foreign affairs. Also, you...
Other
Encyclopedia of the New American Nation: Dollar Diplomacy
This extensive essay explains the goals of William Howard Taft's foreign policy during his presidency and how it reflected U.S. relations with countries in Latin America and with China. Comparisons are made with the goals of Taft's...
OpenStax
Open Stax: American Foreign Policy 1890 1914: Economic Imperialism in East Asia
As America's economic prowess grew, it was able to harness this power to expand its imperialistic arm into China. This mutually beneficial relationship lasted until after World War II when China became a communist country.
OpenStax
Open Stax: American Foreign Policy 1890 1914: Turner, Mahan, and Roots of Empire
Examines the development of American foreign policy in the latter part of the 1800s, and what Frederick Jackson Turner and Alfred Thayer Mahan did to further American imperialistic interests.
Harp Week
Harp Week: Elections: 1892 Overview Cleveland v. Harrison v. Weaver
This four-page review of the campaign and election of 1892 includes a review of Benjamin Harrison's term in office from 1888-1892, the controversy in determining a presidential candidate, and the presence of a possibly viable third-party...
Library of Congress
Loc: America's Story: John Quincy Adams
The Library of Congress presents this fascinating site on John Adams. Contains short paragraphs, portraits, and a photo of the 1819 Treaty with Spain.
Thinkport Education
Thinkport: James Baker, the Man Who Made Washington Work
This is an educational resource for middle and high school classrooms to accompany the PBS documentary, James Baker, the Man Who Made Washington Work. Known for his diplomacy and negotiation skills, James Baker has served as a United...
Other
Lawnix: Baker v. Carr Case Brief Summary
Charles Baker (P) was a resident of Shelby County, Tennessee. Baker filed suit against Joe Carr, the Secretary of State of Tennessee. Baker's complaint alleged that the Tennessee legislature had not redrawn its legislative districts...
Other
Redistricting America: Baker v. Carr
Charles Baker, a resident of an urban neighborhood in Tennessee, filed suit in federal court against Joe Carr, then Secretary of State of Tennessee. Baker sought a court injunction to postpone elections until the State had fulfilled its...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Pifer Interview
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Steven Pifer discusses the United States' stance toward the Russian/Chechen conflict in this video from Wide Angle.
Yale University
Shipment of Soviet Arms to Arab Countries (1955)
U.S. Secretary of State answers questions concerning the United States' response, in light of conversations with Egyptian President Nasser, to the possibility of Soviet shipments of arms to Arab countries.
Brigham Young University
Byu: Wwi Archive: Wilson's First Lusitania Note to Germany: May 13, 1915
This site contains the first Lusitania note sent to Germany by President Woodrow Wilson, under the signature of Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan, May 13, 1915.
Curated OER
History Matters: Wilson and Lansing on the u.s. Invasion of Mexico
Read Secretary of State Robert Lansing's letter to President Woodrow Wilson urging the President to avoid the term "intervention" to characterize the U.S. 1916 invasion of Mexico to capture the revolutionary Pancho Villa.
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: The Presidents: Special Report on Japan's Strength
Special report written in 1933 by the U.S. Ambassador to Japan to the Secretary of State, Cordell Hull, describing the increase in Japanese military power and expansion into Asia. The last paragraph is chilling, considering the oncoming...
BBC
Bbc: Powell Criticises Storm Response
The federal government faced a great deal of criticism for its response to Hurricane Katrina, including former Secretary of State Colin Powell. Report is from September 2005.
Other
Amdocs: First Open Door Note, by John Hay
A diplomatic note sent to the U.S. ambassador to Germany from John Hay, Secretary of State, giving a brief outline of the U.S. concept of the Open Door policy for China.
Other
The Vel Phillips Foundation: Vel Phillips' March
The Vel Phillips Foundation is dedicated to the example of Vel Phillips, an African-American civil rights leader in Milwaukee. She championed the rights of women and minorities in her roles as a judge, a city councillor and later a...
Other
Stanford Business: Ten Leadership Tenets From Colin Powell
Excerpted from a longer article, this article provides a list of ten ideas that former Secretary of State General Colin Powell presents about the qualities and behaviors of a good leader.
Library of Congress
Loc: Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln
Describes the events on April 14, 1865, when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated while attending a theater performance. His Secretary of State, William Henry Seward, was also attacked at his home that night but survived. Includes a timeline...
University of Virginia
Miller Center at Uva: u.s. Presidents: John Quincy Adams: Foreign Affairs
Read about the little that was accomplished in Adams' presidency in terms of foreign affairs, primarily because of Adams' success in diplomacy as Monroe's Secretary of State.
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: His First Dollar [Pdf]
"His First Dollar" is a one-page, historical fiction passage in which Abraham Lincoln tells his Secretary of State Seward when and how he had earned his first dollar. It is followed by constructed-response questions which require...