K12 Reader
1850: My Letter to the Editor
Young writers assume the voice of a person living in the US in the 1850's with an engaging historical lesson. They craft a letter to the editor of their local paper that details why they believe slavery should be abolished.
Curated OER
Images of Slavery and the Underground Railroad
Pictures and photographs can help us foster greater connections and a deeper understanding of a historical time period. After closely analyzing several images that depict slavery and the Underground Railroad, your class will have the...
Curated OER
A House Dividing: The Growing Crisis of Sectionalism in Antebellum America
Young scholars explore the debates over American slavery and the power of the American federal government for the first half of the 19th century and how the regional economies and political events produced a widening split between the...
Curated OER
American Life in the 17th Century: 1607-1692
What was American life like during the 1600s? Help your class discover facts about the unhealthy conditions at Chesapeake Bay, the tobacco economy, Bacon's Rebellion, colonial slavery, the Salem Witch Trials, and colonial life. Slides...
C3 Teachers
Black Genius: How Did Black Genius Help Build American Democracy?
"How did the slavery system undermine the United States' democratic principles?" This question launches a study of how the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence, Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, and Article IV,...
Curated OER
A Divided Community
Students work in teams to research the history of African migration and immigration in the U.S. They present their research in a town hall discussion format and then write a paragraph about their experiences.
Curated OER
Civil War Photographs
Eighth graders explore the new technology brought on by the Civil War. In this U.S. History lesson, 8th graders examine photographs and drawings that depict the changes that happened as a result of the Civil War, then have a class...
Curated OER
Call and Response Singing
Learners investigate call and response singing. In this fine arts and U.S. history instructional activity, students listen to several call and response songs that were sung by African-American slaves during the period before the Civil...
Curated OER
Challenges to Slavery
In this social studies activity, students find the words that are related to the tragedy of slavery. The answers are found by clicking the button at the bottom of the page.
Curated OER
What Does This Song Really Say?
Students investigate communication by analyzing lyrics from a song. In this music arts instructional activity, students discuss slavery, the Underground Railroad and African American traditions while listening to a song called "This...
Lessons on American Presidents
Abraham Lincoln
Honor Abe Lincoln with a set of activity-based worksheets that can be used independently and in collaborative groups. Young historians participate in a listening activity where they fill in the missing blanks in a passage while being...
DocsTeach
How Effective were the Efforts of the Freedmen’s Bureau?
Effective or ineffective? As part of a study of post Civil War America, young historians analyze a series of primary sources to evaluate the effectiveness of the Freedmen's Bureau in addressing the challenges faced by the slaves freed by...
Curated OER
In the Courts
Students explore desegregation in the courts. In this civil rights lesson, students listen to their instructor present a lecture on Supreme Court cases Brown v. Board of Education and Plessy v. Ferguson. Students examine the cases and...
Curated OER
The Middle Passage
Fifth graders explore slavery conditions by viewing a video clip on the Internet. In this slave ship lesson, 5th graders discuss the transportation of black men and women from Africa to the United States in the 1700's and how poor the...
Curated OER
U. S. History Worksheet, #71
For this Civil War worksheet, students utilize a word bank of 10 terms or phrases to answer 10 fill in the blank questions pertaining to the Civil War. A short answer question is posed to students as well.
Curated OER
Reconstruction
Learners explain how the Civil War and Reconstruction both solved and created problems for our nation. They study how Reconstruction caused a further decline in relations between the North & South and how racism has been and is...
Curated OER
A House Dividing: The Growing Crisis of Sectionalism in Antebellum America
Pupils trace the development of sectionalism in the United States. They explore slavery, freedom and the Constitution. Students identify influential opponents and defenders of American slavery. They explain different solutions to the...
Curated OER
The Cotton Gin
Students are introduced to an early American inventor, Eli Whitney, and his experiences with the Patent Office. The economic importance of the cotton gin and its impact on slavery are also addressed.
Curated OER
The African Slave Trade
Provide your class with a look of the scope and context of the African Slave Trade. Graphic images of lynchings, injuries from whippings, and slave auctions will leave viewers agape with horror and ready to discuss the question on the...
Curated OER
Making a Report to President Washington
Learners gain an understanding of some of the challenges the U.S. faced at its birth. They are asked to compose a report on the state of the nation in 1790 (addressed to President George Washington), which includes a narrative, maps and...
NPR
This Isn't Right: Women Reform Leaders
The 20th century saw many new possibilities open up to women in America, thanks to many well-known female historical figures — and some women who are not as famous but who are equally accomplished. Learn about the women who contributed...
Curated OER
Slavery - Types of Work wordsearch
In this slavery worksheet, learners find words in a wordsearch that have to do with the types of work slaves had to do. Students find 10 words that have to do with slavery and their types of work.
Curated OER
Destination of Slaves in 1800
In this slave trade worksheet, learners use the provided Atlantic Slave Trade statistics to create a pie chart and a bar graph. Students also respond to 4 short answer questions.
Curated OER
Constitutional Amendments And Gay Marriage
Upper graders critically examine the history and process of amending the U.S. Constitution in light of the current issue facing the courts on legalizing gay marriage. They read a variety of articles, watch news clips, and develop a...