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Prequel to Independence

For Teachers 5th - 8th
It's about time! Young historians use primary sources to create a timeline of events leading to American Independence. The fast-paced activity is designed to be used at the end of a unit on the Revolutionary War or as an assessment tool....
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Mrs. Bloomer's 'Political Disability'

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
It's hard to believe that women had to argue for the right to vote a mere 100 years ago. Today, young historians can examine their case left behind in primary sources. Using a letter from a woman who claimed she should be able to vote...
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Analyzing Evidence of the Pearl Harbor Attack

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Don some detective caps and delve into the past to explore the evidence left behind after the attack on Pearl Harbor. An interesting activity uses primary sources to explore how the United States Navy was caught off guard and how the...
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What Else Was Happening During the Civil War Era?

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Examine a time of political division and upheaval— not unlike our own—using firsthand accounts. While study of the Civil War often takes center stage in the classroom, the 1850s and 1860s were a period of profound change in other areas...
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National Park Service

The Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March: Shaking the Conscience of the Nation

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Travel back in time to examine how tragic events can spur positive change. Scholars explore the impact of the Selma Voting Rights March, including the tragic loss of life and the later signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Academics...
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Museum of the American Revolution

The Ongoing Revolution

For Teachers 4th - 12th
America: a nation that continues to change. Budding historians analyze primary sources to understand the key ideas of the American Revolution and how the country has changed over time. Scholars read text from the Declaration of...
Lesson Plan
Museum of the American Revolution

People of the Revolution

For Teachers 4th - 12th
It's nothing new—America has always been a melting pot of cultures. The resource explores the diversity of individuals living in the American colonies during the Revolutionary War. Scholars examine artifacts and primary sources to...
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Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation

Where Is Angel Island? An Introductory Geography Lesson

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Prepare young historians for a study of Angel Island Immigration Station with a lesson examining primary and secondary source materials, maps, and websites. Using what they have learned, individuals create a map of Angel Island, labeling...
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Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation

Conditions in China: Why Might One Leave Home Forever?

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Primary source texts provide scholars with the background information they need to understand why Chinese peasant farmers were driven to emigrate. After underlining keywords, phrases, and/or lines in the texts, individuals craft a...
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1
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Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation

How Do Pictures Tell the Story of Angel Island?

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Young historians learn more about the history of Angel Island Immigration Station through their analysis of primary source images. Guided by a list of inferential questions, scholars learn how to make and record observations on a...
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PBS

The Harlem Renaissance

For Teachers 7th - 12th
A reading of Walter Dean Myers' "Harlem" sets the stage for studying the literature, art, and music of the Harlem Renaissance. The lesson begins with a review of the social, political, and economic conditions of the 1920s and 1930s that...
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President Reagan and the Cold War: Vision and Diplomacy

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
After years of boiling tension, the presidency of Ronald Regan and the rise of Mikhail Gorbechev paved a new way forward for diplomacy between the United States and the Soviet Union. Using primary source documents, including letters...
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Analyzing Photographs of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
While a catalyst for the labor movement, 146 people lost their lives in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in 1913. A series of photographs of the aftermath of the tragedy help young historians consider the impact of the fire. The...
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Exploring America's Diversity: Motel Garber (Beginner)

For Teachers 4th - 10th
Young detectives delve into the past in an exciting series exploring immigration. The activity uses primary sources to teach elementary scholars historical analysis. Academics read records to understand the life of Motel Garber, from...
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Exploring America's Diversity: Rosalia Fundaro (Beginner)

For Teachers 4th - 10th
Elementary scholars learn about the life of Rosalia Fundaro, an Italian immigrant, using primary sources. They analyze documents, complete written prompts, and participate in group discussion to understand Rosalia's life in the United...
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Smithsonian Institution

Borders within the United States: Indian Boarding Schools and Assimilation

For Teachers 8th - 11th Standards
Native American Nations ... sovereign entities or removable tribes? A thought-provoking instructional activity explores the relationship between Native American tribes and the United States, including forced assimilation and removal from...
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2
2
Smithsonian Institution

A Dream Deferred: DACA

For Teachers 8th - 11th Standards
 "Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses" has even more meaning for some children. The resource explores the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Scholars analyze primary sources and participate in...
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2
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Smithsonian Institution

Strength in Solidarity: Coalition of Immokalee Workers and the Campaign for Fair Food

For Teachers 8th - 11th Standards
Not all food is created equal. The lesson dives into the world of migrant farm workers to show their struggles to earn livable wages and better working conditions. Academics learn why the Coalition of Immokalee Workers was created and...
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Center for History Education

Native American Gender Roles in Maryland

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Toss gender roles out the window—some societies lived in a world where women not only possessed the family wealth but also were the farmers and butchers. Many Native American societies had more gender equity than European societies....
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Center for History Education

Colonial Tea Parties

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Most people know of the Boston Tea Party, but it was only one of similar protests throughout the colonies. Using a case study from Maryland, learners explore primary sources, including images and newspaper accounts of similar tea...
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Center for History Education

The Founding Fathers and the Constitutional Struggle Over Centralized Power

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Believe it or not, the Constitution was America's second attempt at a democratic government. Academics travel back to the past to explore the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation that would eventually lead to the Constitutional...
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Center for History Education

Breaking the Great League of Peace and Power: The Six Iroquois Nations During and After the American Revolution

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
What happens when you can't remain neutral? An informative lesson explores the impact of the American Revolution on the Iroquois Nations. Scholars learn about the six Iroquois nations and their treaty with the newly formed American...
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Center for History Education

Nineteenth Century Reform Movements: Women's Rights

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
It's hard to imagine a world where women were marginalized from the seats of power. Yet, there are women today who remember what it was like to not be allowed to vote. Using a DBQ of images and other primary sources, such as political...
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Prohibition and Its Consequences

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Organized crime and speakeasies ... just another day during Prohibition. An intriguing activity explores the world of Prohibition and its consequences on life in the United States. Scholars analyze primary sources and place them on a...

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