Civil Service Reform: Campaign Contributions

Students read a case study of one campaign to discover how political campaigns addresses the needs of the voters. In groups, they answer questions related to the case and discuss how the commercials affect society as a whole. They use...

Campaign propaganda has evolved from 1952 through the presidential election of 2008. A social studies activity prompts class members to analyze the devices used in ads and political cartoons, noting strategies they believe would work to...

Two's company, three's a crowd. High school historians learn about the Electoral College, a two-party, winner-take-all voting system in the United States. The lesson explains the pros and cons of the two-party system, roadblocks for...

What kind of treatment could a patient expect in an asylum during the 1800's? The abusive and neglectful conditions in 19th century asylums are the focus of a lesson that examines the work of reformers Nellie Bly, Dorothea Dix, and...

Was American politics always bound to the two-party system? Learn how the two-party system developed, why third parties tend not to do so well, and all the various political parties that have emerged throughout US history. Each party is...

In 2012, each presidential candidate spent a whopping $1 billion! Learners investigate how people create campaigns and run for office. They watch a short video, the 39th of a 50-part US government and politics series, to analyze what...

How is the Federal Reserve like your body's circulatory system? A short video explains the ways the Fed keeps money moving through the economy much like blood passes through veins and arteries. Focusing on retail payments, the video...

Students discuss the use of visual images, objects, and spectacle in the 1840 campaign, then take a stand: Was the campaign of 1840 based more on substance or image?

Kate Chopin's The Awakening introduces readers not only to the lush Louisiana setting of Grand isle but also to the nuances of Creole culture. the second lesson in a three-part series examines how Chopin's use of literary realism and...

Pupils interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this political systems lesson, students conduct research to compare and contrast the forms of government in the United States and...