us history map assignments

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16 U.S. History Map Lessons

Here are 13 instructional historic census maps (in .doc format) to help with U.S. history . Each map and lesson correspond to the historical period and contain:  1) U.S. map with correct names, 2) blank U.S. map, 3) quiz on map identification, and 4) critical thinking sheet. Grade levels 4-8.

• United States in 1790
• United States in 1800
• United States in 1810
• United States in 1820
• United States in 1830
• United States in 1840
• United States in 1850
• United States in 1860
• United States in 1870 and 1880
• United States in 1890
• United States in 1900
• United States in 1910-1920
• United States in 1960-current

Also included are lesson files for: U.S. State Capitals , U.S. Rivers and U.S. Mountains, Lake, Oceans .

-love learning -your ed guru, Scott

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In This Section

• Classroom Materials
• Approaches to Teaching
• Teaching with DigHist
• Resources for Globalizing the US History Survey
• Resources for Tuning the History Discipline

The Decision to Secede and Establish the Confederacy: A Selection of Primary Sources

• Plagiarism: Curricular Materials for History Instructors
• How to Detect and Demonstrate Plagiarism
• Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age

Sixteen Months to Sumter

• History and Policy Education Program
• Reacting to the Past

Classroom Materials: United States History

This site provides access to over 1,000 newspaper editorials detailing the shifting tides of emotion and opinion in the 16 months leading to Southern secession and the American Civil War. The site is intended primarily as a teaching resource, to enrich students’ exploration and understanding of the period and assist history teachers by expanding the available primary sources.

Online Course in American Indian History

A set of links to valuable public domain sites about American Indian History for undergraduate students, compiled by James W. Oberly as part of the 2004 project Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age.

Migration and the American South

A guide on teaching migration in the American South with digital sources, compiled by John Beck as part of the 2004 project Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age.

Like a Family: The Making of a Southern Cotton Mill World

A project compiled by Jim Leloudis which focuses on the evolution of Piedmont mill towns presented in Like a Family: The Making of a Southern Cotton Mill World. In each section, students and instructors can read a historical overview of the issues addressed, view photographs, listen to audio clips of interviews with mill workers, and access ideas for lesson plans based on the unit.

Web Modules for Teaching American History

David Huehner developed these web modules for use in a two-semester survey course of United States history. They may be used together or individually. The modules may be used as supplementary readings and materials for historical analysis that try to closely resemble the actual process of historical investigation.

The United States since the Civil War

Compiled by Mary Beth Emmerichs, this site contains links to groups of documents that can be used to generate discussions in the second half of the US history survey.

The 19th Century US Survey and American Religions through the Civil War

David Hoeveler provides reviews of web resources teachers might use in teaching either a 19th century US histoey survey or a course on American religion through the Civil War.

Sample Assignments from Globalized US History Courses

As part of her work in the Bridging Cultures program, Amy Forss employed wide-ranging techniques such as PechaKucha presentations, oral history research, and greater study of maps to engage her students in their globalized US history courses. She even had her students find historical recipes and try them out.

Honors 2111 US History Survey Course Description and Syllabus

Shannon Bontrager not only incorporated global contexts into his survey, but he also used non-traditional and digital pedagogical tools to engage his students.

Foundations of American History Syllabus

Sarah Grunder offers a detailed syllabus and two sample assignments, in which students use primary and secondary sources to connect American history with the Atlantic and Pacific worlds and write a paper that focuses on the circulation of commodities, peoples, and ideas throughout those worlds.

Paper Assignment: Encountering Commodities in the Atlantic and the Pacific Worlds

This sample assignment requires students to use primary and secondary sources to connect American history with the Atlantic and Pacific worlds and write a paper that focuses on the circulation of commodities, peoples, and ideas throughout those worlds. This paper assignment has three major parts: a list of sources for students to read and study along with guiding questions on each reading; a mapping exercise; and the five page paper.

Paper Assignment: Localizing Global Encounters, Case Study: New Netherland/New York (Suffolk County Community College)

This sample assignment requires students to use primary and secondary sources to connect American history with the Atlantic and Pacific worlds and write a paper that focuses on encounters between different groups of Europeans in New Netherland/New York. This paper assignment has three major parts: a list of sources for students to read and study along with guiding questions on each reading; a mapping exercise; and the five page paper.

Infusing the Pacific World into the US History Survey Courses: Recommended Reading

In this guide, Allison Frickert-Murashige provides reading recommendations for faculty looking to learn more themselves about the Pacific World before teaching it in their US history courses. She provides readings Bridging Cultures participants used to begin thinking about bringing the Pacific World into their courses, as well as recommended topics where this approach is useful.

Ideas for Conceptualizing the Pacific World within the US Survey Course, 1400-1850

In this guide, Allison Frickert-Murashige provides ideas of topics to include in a US history survey course incorporating the Pacific World.

Teaching Environmental History in the US and World History Surveys: Overview of Topics and Resources

This guide provides an overview of topics that faculty can consider in their US history survey courses in taking an environmental view of US and world history. It also provides a thorough list of recent scholarship on environmental history.

Lecture Topics for First Half of American History Survey

Brittany Adams focuses on incorporating more regional history into the early survey. She also emphasizes the importance of de-centering the British colonial narrative when teaching students who identify more with western US history, as do many of her students at UC Irvine.

Assignment: Social History of the Atlantic Slave Trade

Chinese immigrants in america in the 19th century: a study module.

These materials, produced by Vincent A. Clark as a result of his work in the Bridging Cultures program, consist of an illustrated introduction, excerpts from four contemporaneous articles, an online quiz (not included in these materials), and an assignment for an e-mail discussion. The introduction describes not only the life of the immigrants in the United States but their economic and cultural background in China. The goal is to expand the students’ knowledge to include the China from which these immigrants came. Two of the articles oppose Chinese immigrants; two praise them. They are designed to let students see the varying perceptions of the immigrants, the arguments for and against Chinese immigration, and the complex class and ethnic dimensions of this controversy.

Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Extra Credit Assignment

As part of her work in the Bridging Cultures program, Cheryll Cody designed a course assignment using the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database. It requires students to answer a series of questions by looking at the database’s extensive collection of maps and charts.

The US Becomes an Empire, Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries

As part of his work in the Bridging Cultures program, Carlos Contreras provided some classroom assignments and activities that challenge students to think "Atlantically" and "Pacifically" as they think broadly about American history. This set of discussion questions focuses on the expansion of the US as it becomes an imperial power and has students critically examine the US-Caribbean relationship, Hawaii and the Philippines in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Discussion Questions on the Film Manifest Destiny

Us environmental history course topics through the civil war (santa monica coll.), resources for teaching american and hawaiian history.

This course revises traditional understandings of American history and examines issues of race, gender, and class in understanding the histories and contemporary experiences of Native Hawaiians, Asians, and Pacific Islanders to foster greater multi-cultural respect and understanding.

Video Assignment Based on Isabel Allende's Daughter of Fortune

Oscar Cañedo crafted this creative assignment about the California Gold Rush and the experiences of people traveling from South America to get to California. He used a story from prominent Latin American novelist Isabel Allende as a backdrop for the assignment. Students craft their own characters based on Isabelle Allende's novel Daughter of Fortune and produce videos to explain why they wished to make the arduous journey to California

Teaching World War One History through Food

This page provides five videos that explore the history of World War One through food. It is intended as a teaching resource to deepen students' knowledge and understanding of Americans' experience of World War One and to offer history teachers materials for their classroom use.

Revolutions, Independence and New Nations: The Great Transformation

As part of his work in the Bridging Cultures program, Carlos Contreras provided some classroom assignments and activities that challenge students to think "Atlantically" and "Pacifically" as they think broadly about American history. This set of discussion questions helps students consider the implications of revolution in the Atlantic world.

Films and Readings on the African Slave Trade and the Atlantic World

As part of his work in the Bridging Cultures program, Carlos Contreras provided some classroom assignments and activities that challenge students to think "Atlantically" and "Pacifically" as they think broadly about American history. This set of discussion questions helps students consider the complexities of the Transatlantic slave trade and the broader Atlantic world during the colonial era.

Africans in the Americas: Discussion Questions from Lepore, Benjamin, Articles, and Film

Teaching the american civil war from a transoceanic perspective.

In the following, Timothy Draper and Amy Powers provide ideas for ways of bringing global contexts into a unit or course on the American Civil War. They include useful topics to cover, along with primary and secondary source readings. Topics include Karl Marx on the Civil War, the war's impact on Hawaii, and the experience of various immigrant groups during the war.

Themes in the Social History of the United States: Migration and American Civilization, 1830s to 1960s

Syllabus for a survey of social history, focusing upon the American experience. The course explores changes in the family, work, sex roles, mobility, migration, urbanization, and industrialization.

United States History I: US History to the Civil War

An introduction to the methods of historical inquiry focusing on the study of American history from the beginnings through the American Civil War.

Ethnicity and American Cultures Topics Through the 19th Century

A syllabus by Leslie Kawaguchi that begins with the peopling of North America and ends with the establishment of the U.S. and the 1790 immigration policy that provided naturalization to “free white persons” despite the cultural, racial, and ethnic diversity of the colonial period.

Introduction to Ethnic Studies: Course Description and Syllabus

A course description and syllabus for an Intro to Ethnic Studies course taught by Kelli Nakamura at Kapi'olani Community Coll. that explores basic concepts and theories for analyzing dynamics of ethnic group experiences, particularly those represented in Hawai‘i, and their relation to colonization, immigration, gender, problems of identity, racism, and social class.

Introduction to Ethnic Studies: Lecture and Assignment Schedule

Details about the readings and lectures included in an Introduction to Ethnic Studies class taught by Kelli Nakamura at Kapi'olani Community College. The course revises traditional understandings of American history and examines issues of race, gender, and class in understanding the histories and contemporary experiences of Native Hawaiians, Asians, and Pacific Islanders to foster greater multi-cultural respect and understanding.

Discovering American Social History on the Web

Dan Kallgren developed several sample assignments for use in his undergraduate survey course "United States History Since the Civil War," in the spring of 2000. Assignments can be used inidividually or in series, as each is accompanied by suggested reading and primary sources.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

One of Dan Kallgren's assignments. Students read a section from "Out of Many; A History of the American People" by John Mack Faragher, et al., to contextualize primary source documents about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. After analyzing the sources, the students write a short report.

The Anti-Saloon League

One of Dan Kallgren's assignments. Students analyze digital primary sources in order to contextualize and understand the motivation of the Anti-Saloon League members.

Mapping Suburbanization

One of Dan Kallgren's assignments. Using topographical maps from the University of New Hampshire, students explore how the landscape surrounding a 1950s New Hampshire city changed over time. Students are asked to consider how sociopolitical factors such as the Cold War might have affected the development of the United States.

Teaching Difficult Legal or Political Concepts: Using Online Primary Sources in Writing Assignments

Sue C. Patrick's shares syllabi from her United States History and Western Civilization courses, which include assignments and links to digital primary sources. She also reviews a number of digital primary sources for the benefit of other instructors interested in using them in the classroom.

Imperialism: European, American, and Japanese

A multi-part project compiled by Thomas Reins that considers the causes and consequences of modern imperialism, using China as a case study, by asking students to analyze a diverse set of primary sources.

JFK's Executive Orders and the New Frontier

One of Dan Kallgren's assignments. Students analyze executive orders from President Kennedy to draw out themes and place them in the context of Kennedy's agenda.

Syllabus: United States History Since the Civil War

Syllabus from Dan Kallgren's survey of American history since the end of the Civil War. The syllabus includes several digital primary source projects, all of which are hosted on separate pages as part of Kallgren's "Discovering America Social History on the Web" module.

United States History through the Civil War Syllabus

Sue C. Patrick's syllabus for a United States History through the Civil War course. The syllabus includes assignments and links to digital primary sources.

United States History from the Civil War to the Present Syllabus

Sue C. Patrick's syllabus for her United States History from the Civil War to the Present course, which includes assignments and links to digital primary sources.

New Perspectives on 19th-Century America [Assignment]

John Rosinbum uses American Panorama, a digital atlas created by the University of Richmond's Digital Scholarship Lab, to teach students about the economic, cultural, and territorial transformations that changed America during the 19th century. In this assignment, students must create their own visualization of changes in 19th-century America. Students must also develop a guide that defends their research choices in the creation of the visualization, explains how the visualization extends our current understanding of the period, and distinguishes their visualization from American Panorama.

Analyzing Visual Depictions of America's Expansion with American Panorama

John Rosinbum uses American Panorama, a digital atlas created by the University of Richmond's Digital Scholarship Lab, to teach students about the economic, cultural, and territorial transformations that changed America during the 19th century. In this sample assignment, he asks students to compare two maps from American Panorama dealing with the 19th century and explore how each map presents American expansion differently.

The American Historical Association encourages continued public debate about monuments to Confederate leaders and about the public spaces and buildings named after those individuals, as well as the role of Confederate flags in public culture. Historians’ recent experiences in media interviews have suggested that too few participants in these conversations have read the essential primary sources that clearly articulate the reasons for secession and the establishment of a new nation. This page links to a limited set of documents with a singular focus: why did state governments decide to secede and form a new nation?

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🇺🇸 United States historical map

This map attempts to show all border changes for us states from 1790 to today..

• The changing boundaries are represented with a "lifetime" for each State, i.e. a start and end year.
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Mapping - American History - Assignments

Description

This is a collection of 25+ map assignments covering American History from Colonialism to the 21st Century. While this collection does not cover all events or expansion, its intention is to give teachers flexibility and simplify a complicated history so that students can grasp important concepts and changes. ------------ A pre-made rubric is included and these assignments are designed to be used with the Mapping - American History - Blank Maps packet with ready made maps for each time period. ------------ This packet contains assignments for these American History time periods:

• Columbian Exchange
• British Colonies
• American Revolution
• War of 1812
• Western Expansion
• The West & Gilded Age
• Progressive Era
• Imperialism & WWI
• Boom to Bust
• Great Depression
• World War II - Pacific Theater / European Theater
• Cold War Era
• Vietnam War
• Civil Rights Struggle

Included Extras

• Teacher Maps for Eight Time Periods (for reference)
• Selected Maps from Library of Congress

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Advanced Placement U.S. History Lessons

The Capture of the Hessians at Trenton December 26, 1776 by John Trumbull.

Wikimedia Commons

EDSITEment brings online humanities resources directly to the classroom through exemplary lesson plans and student activities. EDSITEment develops AP level lessons based on primary source documents that cover the most frequently taught topics and themes in American history. Many of these lessons were developed by teachers and scholars associated with the City University of New York and Ashland University.

Guiding Questions

What does it mean to form "a more perfect union"?

What makes American democracy unique?

What is the proper role of government in relation to the economy and civil liberties?

To what extent is the U.S. Constitution a living document?

To what extent have civil rights been established for all in the United States?

How have technology and innovation influenced culture, politics, and economics in U.S. history?

What role should the United States government and its citizens play in the world?

Magna Carta: Cornerstone of the U.S. Constitution —Magna Carta served to lay the foundation for the evolution of parliamentary government and subsequent declarations of rights in Great Britain and the United States. In attempting to establish checks on the king's powers, this document asserted the right of "due process" of law.  

Images of the New World —How did the English picture the native peoples of America during the early phases of colonization of North America? This lesson plan enables students to interact with written and visual accounts of this critical formative period at the end of the 16th century, when the English view of the New World was being formulated, with consequences that we are still seeing today.

Mission Nuestra Señora de la Concepción and the Spanish Mission in the New World —In this Picturing America lesson, students explore the historical origins and organization of Spanish missions in the New World and discover the varied purposes these communities of faith served. Focusing on the daily life of Mission Nuestra Señora de la Concepción, the lesson asks students to relate the people of this community and their daily activities to the art and architecture of the mission.

Colonizing the Bay —This lesson focuses on John Winthrop’s historic "Model of Christian Charity" sermon which is often referred to by its "City on a Hill" metaphor. Through a close reading of this admittedly difficult text, students will learn how it illuminates the beliefs, goals, and programs of the Puritans. The sermon sought to inspire and to motivate the Puritans by pointing out the distance they had to travel between an ideal community and their real-world situation.

Mapping Colonial New England: Looking at the Landscape of New England —The lesson focuses on two 17th century maps of the Massachusetts Bay Colony to trace how the Puritans took possession of the region, built towns, and established families on the land. Students learn how these New England settlers interacted with the Native Americans, and how to gain information about those relationships from primary sources such as maps.

William Penn’s Peaceable Kingdom —By juxtaposing the different promotional tracts of William Penn and David Pastorius, students understand the ethnic diversity of Pennsylvania along with the "pull” factors of migration in the 17th century English colonies.

Understanding the Salem Witch Trials —In 1691, a group of girls from Salem, Massachusetts accused an Indian slave named Tituba of witchcraft, igniting a hunt for witches that left 19 men and women hanged, one man pressed to death, and over 150 more people in prison awaiting a trial. In this lesson, students explore the characteristics of the Puritan community in Salem, learn about the Salem Witchcraft Trials, and try to understand how and why this event occurred.

Religion in 18th-Century America —This curriculum unit, through the use of primary documents, introduces students to the First Great Awakening, as well as to the ways in which religious-based arguments were used both in support of and against the American Revolution.

• Lesson 1: The First Great Awakening
• Lesson 2: Religion and the Argument for American Independence
• Lesson 3: Religion and the Fight for American Independence

C ommon Sense : The Rhetoric of Popular Democracy —This lesson looks at Tom Paine and at some of the ideas presented in Common Sense , such as national unity, natural rights, the illegitimacy of the monarchy and of hereditary aristocracy, and the necessity for independence and the revolutionary struggle.

"An Expression of the American Mind”: Understanding the Declaration of Independence —This lesson plan looks at the major ideas in the Declaration of Independence, their origins, the Americans’ key grievances against the King and Parliament, their assertion of sovereignty, and the Declaration’s process of revision. Upon completion of the lesson, students will be familiar with the document’s origins, and the influences that produced Jefferson’s "expression of the American mind.”

The American War for Independence —The decision of Britain's North American colonies to rebel against the Mother Country was an extremely risky one. In this unit, consisting of three lesson plans, students learn about the diplomatic and military aspects of the American War for Independence.

• Lesson 1: The War in the North, 1775–1778
• Lesson 2: The War in the South, 1778–1781
• Lesson 3: Ending the War, 1783

Choosing Sides: The Native Americans' Role in the American Revolution —Native American groups had to choose the loyalist or patriot cause—or somehow maintain a neutral stance during the Revolutionary War. Students analyze maps, treaties, congressional records, first-hand accounts, and correspondence to determine the different roles assumed by Native Americans in the American Revolution and understand why the various groups formed the alliances they did.

What Made George Washington a Good Military Leader? —What combination of experience, strategy, and personal characteristics enabled Washington to succeed as a military leader? In this unit, students read the Continental Congress's resolutions granting powers to General Washington, and analyze some of Washington's wartime orders, dispatches, and correspondence in terms of his mission and the characteristics of a good general.

• Lesson 1: What Made George Washington a Good Military Leader? What Are the Qualities of a Good Military Leader?
• Lesson 2: What Made George Washington a Good Military Leader? Powers and Problems
• Lesson 3: What Made George Washington a Good Military Leader? Leadership in Victory and Defeat
• Lesson 4: What Made George Washington a Good Military Leader? Leadership in Victory: One Last Measure of the Man

Slavery and the American Founding: The "Inconsistency not to be excused ” —This lesson focuses on the views of the founders as expressed in primary documents from their own time and in their own words. Students see that many of the major founders opposed slavery as contrary to the principles of the American Revolution. Students gain a better understanding of the views of many founders, even those who owned slaves – including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson – who looked forward to a time when slavery would no longer mar the American Republic.

Taking Up Arms and the Challenge of Slavery in the Revolutionary Era —Was the American Revolution inevitable? This lesson is designed to help students understand the transition to armed resistance and the contradiction in the Americans’ rhetoric about slavery through the examination of a series of documents.

Slavery in the Colonial North —This Closer Reading composed by Historic Hudson Valley in New York provides resources and an overview of how their historic site tells the story of the 23 enslaved Africans who were the only full-time, year round residents of the Manor, and whose forced labor was the backbone of the Philips’s international trading empire. Their "People Not Property" interactive documentary website offers multimedia resources and access to primary sources about Northern slavery. 

Democracy in America : Alexis de Tocqueville's Introduction —Tocqueville’s sojourn in America led to the writing of the reflection on equality and freedom known as Democracy in America . This great book remains arguably one of the two most important books on America political life, the Federalist Papers being the other one.

The Constitutional Convention of 1787 —The delegates at the 1787 Convention faced a challenge as arduous as those who worked throughout the 1780s to initiate reforms to the American political system. In this unit, students examine the roles that key American founders played in creating the Constitution, and the challenges they faced in the process.

• Lesson 1: The Road to the Constitutional Convention
• Lesson 2: The Question of Representation at the 1787 Convention
• Lesson 3: Creating the Office of the Presidency

The Federalist and Anti-federalist Debates on Diversity and the Extended Republic —In this unit, students will examine some of the most important arguments of those opposing or supporting the Constitution. They will learn why Anti-federalists believed that a large nation could not long preserve liberty and self-government and why Federalists such as James Madison believed that a large nation was vital to promote justice and the security of rights for all citizens, majority and minority alike.

• Lesson 1: Anti-federalist Arguments Against "A Complete Consolidation ”
• Lesson 2: The Federalist Defense of Diversity and "Extending the Sphere ”

Ratifying the Constitution —This lesson introduces students to the vigorous debates surrounding the ratification of the Constitution that took place in the state conventions.

The Creation of the Bill of Rights: "Retouching the Canvas " —This lesson will focus on the arguments either for or against the addition of a Bill of Rights between 1787 and 1789.

Washington and the Whiskey Rebellion —Students weigh the choices Washington faced in the nation’s first Constitutional crisis by following events through his private diary.

John Marshall, Marbury v. Madison and Judicial Review—How the Court Became Supreme —If James Madison was the "father" of the Constitution" John Marshall was the "father of the Supreme Court"—almost single-handedly clarifying its powers. This new lesson is designed to help students understand Marshall's brilliant strategy in issuing his decision on Marbury v. Madison , the significance of the concept of judicial review, and the language of this watershed case.

The First American Party System: Events, Issues, and Positions —Fear of factionalism and political parties was deeply rooted in Anglo-American political culture before the American Revolution. Leaders such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson hoped their new government, founded on the Constitution, would be motivated instead by a common intent, a unity. But political parties did form in the United States, with their beginnings in Washington's cabinet.

• Lesson 1: The First American Party System: U.S. Political Parties: The Principle of Legitimate Opposition
• Lesson 2: The First American Party System: A Documentary Timeline of Important Events (1787–1800)
• Lesson 3: The First American Party System: Federalists and Democratic-Republicans: The Platforms They Never Had

Certain Crimes Against the United States: The Sedition Act —As the end of the 18th century drew near, relations between the United States and France were deteriorating. In 1797 President Adams expressed his concern about the possibility of war with France and dissension at home caused by France and its supporters. At the same time, two opposing political parties were developing in the U.S., with Thomas Jefferson-led Democratic-Republicans tending to sympathize with France in foreign policy. Their loyalty was called into question by the Federalists. It was a dangerous time both for the security of the young Republic and the freedoms its citizens enjoyed.

• Lesson 1: From the President's Lips: The Concerns that Led to the Sedition (and Alien) Act
• Lesson 2: The Debate in Congress on the Sedition Act
• Lesson 3: George Washington on the Sedition Act
• Lesson 4: Thomas Jefferson on the Sedition Act
• Lesson 5: Consequences of the Sedition Act

James Madison: From Father of the Constitution to President —Even in its first 30 years of existence, the U.S. Constitution had to prove its durability and flexibility in a variety of disputes. More often than not, James Madison, the "Father of the Constitution," took part in the discussion.

• Lesson 1: James Madison: Madison Was There
• Lesson 2: James Madison: The Second National Bank—Powers Not Specified in the Constitution
• Lesson 3: James Madison: Raising an Army: Balancing the Power of the States and the Federal Government
• Lesson 4: James Madison: Internal Improvements Balancing Act: Federal/State, Executive/Legislative

The Monroe Doctrine: Origin and Early American Foreign Policy —Monroe brought a vision of an expanded America to his presidency—a vision that helped facilitate the formulation of what has become known as the Monroe Doctrine. In this unit, students review the Monroe Doctrine against a background of United States foreign relations in the early years of the republic.

• Lesson 1: The Monroe Doctrine: U.S. Foreign Affairs (circa 1782–1823) and James Monroe
• Lesson 2: The Monroe Doctrine: President Monroe and the Independence Movement in South America
• Lesson 3: The Monroe Doctrine: A Close Reading
• Lesson 4: The Monroe Doctrine: Whose Doctrine Was It?

The Election Is in the House: The Presidential Election of 1824 —The presidential election of 1824 represents a watershed in American politics. The collapse of the Federalist Party and the illness of the "official candidate" of the Democratic-Republicans led to a slate of candidates who were all Democratic-Republicans. This led to the end of the Congressional Caucus system for nominating candidates, and eventually, the development of a new two-party system in the United States. In this unit, students read an account of the election from the Journal of the House of Representatives, analyze archival campaign materials, and use an interactive online activity to develop a better understanding of the election of 1824 and its significance.

• Lesson 1: The Election Is in the House: The Denouement
• Lesson 2: The Election Is in the House: 1824: The Candidates and the Issues
• Lesson 3: The Election Is in the House: Was There a Corrupt Bargain?

The 1828 Campaign of Andrew Jackson and the Growth of Party Politics —Changes in voting qualifications and participation, the election of Andrew Jackson, and the formation of the Democratic Party—due largely to the organizational skills of Martin Van Buren—all contributed to making the election of 1828 and Jackson’s presidency a watershed in the evolution of the American political system. In this unit, students analyze changes in voter participation and regional power, and review archival campaign documents reflecting the dawn of politics as we know it during the critical years from 1824 to 1832.

• Lesson 1: The 1828 Campaign of Andrew Jackson: Expansion of the Voting Base
• Lesson 2: The 1828 Campaign of Andrew Jackson: Changes in Voting Participation
• Lesson 3: The 1828 Campaign of Andrew Jackson: Territorial Expansion and the Shift of Power
• Lesson 4: The 1828 Campaign of Andrew Jackson: Issues in the Election of 1828 (and Beyond)

The Campaign of 1840: William Henry Harrison and Tyler, Too —After the debacle of the one-party presidential campaign of 1824, a new two-party system began to emerge. Strong public reaction to perceived corruption in the vote in the House of Representatives, as well as the popularity of Andrew Jackson, allowed Martin Van Buren to organize a Democratic Party that resurrected a Jeffersonian philosophy of minimalism in the federal government. What issues were important to the presidential campaign of 1840? Why is the campaign of 1840 often cited as the first modern campaign?

• Lesson 1: The Campaign of 1840: The Whigs, the Democrats, and the Issues
• Lesson 2: The Campaign of 1840: The Candidates
• Lesson 3: The Campaign of 1840: The Campaign

Was There an Industrial Revolution? Americans at Work Before the Civil War —In this lesson, students explore the First Industrial Revolution in early nineteenth-century America. By reading and comparing first-hand accounts of the lives of workers before the Civil War, students prepare for a series of guided role-playing activities designed to help them make an informed judgment as to whether the changes that took place in manufacturing and distribution during this period are best described as a 'revolution' or as a steady evolution over time.

Was There an Industrial Revolution? New Workplace, New Technology, New Consumers —In this lesson, students explore the First Industrial Revolution in early nineteenth-century America. Through simulation activities and the examination of primary historical materials, students learn how changes in the workplace and less expensive goods led to the transformation of American life.

Life in the North and South 1847–1861: Before Brother Fought Brother —Curriculum Unit overview. More Americans lost their lives in the Civil War than in any other conflict. How did the United States arrive at a point at which the South seceded and some families were so fractured that brother fought brother?

• Lesson 1: Factory vs. Plantation in the North and South
• Lesson 2: People and Places in the North and South
• Lesson 3: A Debate Against Slavery
• Lesson 4: Life Before the Civil War
• Lesson 5: Women's Lives Before the Civil War

A House Dividing: The Growing Crisis of Sectionalism in Antebellum America —In this unit, students will trace the development of sectionalism in the United States as it was driven by the growing dependence upon, and defense of, black slavery in the southern states.

• Lesson 1: An Early Threat of Secession: The Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Nullification Crisis
• Lesson 2: Slavery's Opponents and Defenders
• Lesson 3: The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854: Popular Sovereignty and the Political Polarization over Slavery
• Lesson 4: Abraham Lincoln, the 1860 Election, and the Future of the American Union and Slavery

From Courage to Freedom —In 1845 Frederick Douglass published what was to be the first of his three autobiographies: the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself .

• Lesson 1: From Courage to Freedom: The Reality behind the Song
• Lesson 2: From Courage to Freedom: Slavery's Dehumanizing Effects
• Lesson 3: From Courage to Freedom

What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? —A student activity. Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) was a former slave who became the greatest abolitionist orator of the antebellum period. During the Civil War he worked tirelessly for the emancipation of the four million enslaved African Americans.

The American Civil War: A "Terrible Swift Sword ” —This curriculum unit introduces students to important questions pertaining to the war: strengths and weaknesses of each side at the start of the conflict; the two turning points of the war-the concurrent battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg—as well as the morality of the Union's use of "total war" tactics against the population of the South; Abraham Lincoln's wartime leadership.

• Lesson 1: On the Eve of War: North vs. South
• Lesson 2: The Battles of the Civil War
• Lesson 3: Abraham Lincoln and Wartime Politics

Abraham Lincoln on the American Union: "A Word Fitly Spoken ” —By examining Lincoln's three most famous speeches—the Gettysburg Address and the First and Second Inaugural Addresses—in addition to a little known fragment on the Constitution, union, and liberty, students trace what these documents say regarding the significance of union to the prospects for American self-government.

• Lesson 1: Fragment on the Constitution and Union (1861)—The Purpose of the American Union
• Lesson 2: The First Inaugural Address (1861)—Defending the American Union
• Lesson 3: The Gettysburg Address (1863)—Defining the American Union
• Lesson 4: The Second Inaugural Address (1865)—Restoring the American Union

The Emancipation Proclamation: Freedom's First Steps —Why was the Emancipation Proclamation important? While the Civil War began as a war to restore the Union, not to end slavery, by 1862 President Abraham Lincoln came to believe that he could save the Union only by broadening the goals of the war. students can explore the obstacles and alternatives we faced in making the journey toward "a more perfect Union."

The Red Badge of Courage : A New Kind of Courage —In The Red Badge of Courage , Stephen Crane presents war through the eyes —and thoughts —of one soldier. The narrative’s altered point of view and stylistic innovations enable a heightened sense of realism while setting the work apart from war stories written essentially as tributes or propaganda.

The Battle Over Reconstruction —This curriculum unit of three lessons examines the social, political and economic conditions of the southern states in the aftermath of the Civil War and shows how these factors helped to shape the Reconstruction debate as well as the subsequent history of American race relations.

• Lesson 1: The Battle Over Reconstruction: The Aftermath of War
• Lesson 2: The Battle Over Reconstruction: The Politics of Reconstruction
• Lesson 3: The Battle Over Reconstruction: The Aftermath of Reconstruction

The Industrial Age in America: Robber Barons or Captains of Industry?

The Industrial Age in America: Sweatshops, Steel Mills and Factories

The Birth of an American Empire —America emerges as a world power after the Spanish American War and asserting itself on the world scene.

• Lesson 1: The Question of an American Empire
• Lesson 2: The Spanish-American War
• Lesson 3: The Matter of the Philippines
• Lesson 4: Imperialism and the Open Door

United States Entry into World War I: A Documentary Chronology —In this curriculum unit, students reconsider the events leading to U.S. entry into World War I through the lens of archival documents.

• Lesson 1: United States Entry into World War I: Two Diametrically Opposed Views
• Lesson 2: United States Entry into World War I: Some Hypotheses About U.S. Entry
• Lesson 3: United States Entry into World War I: A Documentary Chronology of World War I

The United States and Europe: From Neutrality to War, 1921–1941 —Over the two decades between World War I and World War II, Americans pursued strategies aimed at preventing another war. In this four lesson unit, students use primary sources and an interactive map to examine the rise of antiwar sentiment and legislation in the United States and the main arguments used by both sides as to whether the United States should enter the war or remain neutral.

• Lesson 1: Postwar Disillusionment and the Quest for Peace, 1921–1929
• Lesson 2: Legislating Neutrality, 1934–1939
• Lesson 3: U.S. Neutrality and the War in Europe, 1939–1940
• Lesson 4: The Great Debate: Internationalists vs. Isolationists

African-American Soldiers in World War I: The 92nd and 93rd Divisions —Late in 1917, the War Department created two all-black infantry divisions. The 93rd Infantry Division received unanimous praise for its performance in combat, fighting as part of France’s 4th Army. In this lesson, students combine their research in a variety of sources, including firsthand accounts, to develop a hypothesis evaluating.

African-American Soldiers After World War I: Had Race Relations Changed? —In this lesson, students view archival photographs, combine their efforts to comb through a database of more than 2,000 archival newspaper accounts about race relations in the United States, and read newspaper articles written from different points of view about post-war riots in Chicago.

The Great War: Evaluating the Treaty of Versailles —Was the Treaty of Versailles, which formally concluded World War I, a legitimate attempt by the victorious powers to prevent further conflict, or did it place an unfair burden on Germany? This lesson helps students respond to the question in an informed manner. Activities involve primary sources, maps, and other supporting documents related to the peace process and its reception by the German public and German politicians.

The Debate in the United States over the League of Nations —American foreign policy continues to resonate with the issues surrounding the debate over U.S. entry into the League of Nations—collective security versus national sovereignty, idealism versus pragmatism, the responsibilities of powerful nations, and the use of force to accomplish idealistic goals, the idea of America. Understanding the debate over the League and the consequences of its ultimate failure provides insight into international affairs in the years since the end of the Great War and beyond. In this lesson, students read the words and listen to the voices of some central participants in the debate over the League of Nations.

• Lesson 1: The Debate in the United States over the League of Nations: League of Nations Basics
• Lesson 2: The Debate in the United States over the League of Nations: Disagreement Over the League
• Lesson 3: The Debate in the United States over the League of Nations: Five Camps: From Voices of Consent to Voices of Dissent

Woodrow Wilson and Foreign Policy —Curriculum Unit. The influence of President Woodrow Wilson on American foreign policy has been profound and lasting. Using a variety of primary sources, students analyze the origins of the ambitious foreign policy that came to be known as Wilsonianism and compare it with important alternative traditions in American foreign policy.

The Origins of "Wilsonianism ”

"To Elect Good Men”: Woodrow Wilson and Latin America

Wilson and American Entry into World War I

Fighting for Peace: The Fate of Wilson's Fourteen Points

Birth of a Nation, the NAACP, and the Balancing of Rights —In this lesson students learn how Birth of a Nation reflected and influenced racial attitudes, and they analyze and evaluate the efforts of the NAACP to prohibit showing of the film.  

NAACP's Anti-Lynching Campaigns: The Quest for Social Justice in the Interwar Years —Curriculum Unit Overview: During the years 1909 to 1939, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People sought passage of anti-lynching legislation. Although this proposed legislation failed to become law, much can be learned by examining the NAACP's anti-lynching campaign about how Americans in the interwar period understood the federal system, interpreted the Constitution, and responded to calls for social justice.

• Lesson 1: NAACP’s Anti-Lynching Campaign in the 1920s

FDR's Fireside Chats: The Power of Words —In this lesson which focuses on two of FDR's Fireside Chats, students gain a sense of the dramatic effect of FDR's voice on his audience, see the scope of what he was proposing in these initial speeches, and make an overall analysis of why the Fireside Chats were so successful.

The Social Security Act —This lesson engages students in the debate over the Social Security Act that engrossed the nation during the 1930s.

African-Americans and the New Deal’s Civilian Conservation Corps —The Civilian Conservation Corps, a New Deal recovery and relief program provided more than a quarter of a million young black men with jobs during the Depression. By examining primary source documents students analyze the impact of this program on race relations in America and assess the role played by the New Deal in changing them.

FDR and the Lend-Lease Act —This lesson shows students how broadly the Lend-Lease Act of March 1941 empowered the federal government—particularly the President—and asks students to investigate how FDR promoted the program in speeches and then in photographs.

Eleanor Roosevelt and the Rise of Social Reform in the 1930s —This lesson asks students to explore the various roles that Eleanor Roosevelt a key figure in several of the most important social reform movements of the twentieth century took on, among them: First Lady, political activist for civil rights, newspaper columnist and author, and representative to the United Nations.

Worth a Thousand Words: Depression-Era Photographs —Spend a day with a model American family and the photographer who molded our view of their lives.

Freedom by the Fireside: The Legacy of FDR's "Four Freedoms" Speech —One of the most famous political speeches on freedom in the twentieth century was delivered by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in his 1941 State of the Union message to Congress.This lesson examines some of the nuances and ambiguities inherent in the rhetorical use of "freedom." The objective is to encourage students to glimpse the broad range of hopes and aspirations that are expressed in the call of—and for—freedom.

Dust Bowl Days —Students will be introduced to this dramatic era in our nation's history through photographs, songs and interviews with people who lived through the Dust Bowl.

NAACP Lesson 2: NAACP's Anti-Lynching Campaign in the 1930s

From Neutrality to War: The United States and Europe, 1921–1941 —Curiculum unit overview. Over the two decades between World War I and World War II, Americans pursued strategies aimed at preventing another war. In this four lesson unit, students use primary sources and an interactive map to examine the rise of antiwar sentiment and legislation in the United States and the main arguments used by both sides as to whether the United States should enter the war or remain neutral.

The Road to Pearl Harbor: The United States and East Asia, 1915-1941 —Curiculum unit overview. Although most Americans were shocked by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the outbreak of war between the two countries came as no surprise to most observers of international affairs. Using contemporary documents, students explore the rise of animosity between the United States and Japan from its origins in World War I and culminating two decades later in the Pearl Harbor attack.

• Lesson 1: The Growth of U.S.-Japanese Hostility, 1915–1932
• Lesson 2: America and the Sino-Japanese Conflict, 1933–1939
• Lesson 3: Japan's "Southern Advance” and the March toward War, 1940–1941
• Lesson 4: The Failure of Diplomacy, September-December 1941

"The Proper Application of Overwhelming Force”: The United States in World War II —After learning that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor, thus ensuring that the United States would enter World War II, Prime Minister Winston Churchill breathed a sigh of relief. "Hitler's fate was sealed," he would later recall. "Mussolini's fate was sealed. As for the Japanese, they would be ground to powder. All the rest was merely the proper application of overwhelming force." In this unit, students examine the role that the United States played in bringing about this victory.

• Lesson 1: Turning the Tide in the Pacific, 1941–1943
• Lesson 2: Turning the Tide in Europe, 1942–1944
• Lesson 3: Victory in Europe, 1944–1945
• Lesson 4: Victory in the Pacific, 1943–1945

American Diplomacy in World War II —This four-lesson curriculum unit examine the nature of what Winston Churchill called the "Grand Alliance" between the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union in opposition to the aggression of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.

• Lesson 1: How "Grand” and "Allied” was the Grand Alliance?
• Lesson 2: How to Win a World War
• Lesson 3: Victory and the New Order in Europe
• Lesson 4: The New Order for "Greater East Asia”

On the Home Front —Learning about World War II American efforts helps students gain some perspective regarding the U.S. response to the conflict generated by the September 11th terrorist attacks.

Norman Rockwell, Freedom of Speech —Know It When You See It —This lesson plan highlights the importance of First Amendment rights by examining Norman Rockwell’s painting of The Four Freedoms. Students discover the First Amendment in action as they explore their own community and country through newspapers, art, and role playing.

The Origins of the Cold War, 1945–1949 —Since the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, Soviet leaders had been claiming that communism and capitalism could never peacefully coexist. Agreements regarding the postwar world were reached at Yalta and Potsdam, but the Soviets wasted no time in violating them. Harry Truman believed that the proper means of responding to an international bully was a credible threat of force.

• Lesson 1: Sources of Discord, 1945–1946
• Lesson 2: The Strategy of Containment, 1947–1948
• Lesson 3: The Formation of the Western Alliance, 1948–1949

Witch Hunt or Red Menace? Anticommunism in Postwar America, 1945–1954 —Americans emerged from World War II as the only major combatant to avoid having its homeland ravaged by war, the U.S. economy was clearly the strongest in the world, and, of course, the United States was the only country in the world to possess that awesome new weapon, the atomic bomb. However, over the next five years relations between the United States and the Soviet Union went from alliance to Cold War.

• Lesson 1: Soviet Espionage in America
• Lesson 2: The House Un-American Activities Committee
• Lesson 3: The Rise and Fall of Joseph McCarthy

Dramatizing History in Arthur Miller's The Crucible —By closely reading historical documents and attempting to interpret them, students consider how Arthur Miller interpreted the facts of the Salem witch trials and how he successfully dramatized them in his play, The Crucible. As they explore historical materials, such as the biographies of key players (the accused and the accusers) and transcripts of the Salem Witch trials themselves, students will be guided by aesthetic and dramatic concerns: In what ways do historical events lend themselves (or not) to dramatization? What makes a particular dramatization of history effective and memorable?

"Police Action”: The Korean War, 1950–1953 —In 1950, North Korean forces, armed mainly with Soviet weapons, invaded South Korea in an effort to reunite the peninsula under communist rule. This lesson will introduce students to the conflict by having them read the most important administration documents related to it.

"The Missiles of October”: The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962 —Most historians agree that the world has never come closer to nuclear war than it did during a thirteen-day period in October 1962, after the revelation that the Soviet Union had stationed several medium-range ballistic missiles in Cuba. This lesson examines how this crisis developed, how the Kennedy administration chose to respond, and how the situation was ultimately resolved.

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and Escalation of the Vietnam War —In August 1964, a small military engagement off the coast of North Vietnam helped escalate the involvement of the United States in Vietnam; the Vietnam War would become the longest military engagement in American history.

Building Suburbia: Highways and Housing in Postwar America —The postwar United States experienced a dramatic economic boom—and a dramatic reorientation of American ideals of the home.

Competing Voices of the Civil Rights Movement —When most people think of the Civil Rights Movement in America, they think of Martin Luther King, Jr. Delivering his "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. But "the Movement" achieved its greatest results due to the competing strategies and agendas of diverse individuals. This unit presents the views of several important black leaders who shaped the debate over how to achieve freedom and equality in our nation.

• Lesson 1: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nonviolent Resistance
• Lesson 2: Black Separatism or the Beloved Community? Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Profiles in Courage: To Kill A Mockingbird and the Scottsboro Boys Trial —Students study select court transcripts and other primary source material from the second Scottsboro Boys Trial of 1933, a continuation of the first trial in which two young white women wrongfully accused nine African-American youths of rape.

JFK, LBJ, and the Fight for Equal Opportunity in the 1960s —This lesson provides students with an opportunity to study and analyze the innovative legislative efforts of Presidents Kennedy and Johnson in the social and economic context of the 1960s.

The Kennedy Administration and the Civil Rights Movement —Students learn how civil rights activists, state and local officials in the South, and the Administration of President Kennedy come into conflict during the early 1960s.

Freedom Riders and the Popular Music of the Civil Rights Era —The American civil rights movement incorporated a variety of cultural elements in their pursuit of political and legal equality under law. This lesson will highlight the role of music as a major influence through the use of audio recordings, photographs, and primary documents.

Twelve Angry Men: Trial by Jury as a Right and as a Political Institution — Twelve Angry Men , originally written for television by Reginald Rose in 1954 and subsequently adapted for stage (1955), film (1957) and television again (1997), effectively conveys the central importance of the right to a jury trial afforded by Article III of the Constitution as well as Amendments V, VI, and XIV.

Building Suburbia: Highways and Housing in Postwar America

The Election of Barack Obama 44th President of the United States —In this lesson, students put Barack Obama’s election as the first African-American President of the United States in historical context by studying two of his speeches and reviewing some of the history of African-American voting rights.

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US History Lessons

Our animated lessons feature an overview of some of the seminal documents in U.S. history, including the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Lessons are accompanied by practice questions and worksheets.

Seminal Documents

• The Constitution
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• U.S. States and Capitals

US History Tests, Quizzes, and Worksheets

Colonial developments.

Native-American and early European settlements in the New World provide essential understandings of the new ways of life developed in North America, and set the stage for the birth of a nation.

• Paleo-Indians
• Pre-Columbian North America
• Pre-Colonial America - Iroquois
• Pre-Colonial America - Sioux
• Pre-Colonial America - Mound Builders
• Mound Builders
• Tribes and Nations
• Chaco Canyon
• Cultural Areas: Basin, Southwest, Plains
• Cultural Areas: Arctic and Subarctic
• Cultural Areas: Northwest, California, Plateau
• Cultural Areas: Northeast and Southeast
• Traditional Native American Homes by Region
• Who Were the Colonists?
• Mayflower Compact: Background and Significance
• Plymouth Colony
• Plymouth Colony: Facts and Fiction
• Early American Settlements
• The 13 Colonies
• Life in the Colonies
• Colonial Settlements
• Salem Witch Trials
• Bacon's Rebellion
• Transatlantic Slave Trade
• Indian Wars (Colonial)
• Iroquois Confederacy
• The French and Indian War
• American Revolution
• Continental Congress
• Thomas Paine and "Common Sense"
• The Intolerable Acts
• Marquis de Lafayette
• Boston Tea Party
• Triangular Trade
• George Washington
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• Benjamin Franklin
• Samuel Adams
• Declaration of Independence (HS)
• Declaration of Independence (ES)
• Benedict Arnold
• Alexander Hamilton
• Mercy Otis Warren

Constitutional Foundations and Early Years

The struggle to create a new nation and to define the relationships among the branches of government makes this an especially complicated period for the young country.

• Formation of American Government
• Historical Myths: Founding of The United States
• Great Seal of the United States
• American Symbols
• Northwest Ordinance
• Creating the Constitution
• Three-Fifths Compromise
• Federalist Papers
• The Bill of Rights (Long)
• Shays' Rebellion
• Whiskey Rebellion
• Washington, D.C.
• The White House
• Early US Presidents
• XYZ Affair and the Quasi-War
• American Political Parties
• America in the Early 1800s
• The Early Republic
• Gerrymandering
• Utopian Societies
• Louisiana Purchase
• Lewis and Clark
• War of 1812 (HS)
• War of 1812 (ES)
• The National Anthem
• Indian Wars (Pre Civil War)
• Trail of Tears
• Jacksonian Era
• Industry and Urbanization
• History of the Postal Service
• The National Road
• America's First Fifty Years
• Benjamin Banneker
• Pre-Civil War - African-American History
• The Alamo: Facts and Fiction
• Manifest Destiny
• Seneca Falls Convention
• Sojourner Truth
• Mexican-American War
• California Gold Rush
• Thoreau: "Civil Disobedience"

Civil War, Expansion, and Industrialization

The battle over states rights and sectionalism explodes, while America continues its journey to becoming the modern juggernaut of the 20th century.

• Origins of the Civil War
• Free and Slave States
• Underground Railroad
• Harriet Tubman
• Discrimination and Slavery in the 1800s
• Missouri Compromise
• Compromise of 1850
• Kansas-Nebraska Act
• Bleeding Kansas
• Frederick Douglass
• Frederick Douglass Quotes
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• Civil War (Basic)
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• The Monitor and the Merrimack
• Abraham Lincoln
• Gettysburg Address (ES)
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• Life during the Civil War
• Emancipation Proclamation
• William Tecumseh Sherman
• Ulysses S. Grant
• Civil War Amendments (13, 14, 15)
• Civil War and Reconstruction (Long)
• Reconstruction
• Jim Crow Laws
• 1876 Presidential Election
• Arlington National Cemetery
• American Expansion
• Transcontinental Railroad
• Westward Expansion
• Oregon Trail
• Indian Wars (Civil War)
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• Ghost Dance
• Pioneers of Westward Expansion
• Rise of American Industry and Response
• Booker T. Washington
• George Washington Carver
• Granville T. Woods
• Buffalo Soldiers
• Great Chicago Fire
• Statue of Liberty
• Progressive Era
• The Progressive Era
• Susan B. Anthony
• Women's Suffrage
• Ida Tarbell
• Madam C.J. Walker
• Anna Jarvis (Mother's Day founder)
• Chinese Exclusion Act
• Spanish-American War

20th Century and Modern Day

America experiences triumph and tragedy as the central figure in world events, while struggling to cope with domestic strife and enjoy success and infrequent peace on the home front.

• W.E.B. Du Bois
• W.E.B. Du Bois Quotes
• The Great Migration
• The Boy Scouts of America
• National Parks
• World War I
• Roaring 20's
• History of Jazz
• Harlem Renaissance
• America in the 1920s
• Scopes Monkey Trial
• Tulsa Race Riots
• Prohibition
• Amelia Earhart
• The Great Depression
• The Great Depression and the New Deal
• New Deal Programs
• FDR's Alphabet Soup (HS)
• The Dust Bowl
• Native American Veterans
• World War II
• Manhattan Project
• Women in WWII: Rosie the Riveter
• Sullivan Brothers
• Tuskegee Airmen
• The Civil Rights Movement (Basic)
• Montgomery Bus Boycott
• Martin Luther King, Jr.
• King Quotes
• Letter from Birmingham Jail
• Medgar Evers
• School Desegregation
• Greensboro Sit-Ins
• The Freedom Rides
• Emmett Till
• John Lewis: Civil Rights Icon
• Selma March
• Civil Rights Test (HS)
• Shirley Chisholm
• Maya Angelou
• Maya Angelou's poem "On The Pulse Of Morning"
• US Constitutional Amendments
• Cold War Quiz
• U.S. in the 1950's
• U.S. In the 1960's
• Cold War in the 1960s
• Cuban Missile Crisis
• War in Vietnam, Part One: War Before the War
• War in Vietnam, Part Two: Americans in Combat
• War in Vietnam, Part Three: Nightfall
• War in Vietnam, Part Four: Homefront
• Kent State Shootings
• Equal Rights Amendment
• Gladys West
• Muriel Siebert
• Cold War in the 1980s
• George H.W. Bush
• United States Armed Forces
• Iran Hostage Crisis
• Iran-Contra Affair
• Iran Nuclear Deal (JCPOA)
• U.S. Census
• September 11, 2001
• The Great Recession and Financial Crisis
• The Presidents: Harry S. Truman
• The Presidents: Gerald Ford
• The Presidents: Jimmy Carter
• The Presidents: Ronald Reagan
• The Presidents: George H. W. Bush
• The Presidents: Bill Clinton
• The Presidents: George W. Bush
• The Presidents: Barack Obama
• The Presidents: Donald Trump

US History Activities and Seasonal Tests/Worksheets

• 13 Colonies Fill in the Blank Activity
• 13 Colonies Map Activity
• 2008 Presidential Election Map
• American Expansion Labeling Activity
• 2012 Presidential Election Results
• American Folklore and Tall Tales
• United States Social Safety Net

Seasonal & Holidays

• Presidents' Day Quiz
• Memorial Day
• Juneteenth (ES)
• Juneteenth (MS)
• Independence Day (grade 4)
• Independence Day (grade 9)
• Columbus Day
• Veterans' Day
• Thanksgiving

Women's History Month Tests/Worksheets

Lessons & tests.

• Eleanor Roosevelt
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg
• Gloria Steinem
• Angela Davis
• Betty Friedan
• Jane Addams
• Ida B. Wells
• Sandra Day O'Connor

© Copyright Notice: All worksheets contain copyrighted work and are designed for use by individual teachers, tutors, and parents. Worksheets and/or questions may not be replicated or redistributed in any way outside HelpTeaching.com, regardless of intended usage, without explicit permission .

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• Terms of Use
• FREE Printable Worksheets
• Common Core ELA Worksheets
• Common Core Math Worksheets

GeoInquiries

Experience the past with this collection that highlights critical map concepts in American history including the original 13 colonies, expansion, resettlement, World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. For more GeoInquiry resources, read the Getting to Know GeoInquiries guide; for different subjects, explore GeoInquiries collections .

The classic GeoInquiries will be retiring in the coming months. Please explore  the new GeoInquiries for Map Viewer .

Fifteen-minute activities that teach standards-based content without a login to or installation of ArcGIS Online

1- 13 Colonies -- 1700s

2- the war before independence, 3- the second american revolution (1812), 4- westward, ho, 5- underground railroad, 6- a nation divided: the civil war, 7- native americans lands 1819-2015, 8- steel and the birth of a city, 9- world war i, 10- the dust bowl, 11- from compromise to conflict, 12- a day that lived in infamy (pearl harbor), 13- operation overlord, 14- hot spots in a cold war, 15- the great exchange.

Longer, standards-based content activities that use analysis tools requiring an ArcGIS Online organizational school subscription with at least one publisher login

1—Underground Railroad: Enslaved

2—day of infamy: strike zone, 3—steel city: coal power, 4—dust bowl: population shift, 5—world war i: on foot, send a message.

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Course Resources

Discussions and assignments.

The assignments in this course are openly licensed, and are available as-is, or can be modified to suit your students’ needs.

If you import this course into your learning management system (Blackboard, Canvas, etc.), the assignments will automatically be loaded into the assignment tool. The assignment pages within each module link to the live assignment page. You can view them below or throughout the course. There is at least one discussion and one assignment ready to be used in every module of the course. We do not recommend assigning them all, however, and recommend selecting those that work best for you . If you choose to assign the capstone project (explained below), we suggest excluding some of the other assignments so that students have sufficient time to prepare for their capstone work.

To make edits or customized versions of the assignments, we recommend copying and pasting the discussion or assignment text directly into your LMS discussion or assignment page in order to make changes.

Capstone Project

The capstone project is an optional comprehensive assignment that could be assigned to students to complete progressively through the course. The assignment is divided into 3 to 4 pieces and culminates in students creating a PechaKucha presentation.

For this capstone project, students will pick a reformer or activist involved with a progressive or social movement between 1877 and 2000. They will evaluate and analyze the ideas, agenda, strategies, and effectiveness of the work done by their chosen reformer or activist in order to make a claim and present on their findings in the form of a PechaKucha presentation (or another pre-approved format). PechaKucha presentations follow a 20×20 presentation format, meaning that a presenter chooses 20 images and speaks about each image for 20 seconds (totaling 6 minutes at 40 seconds).

The capstone project components are shared as assignments that link to Google Documents. You can make a copy of those documents to customize them. To do so, open the Google Doc and choose “File -> Make a copy” to create your own version.

• Part 0: Social Media Activism  (also found as an assignment in Module 5)
• Part 1: Research and Annotated Bibliography
• Part 2: Draft PechaKucha Outline
• Part 3: Submit Final PechaKucha Presentation
• Assignments. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution
• Pencil Cup. Authored by : IconfactoryTeam. Provided by : Noun Project. Located at : https://thenounproject.com/term/pencil-cup/628840/ . License : CC BY: Attribution

Free map full of nostalgia

DAY 6: Journey through Minecraft history in this free map

It’s day 6 of our 15th anniversary celebration and time for a (literal) trip down memory lane! A lot has happened in these 15 years, so we’ve packed some of our most nostalgic moments, marvelous dimensions, and accidental proudest inventions from our past into a free map by Oreville Studios . Like the giant bouncy castle I built out of slime balls and filled with rabbits! Edit: The dev team are now telling me the bouncy castle didn’t make the cut. There's always next time. What about for our 30-year anniversary? Hello? Oh, they've stopped replying... 

The doors to the Minecraft Museum are open and admission is free, so what are you waiting for? Let’s head inside! 

FREE MAP! 15 YEAR JOURNEY BY OREVILLE STUDIOS  

Like all things Minecraft, this isn’t just any museum – unless museums always teeter on the edge of peril? Sure, there are plenty of things to awe over, but since we are firm believers in adding a healthy dose of adventure and surprise wherever we can, taking on treacherous mini games, exploring immersive exhibits, and setting out on wild treasure hunts seem like a much better way to take in our blocky history! 

Welcome to the blockiest museum on the Internet!

No water breathing potion needed in the aquarium, but you can still find a sunken treasure or two...

Mount the strider and attempt to reach the Fortress in a platformer version of the Nether!

There’s even a  Dig  Straight  Down  challenge to see who can get to the treasure vault first! Without mining face-first into lava, that is. I suggest you also check out the puzzle-based challenge where you can unlock the alpha version of the game! Just know that side effects include severe nostalgia and potentially a tear or two.

Spawn into the honey drenched hive of our buzziest mobs and join them on their quest to collect all the nectar before time runs out.

Swoosh through the hoops in this Ender-inspired elytra race

Who knew museums could be snow much fun?

Head to Minecraft Marketplace to download the free map and start digging into the many more wonders of our past today! 

Today’s free Character Creator item

We normally don’t do dress codes, but if the Minecraft Museum enforced one, it would include a free pair of Toe Guardians , naturally! These slippers are based on the puffer-like aquatic mob from our 1.8 update, which you can find guarding ocean monuments. While these slippers do not prevent you from stubbing your toes on sharp corners, they will at least give every corner the evil eye. Swim over to the Dressing Room to get your hands feet in a free pair now!

What surprises will shape our world tomorrow? There’s an entire week of festivities left, so don’t forget to check Minecraft.net daily so you don’t miss out on the celebrations. 

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Community creations.

Discover the best add-ons, mods, and more being built by the incredible Minecraft community!

Block...Block...Block...

Maps: 2024 tornado season is ramping up to set records

Tornado season has ramped up to be the most active in history.

According to the Storm Prediction Center , there have been 781 preliminary tornado reports nationwide as of last Wednesday, far more than the historical average of 549 through May 8.

May will have the highest risk for tornadoes in Iowa due to a change in weather patterns from the western and central Gulf of Mexico causing higher dewpoints and humidity.

AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno stated “when it comes to severe weather in May, the atmosphere doesn’t hold anything back."

AccuWeather predicts anywhere from 1,250 to 1,375 tornadoes across the country in 2024. That's a downturn from the 1,423 reported in 2023.

More: Another round of severe weather pummels the Southeast. See where tornadoes may hit.

States with the most tornado reports

The top five states that have been struck the most by tornadoes (as of May 14):

◾ Texas - 69

◾ Ohio - 65

◾ Iowa - 64

◾ Missouri - 61

◾ Kansas - 58

Unable to view our graphics? Click here to see them.  

"With the expectation for a volatile atmospheric setup favoring severe thunderstorms and tornadoes yet again, AccuWeather meteorologists are increasingly concerned that the tornado outbreak can even include some particularly intense or long-track tornadoes,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter stated in a recent news release.

“Long-track tornadoes can be especially dangerous and result in significant property damage, especially if a populated area is struck, as we’ve sadly seen in recent weeks.”

More: Tallahassee, Florida braces for more severe weather following destructive tornadoes

More: Golfers flee tornado on Tiger Woods-designed course in Missouri

Where tornadoes have been reported

"Tornado Alley" has sprung back to life, with the majority of tornadoes erupting in central U.S. states which include: Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

Tornado activity is still extremely active this month. At least 237 tornadoes have been reported nationwide in May, according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration . The majority of them have been concentrated in and around Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Missouri. But there have also been reports of twisters as far south in Florida's panhandle.

Structures have been damaged by the recent storms, with power outages and trees toppled. Thousands of residents are still without power as of Tuesday.

A shift in the weather pattern over the past few weeks has made it easier for thunderstorms that can produce tornadoes to form more often over the central United States.

SOURCE AccuWeather, NOAA Storm Prediction Center and USA TODAY research

CONTRIBUTING Kate Kealey, Des Moines Register

Advertisement

Recognizing a Palestinian State, Ireland Nods to its Own History

Simon Harris, Ireland’s prime minister, invoked his nation’s struggle for independence from Britain and its decades of violent sectarian conflict.

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By Megan Specia

• May 22, 2024

When the Irish government on Wednesday announced formal recognition of an independent Palestinian state, it drew on its own struggle for statehood and the violence that surrounded it.

“From our own history we know what it means: recognition is an act of powerful political and symbolic value,” Simon Harris, the taoiseach, or prime minister of Ireland, said at a news briefing.

Mr. Harris was nodding to the Republic of Ireland’s quest for self-rule in the early part of the 20th century after hundreds of years of British rule. He detailed how, on Jan. 21, 1919, Ireland asked the world to recognize its right to independence.

“Our message to the free nations of the world was a plea for international recognition of our independence, emphasizing our distinct national identity, our historical struggle and our right to self-determination and justice,” he said. “Today we use the same language to support the recognition of Palestine as a state.”

Ireland condemned Hamas after the group led the Oct. 7 attack on Israel that officials there say killed some 1,200 people. And since the start of the conflict in Gaza, it has sharply rebuked Israel for its assault that Gazan authorities say has left more than 35,000 people dead.

Mr. Harris emphasized that Ireland’s announcement, which came on the same day as similar moves by Spain and Norway , did not diminish his country’s relationship with Israel. Instead, he said, it was an acknowledgment that Israel and a state of Palestine had an equal right to exist.

“I want to know in years to come that Ireland spoke up, spoke out, in favor of peace,” he added.

The Republic of Ireland has a deep history of support for Palestinians and for their efforts to establish an independent state, and the announcement on Wednesday drew support from across the political spectrum and from within the country’s coalition government.

The small island of Ireland — which is made up of the independent Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which remained part of the United Kingdom — also experienced its own seemingly intractable sectarian conflict between mostly Catholic nationalists who supported independence and mostly Protestant unionists who supported alignment with Britain.

That conflict, which was marked by thousands of lives lost in terrorist bombings, shootings and clashes with the military and police over decades that came to be known as The Troubles, came to a close with the Good Friday agreement in 1998.

“Ireland has for many decades recognized the State of Israel and its right to exist in peace and security,” Mr. Harris said. “We had hoped to recognize Palestine as part of a two-state peace deal, but instead we recognize Palestine to keep the hope of that two-state solution alive.”

Mr. Harris also drew on Ireland’s history when he made a distinction between Hamas terrorism and the broader Palestinian population.

Asked whether recognition of Palestinian statehood would empower Hamas, Mr. Harris said: “Hamas is not the Palestinian people, and here in Ireland, better than most countries in the world, we know what it’s like when a terrorist organization seeks to hijack your identity and seeks to speak for you.”

It was a clear reference to the deadly terror attacks carried out decades ago by paramilitary groups across the islands of Ireland and Britain, often in the name of Irish independence.

“Palestine is made up of people, decent people. So is Israel,” he said, adding: “I think right-thinking people around the world are able to differentiate between the actions of terrorists and the decent people of a state.”

Megan Specia reports on Britain, Ireland and the Ukraine war for The Times. She is based in London. More about Megan Specia