In what ways was the US settled and unsettled in the 19th century? What role did artists play in shaping public understandings of the US West? In this resource, students will explore and analyze works of art related to the era of Manifest Destiny and its impacts. In suggested activities, students research a work of art from this unit that connects to American exceptionalism and then discuss their findings; examine the 1868 print Across the Continent and question the artist's narrative; research indigenous peoples who lived in their area and listen to living members of the community.

This resource contains a facsimile of the landmark Marbury v. Madison Supreme Court case. Argued in 1803, the Supreme Court decision established the right of the courts to determine the constitutionality of the actions of the other two branches of government.

This inquiry kit features Library of Congress sources showing Maryland's important religious and social impact on the New World in the middle 1600s.

Dr. Mudd claimed not to recognize the two men who appeared at his home the morning of April 15, 1865. See the evidence that disproved his story and sent him to prison.

Discover why most of the Mayflower's male passengers signed an historic agreement, in this video adapted from AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: The Pilgrims. In September 1620, religious dissenters, called "Separatists" by their detractors, were joined aboard the Mayflower by other English colonists recruited by the project's financial backers who did not share the Separatists' religious zeal. After making landfall 66 days later and with tensions threatening to divide the passengers, a social compact was drafted and signed in which all signers agreed to submit to the government created, officers elected, and laws drafted.

An archeologist tells how he put a face to Kennewick Man, a 9,000-year-old skeleton found in Washington State, in this article from NOVA Online.

Engage with important themes from the Civil War era with content from the new PBS drama Mercy Street, along with our webseries Time Capsule from the producers of PBS Digital Studios The Good Stuff.

In this media gallery and associated activity from Mercy Street, students learn about and analyze the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, its effect on enslaved people, and how its passing into law impacted fugitive slave resettlement and the abolitionist movement in the United States. For more resources from Mercy Street, check out the collection page.

Discover how in 1846, tensions simmered into the Mexican-American war, after which Mexico lost half of its territory and the U.S. gained one-third of theirs.

Michael Strahan, NFL Hall-of-Famer and television personality, can track his descendants’ migration from the upper South to Texas as the result of the Second Middle Passage – a turning point in the history of the domestic slave trade in the United States.

This is a facsimile of the 1820 Missouri Compromise, which admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state so as not to upset the delicate balance between slave and free states; it also outlawed slavery above the 36º 30´ latitude line in the remainder of the Louisiana Territory.

In this interactive lesson, students learn what globalization is and what distinguishes modern globalization from earlier forms of global trade and interaction. Students watch videos that define modern globalization and explain how the production of a Converse sneaker is affected by the global manufacturing process. Students also learn about globalization’s costs and benefits for producers, consumers, workers, the environment, and more. At the end of the lesson, students write a thesis statement that answers the lesson’s essential question: To what extent do the benefits of modern globalization outweigh its negative effects?

This one-minute video segment from IdahoPTV's Moments in Time presents the journal entries of Lewis and Clark from June 13, 1805, "The great falls of the Missouri".

In this NOVA Lab, students will learn how scientists use sophisticated instruments and data to study and predict the development of Earth’s powerful storms. Students will learn about cloud types, investigate the progression of Hurricane Sandy, and analyze data to reconstruct the paths of three tropical cyclones. Finally, students will use the NASA Worldview tool to investigate recent conditions for a region. Students predict how storms may develop or change using data, such as water vapor, cloud top temperature and pressure, and land temperature.

In this media-rich lesson plan, students explore how to keep their digital lives safe, spot cyber scams, and learn the basics of coding from NOVA Labs. The lesson begins with students watching the Cybersecurity 101 video and discussing the online safety measures that they currently take. Next, students make predictions about online safety best practices, complete the Level 1 challenges of the NOVA Cybersecurity Lab, and compare the best practices from the game with their predictions. Students reconvene for direct instruction on the best practices and key computer science terms, and then finish the Cybersecurity Lab game. Finally, students complete the video quizzes with short-response discussion questions and can work on the Cybersecurity stories as homework reading assignments.

In this media-rich lesson plan from NOVA Labs, students use short videos to explore the following topics: what energy is, how it can be converted into useful forms, and why some sources are running low. Students also investigate alternative energies and how energy is stored and transported. The research challenge allows students to use scientific data to design their own renewable energy plans for a real cities and compete with others to produce the most power. Students use maps, graphs, and weather data to assess the energy potential of various locations and benefits of using renewable energy in different regions of the country.

Explore the evidence for evolution through phylogenetics with this lesson plan from NOVA's Evolution Lab. First, students consider and discuss how we understand and organize the biodiversity that exists on Earth. Students are then introduced to phylogenetic trees and practice building them with the Build a Tree interactive. In Build a Tree, students use both morphology and DNA analysis to identify relationships between species. Next, students explore speciation and shared ancestry with the Deep Tree interactive. As an interactive tree of life, Deep Tree helps students understand evolutionary history on Earth. Discussion questions and video quizzes allow educators to assess student understanding.

Welcome to the NOVA Science Studio! This program is designed to provide students with the skills and tools to tell their own stories about science issues happening in their communities. The curriculum, developed by the NOVA staff, focuses on science journalism and video production. It provides support for engaging in discussions and activities as well as editorial guidance for students as they develop their stories for their videos, conduct research, and shoot and edit their videos. The curriculum is designed to be completed over 7 to 8 months. It is recommended that educators teach the NSS curriculum to students in sessions at least twice a week.

In this media-rich lesson plan from NOVA's Sun Lab, students use short videos to explore the following topics: the Sun's structure, solar flares, coronal mass ejections, Earth’s magnetic field, the electromagnetic spectrum, how space weather affects Earth, the physics of light, and telescopes. Students also find our place in the current solar cycle, predict future solar storms, and develop their own research project.

Examine how Nancy, who serves as a mother figure to Oliver, contradicts 19th-century England’s conventional thinking that the poor are morally corrupt, in this excerpt from Oliver Twist | MASTERPIECE. Dickens created a complex character in Nancy, who is a victim of circumstance. She cannot escape criminal ways and an abusive partner, yet her care and concern for Oliver reveal the complexities of her character.