What were the causes and effects of westward expansion between 1844 and 1877? Kim Kutz Elliott discusses how economic opportunities, government support, and the idea of 'manifest destiny' brought migrants to the western United States.
Students explore the world of maps and learn how to view the world around them in a two-dimensional format.
In this lesson students compare three maps, one from 1491, one from 1570, and one from 1794 to note differences and discus why the maps changed over time. This in turn can introduce wider discussions of exploration of the Americas. Thumbnail: World map by Martellus, British Library, CC0, via Wikimedia
This article is an overview of the life of Marcus Garvey. Access to this resource requires a free educator login.
This lesson introduces students to the philosophy of nonviolence and the teachings of Mohandas K. Gandhi that influenced Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s views. After considering the political impact of this philosophy, students explore its relevance to personal life and contemporary society.
Students examine Martin Puryear's "Ladder for Booker T. Washington" and consider how the title of Puryear's sculpture is reflected in the meanings we can draw from it. They learn about Booker T. Washington's life and legacy, and through Puryear's ladder, students explore the African American experience from Booker T.'s perspective and apply their knowledge to other groups in U.S. History. They also gain understanding of how a ladder can be a metaphor for a person's and a group's progress toward goals.
In this lesson, students will explore the biography of Mary McLeod Bethune and primary resources related to her life in order to understand the impact she had on other people, and how her example of integrity and principle can affect their own lives today.
The focus of this lesson is the Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts 54th Regiment Memorial by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Students will put themselves in the shoes of the men of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment as they read, write, pose, and then create a comic strip about these American heroes.
In this lesson, students will research using World Book Student Online to research how mathemathics concepts are used/created or have been used/created in history in other parts of the world. This lesson should take about one class period or 45 minutes. This could be used as either a virtual lesson for students or as a in class independent work project.
This biographical sketch is about WWI nurse Maud Fitch who worked on the front lines during WWI.
Explore the Harlem Writers Guild, the oldest African American writers association in the world, in this video from American Masters | Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise. Teaching tips suggest asking students to research the Harlem Writers Guild and to think about writing as part of a community.
Sensitive: This resource contains material that may be sensitive for some students. Teachers should exercise discretion in evaluating whether this resource is suitable for their class.
Learn about the connection between Maya Angelou and Malcolm X, and their work in Ghana, in this video from American Masters | Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise.
Sensitive: This resource contains material that may be sensitive for some students. Teachers should exercise discretion in evaluating whether this resource is suitable for their class.
Explore how growing up in the South during the Jim Crow Era influenced Maya Angelou’s writing in this video from American Masters | Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise. The power of memory and the importance of setting inform both the video and discussion questions as students are asked to consider why Maya Angelou chose to write about her own life in her famous autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
Examine Maya Angelou’s impact on those who knew her personally in this video from American Masters | Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise. Utilizing video, discussion questions and teaching tips, students analyze and reflect on Angelou’s mentors in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
Sensitive: This resource contains material that may be sensitive for some students. Teachers should exercise discretion in evaluating whether this resource is suitable for their class.
In 1993, President Bill Clinton asked Maya Angelou to write a poem for his inauguration. After Clinton’s inaugural address, Maya Angelou recited her original poem “On the Pulse of Morning.” As the second poet in history to read a poem at a presidential inauguration—Robert Frost was the first when he recited a poem at John F. Kennedy’s inauguration in 1961—Angelou captured the attention of the nation. President Clinton called her poem “an eternal gift to America.” This clip from American Masters | Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise features part of her performance at the inauguration and provides background about Clinton’s reasons for asking her, her response, and how the poem was received by the public.
In this resource, students explore the role of poetry in American politics, compare Angelou and Frost, and consider how Angelou’s poem reflects the challenges and concerns of the time. Discussion questions, teaching tips, and a student handout push students to engage with Angelou’s words and to think critically about her famous work.
In McCulloch v. Maryland, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Congress had the authority to charter a national bank based on the “necessary and proper” clause of the Constitution. In later years, this “implied power” enabled Congress to pass laws in many different areas. Access to this resource requires a free educator login.
This video provides an overview of the captains of industry during the industrial revolution from the viewpoint of their visions and postivie contributions.
The purpose of this lesson is to explain the two overarching modes of constitutional interpretation – strict and loose construction – and their use and application to particular Supreme Court cases. After an in-class investigation activity to explore the various methods of interpretation, students will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their command of these definitions and express their opinions of the merits and limitations of each method during a mock Supreme Court session where students will revisit the Court’s opinions in Brown v. Board of Education (school segregation) and DC v. Heller (Second Amendment).
Hitherto it had gone by the original Indian name Manna-hatta, or as some still have it, 'The Manhattoes'; but this was now decried as savage and heathenish... At length, when the council was almost in despair, a burgher, remarkable for the size and squareness of his head, proposed that they should call it New-Amsterdam. The proposition took every body by surprise; it was so striking, so apposite, so ingenious. The name was adopted by acclamation, and New-Amsterdam the metropolis was thenceforth called. --Washington Irving, 1808 In less tongue-in-cheek style, this course examines the evolution of New York City from 1607 to the present. The readings focus on the city's social and physical histories, and the class discussions compare New York's development to patterns in other cities.
The Mexican Revolution, which began on November 20, 1910, and continued for a decade, is recognized as the first major political, social, and cultural revolution of the 20th century. In order to better understand this decade-long civil war, we offer an overview of the main players on the competing sides, elementary source materials for point of view analysis, discussion of how the arts reflected the era, and links to Chronicling America, a free digital database of historic newspapers, that covers this period in great detail.