Founding Father Alexander Hamilton fought at General George Washington’s side in the American Revolution, aided in the passage of the Constitution, and helped save the United States from financial ruin. A great leader, writer, soldier, and lawyer, Hamilton did not let his poor birthright stop him from achieving greatness. Through a short video and an analysis of two primary sources, students will examine the life of this important military and political leader.

Alexander Hamilton, one of America’s “founding fathers,” rose from his non-traditional roots as a boy in the Caribbean to become one of the most important figures in the founding of our country. Using video segments from the PBS program Rediscovering Alexander Hamilton, this activity encourages students to explore the conditions and circumstances of Hamilton’s youth and the strengths he carried with him into his adult life. As a culmination, students are encouraged to reflect on their own lives and think about how, like Hamilton, they might translate their childhood experiences into success later in life.

Educators can use America From Scratch (and its discussion guides) to engage the most important issues of the day, and to encourage critical thinking and promote civic engagement with their students.

These lesson plans encourage students to explore the contributions to society made by prominent Americans from all walks of life. Each lesson plan includes a short video, as well as a written primary sources activity, a visual primary source activity, and a culminating activity. The videos are designed to help students understand how the character traits of these Americans contributed to their achievements. Materials are targeted at Grades 3-7.

This online lesson provides perspectives from Native American community members, documents, maps, images, and activities to help students and teachers understand an important and difficult chapter in United States history. Explore the vast scope of removal and its effects on Native Nations.

Following a victory at the Battle of Trenton on December 26, General Washington and his army moved north to Princeton, New Jersey on January 3, 1777, where they surprised the British forces. This resource provides a background on the battle and how it changed the course of the American Revolution.

The Battle of Trenton was a pivotal moment in the American Revolution. At that time, the British had a chain of towns firmly under their control. This, coupled with the fact that many of Washington's soldiers' enlistments were about to expire on New Year's Day, forced Washington to make a bold plan. The Americans crossed the Delaware River on December 25, 1776 and attack Trenton the following day. Over a ten-hour period, 2,400 soldiers, 18 cannon and 100 horses crossed the frigid waters on ferries from Pennsylvania to New Jersey. This resource provides a background on the Battle and how it changed the course of the American Revolution.

Take a closer look at news stories from the American Revolution and the early years of the republic. Let’s explore together: What techniques did journalists use to sway public opinion for or against the British? How did their personal opinions about politics affect how they reported on issues facing the new nation?

In this ELA lesson, students will use their analytical skills to determine the causes of the rise and fall of the Shaker religious community. After watching a series of documentary clips, students examine and document the group's origins, successes, hardships, and eventual decline.

This inquiry kit has sources from the Library of Congress about the importance of Egyptian religion in the world history.

It would be bad enough to face the enemy on a battlefield, but being a prisoner of war (POW) could be far worse. During the Civil War, both sides had terrible prison camps, but one particular Georgia camp has become synonymous with inhumane treatment. Fort Sumter outside the town of Andersonville housed 30,000 prisoners in a facility designed for 10,000. Overcrowding and filthy conditions resulted in death by starvation, disease, exposure, or at the hands of other prisoners for nearly half of the POWs at Andersonville.

This is a facsimile of President Andrew Jackson's December 6, 1830 Message to Congress in 1830. In it, he called for the relocation of eastern Native American nations to land west of the Mississippi River in order to open the land for settlement by citizens of the United States. This message confirmed the removal policy already established by the Indian Removal Act of 1830.

There would be no Frederick Douglass without Anna Murray. After declaring she did not want her children's father to be a slave, Anna helped Douglass escape by disguising him as a sailor. She sold her personal belongings to finance his escape. They eventually reunited in New York, where they married. This clip describes Douglass’ work in a shipbuilding yard in Baltimore’s Fells Point as well as Anna Murray’s powerful influence on Douglass' self-emancipation.

This is a facsimile of the 1777 Articles of Confederation, adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777. This document served as the United States' first constitution, and was in force from March 1, 1781, until 1789 when the present Constitution went into effect.

Preparation and practice are the keys to a successful interview and amazing story. The goal of the interview is to get soundbites that connect with your audience, illuminate the topic, and move your story forward.

Novel representations and diverse perspectives can reveal new insights into complex systems, and can support rich understandings of the world. In this activity, students will identify and analyze the choices artists and scientists make when creating representations of living or non-living natural objects. This process will help students recognize the potential and place for their own articulation of how the world works. After drawing from nature, students will reflect on the process of representing information, then compare their drawings with that of a 16th-century artist. Students will consider what is included and what is excluded, and hypothesize about larger contexts and systems.

In late May, 1864, Generals Grant and Lee raced for a Virginia crossroads called Cold Harbor, near the Chickahominy River. When the bugles blew for the attack at 4:30 a.m. on June 3, 60,000 Union men started toward the unseen enemy. Within 20 minutes, 7,000 of them had been shot by Confederate forces.

This segment tells the story of the Battle of Perryville, which took place in Boyle County, KY, in October 1862. Historian Kent Masterson Brown discusses the importance of the Battle of Perryville for the course of the Civil War. It was crucial because the Union Army successfully drove the Confederate Army from Kentucky and ended its attempt to recapture the state.

Frederick Douglass' time with famed "slave breaker" Edward Covey is considered a turning point in his life. Seen as unruly, Douglass was sent to Covey, who subjected him to verbal and physical abuse. It culminated in a two-hour long fight between them, where Douglass emerged even more determined to escape into freedom.