You may think that things are heated in Washington today, but the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 had members of Congress so angry they pulled out their weapons -- and formed the Republican Party. The issues? Slavery and states' rights, which led the divided nation straight into the Civil War. Ben Labaree, Jr. explains how Abraham Lincoln's party emerged amidst the madness. This video explains the Kansas-Nebraska Act and its impact on the American Civil War and the political setting of the country. This resources also comes with questions for the video in either multiple choice or short answer format.

When gold was discovered in Dahlonega, Georgia, the state's government, as well as the federal government, worked to push Native Americans out of north Georgia as quickly as possible by any means possible.

Examine Hutchinson’s rebellion (also known as the Stono rebellion), a slave revolt that started outside Charleston, SC, but ultimately failed in this video from The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross.

Ideologies of political parties in the United States. General views of liberals (generally associated with the Democratic Party) and conservatives (generally associated with the Republican Party).

View images from the locations of famous Civil War battles, such as First Battle of Bull Run in 1861, near Manassas Junction, Virginia, and siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, in 1863. The first and second battles of Bull Run, in 1861 and 1862, were Confederate victories and a blow to the Union Army’s confidence. The Union victory at Vicksburg, a Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River, would divide and weaken the Confederacy. The Civil War was fought in 10,000 locations across the United States.

View images of Jefferson, Monticello, and the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson (1743-1846) was the third president of the United States of America, and served two terms between the years 1801-1809. He was a founding father of the country, and author of the Declaration of Independence. The son of a Virginia planter, Jefferson was educated at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. As president, he created the military academy at West Point; he expanded the size of the country with the Louisiana Purchase, and commissioned Lewis & Clark to explore the western United States.

In this set of artworks and suggested activities, students will explore the motivations of immigration and causes of displacement throughout American history, and they will practice telling stories, investigate transformational journeys, and reflect on the American dream.

The Immortal 600 is one story which has gone relatively unnoticed in the history of the Civil War. The 600 Confederate POWs were deliberately left on the battlefield, exposed to cannon fire from both the Confederate and Federal armies. In all, they endured 45 days of exposure to shellfire. The descendants on one of the survivors also express their believes in the importance of family.

This media gallery features video clips from the award-winning animated documentary Dead Reckoning: Champlain in America produced by Mountain Lake PBS. The film tells the story of Samuel de Champlain in the early 1600s, who failed to find a northwest passage to China, but instead laid the foundation for a multicultural nation in North America and the people who taught him how to survive in the wilds of North America.

Learn the fascinating story of Doña Teresa Aguilera y Roche, the wife of Santa Fe's colonial governor Don Bernardo López de Mendizábal and the only woman in New Mexico arrested by the Inquisition on account of secretly being Jewish. While imprisoned in Mexico City, she asks for a pen and paper and writes her defense, laying bare what life was like in the Palace of the Governors at that time. What led to her arrest? What happened to her? Her story is one that provides a rare view into the intrigue and social history of early Spanish colonial society in New Mexico. New Mexico History Museum Director Dr. Frances Levine and Colonial historian Gerald Gonzales share insights into this dramatic story. Featured is colonial Hispanic music performed by The Santa Fe Desert Chorale and celebrated Flamenco dancer Maria Benitez brings Doña T to life.

The Indian Mounds experience includes virtual field trips to Ocmulgee National Monument, Kolomoki Mounds State Park, and Etowah Indian Mounds Historic Site

This Index of Indian tribes of North America is divided by region and shows how each tribe lived. This resource can be used for student research and comparing differences and similarities between different North American Indian Tribes.

This 2 min video examens the importance of industry during the Civil War.

By examining various sources, students will analyze what it means to be anti-racist and better understand Mark Twain's experiences with race and how he depicted race in his work. Based on their analyses, students will construct a claim in which they defend their argument about whether or not Mark Twain would be considered anti-racist.

Learn how Spanish explorers and conquistadors profoundly affected the lives of Indigenous Peoples in what we now consider the American West, in these videos from the documentary series, The West. Videos look at Cabeza de Vaca, who was shipwrecked in Texas and over time transformed from conqueror to advocate for Native peoples; at Coronado, who terrorized the peoples he encountered in his quest for gold; at Popé, a Tewa Pueblo man who led a successful revolt against the Spanish occupiers; and at how the horses introduced by the Spaniards changed the lives of Indigenous peoples.

This interactive allows students to follow in the footsteps of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on one of the most important expeditions in American history—a voyage of danger and discovery from St. Louis to the headwaters of the Missouri River, over the Continental Divide to the Pacific Ocean. This interactive combines a compelling graphic interface with facts, lessons and video clips from the film.

Track the action of the American Revolution’s Battle of Trenton and increase your skills using maps of historic events with this interactive made by George Washington’s Mount Vernon.

This inquiry kit features Library of Congress sources about the Irish Brigade during the American Civil War.

In this lesson with History with Ms. H., we are going to be going over the major foreign and domestic policy concerns during John Adams' presidency. This video will cover the XYZ affair, the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, and more!

Learn about abolitionist John Brown and his involvement in the violent events in Lawrence, Kansas, and Harpers Ferry, Virginia, as well as his trial for treason, in this media gallery from The Abolitionists |AMERICAN EXPERIENCE. Students will learn about Brown’s attempts to destroy the institution of slavery and depict himself as a righteous martyr.