This is a primary source account written by one of the soldiers who walked the Trail of Tears. This tells his account of the trail.

Learn about actor Courtney B. Vance’s ancestor, an enslaved man named John Janey, who ran away to freedom and later fought on the Union side during the Civil War in this video from Finding Your Roots. Through newspaper archives, Underground Railroad chronicles, and military records, a dramatic story begins to unfold about the epic life of a true American hero.

John Quincy Adams spent his entire life serving his country, but only managed to become President through a corrupt bargain. Find out the juicy details and how his rivals responded.

This resource contains a facsimile of the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act, which repealed the Missouri Compromise and reopened the issues of slavery in the western territories. The Act allowed the settlers of the Kansas and Nebraska territories to determine the legality of slavery for themselves. This served to deepen sectional tensions.

Discover what the Underground Railroad was, the role it played in our country’s history, and why Northern Kentucky was such a key location. In this interactive lesson, students will develop a written response to the questions, “What was the Underground Railroad, and why is Kentucky an important part of its history?” They will gather evidence from reading assignments, video segments from KET’s Kentucky Life, and more.

This lesson supports the video "A More Perfect Union: George Washington and the Making of the Constitution." After viewing the video, students use image-based flashcards to practice and demonstrate their understanding of the key concepts of the Constitution presented in the video. Visual cues provide new routes for student understanding of these complex ideas. Key concepts addressed reflect the importance of compromise, the weakness of the union after the War for Independence, the importance of George Washington as a unifying figure during a fractious time, and the elements of government reflected in the first seven Articles of the Constitution.

This inquiry kit features Library of Congress sources focused on the protests that led to the American Revolution.

At the end of an arduous 6 month, 1600 mile trek northward to Spain's new colonial capital of Santa Fe, Spanish colonists faced one last hurdle, the La Bajada Mesa. Noted archeologist Michael Marshall walks us through the trail as it travels up the mesa. Historian Dr. Estevan Rael-Gálvez shares his thoughts on the significance of the Camino Real.

What are the stories of U.S. Latinos and how do they inform the broader American narrative? From southern Florida to the San Juan Islands of Washington state, from the pre-history of the nation through today's most contentious issues, Latino experiences illuminate our country’s history and its struggle to live up to its ideals. This collection of lesson plans, videos and classroom resources invites teachers and students to explore the history, people and issues chronicled in the PBS series, Latino Americans. Along the way, it engages students in dramatic real-life stories and offers primary texts that serve the goals of the Common Core.

Students will view a video clip from Ken Burns: The Civil War and analyze the surrender terms, as well as the events leading to Lee’s surrender. Then they will review selections from General Grant’s memoirs. Discussion questions follow, which can be used for general class discussion or individual assessment. Answers to the questions are included.

This is a link to a video of historians discussing the legacy and impact of Reconstruction. It focuses on how Reconstruction still affects us today.

Relations between Great Britain, its North American colonies, and the Native Americans were often difficult. The British wanted to solve these problems so they could reduce the number of British troops needed and thereby reduce expenses. One attempt to bring peace was the Proclamation of 1763. This edict created a line of settlement beyond which colonists were forbidden to settle. A transcription is included below in Support Materials.

Focusing on state curriculum for elementary school students, this collection of educational materials features video segments from Idaho Public Television’s Lewis and Clark: Moments in Time series, which is based on excerpts from the journals of Lewis and Clark.

A 4 minute video explaining the impacts of the Battle of Lexington and Concord, including graphics showing details of the battle.

Is there a cause so great you would sign a document knowing if the cause did not prevail, you could be hung? The Liberty Boys in the thirteen colonies thought so, and the signers of the Declaration of Independence did just that. A ranger at Wormsloe Plantation, Joe Thompson, explains what the Stamp Act meant to the colonists and how the Liberty Boys meeting at Tondee's Tavern reacted.

Patrick Henry's impassioned plea at the Second Virginia Convention in 1775, "Give me liberty or give me death," defined the American Revolution. This one-hour documentary-drama captures this seminal moment in American history by balancing experts' commentary on the events preceding the Second Virginia Convention with dramatic re-enactments of the historic moments that followed.

After five grueling months at sea, a small group of soldiers, laborers, and aristocrats from England completed a 3000-mile journey across the Atlantic and stepped off their ship to greet an unfamiliar new land. The year was 1607 and the land they chose to live on became the first permanent settlement of the British in North America: Jamestown. This set of primary resources includes images and documents that provide a window into this time period, as well as a Teacher's Guide with historical context and teaching suggestions.

Explore a collection of images highlighting life during the Civil War. The Union Army Balloon Corps was established to observe enemy positions from above, in balloons piloted by aeronauts like Professor Thaddeus S. Lowe. The U.S. Military Telegraph Corps was created to support the communications needed between officers on the battlefield and President Lincoln. More than a thousand operators sent and received messages across 4,000 miles of telegraph wires. Over 400,000 soldiers were held in Union and Confederate prison camps, an estimated 56,000 of whom died while imprisoned. The Civil War also created a refugee crisis, with hundreds of thousands fleeing their homes.

This is the story of Martha Washington, the worthiest of partners to the worthiest of men. Elizabeth Keaney, a character interpreter at Mount Vernon, shares the life of the woman she portrays.

Filmmaker Ken Burns, author David McCullough, actors Sam Waterston, Matthew Broderick, Stephen Lang, and Medal of Honor recipient Paul W. Bucha recite one of the most famous speeches in American history.

The musical score is provided by Academy Award-winning composer John Williams. The video was originally created in 2010 in opposition to a proposed casino 1/2 mile from the Gettysburg National Military Park. All celebrities, crew, editors, and musicians volunteered their time for the successful "No Casino Gettysburg" campaign.