Middle schoolers explore the history of the African-American troops that served during the American Civil War. After reading primary source documents that detail the controversies about permitting freemen and former slaves to serve,...

Much of history is distasteful. Primary sources often reveal attitudes acceptable at the time that no longer are. But to understand controversial historical events, historians must examine primary sources that represent a wide variety of...

Are Civil War monuments a kind remembrance or a reminder of a dark past? The lesson focuses on the public's memory of the Civil War and the monuments that represent it. Young academics explore past efforts to change historical symbols...

Using the family stories of a famous comedian and singer-songwriter, learners consider what life was like for African Americans who were enslaved and free before the Civil War. To complete a concluding activity, they write about the...

Long before the term fake news, media outlets offered competing narratives of events at the time. Looking at newspaper reports from the Battle of Vicksburg, class members consider two different versions of the strategic siege—one...

One of the first photographed images of the Civil War give historians a glimpse of the realities of war. By viewing images from the war—including pictures of those killed in the bloodiest battles—learners experience the war's impact...

American life before the Civil War was very different from American life today. To show this difference in a full spectrum, learners compare two communities that illustrate the differences between Northern and Southern life. Throughout...

The post-Civil War convict leasing program, rarely covered in textbooks, is the focus of a instructional activity that asks class members to use information drawn from primary source documents to assess the program. While the focus is on...

The benefits and drawbacks of convict leasing following the Civil War are the focus of a lesson plan that asks groups to examine primary source materials to gain an understanding of the program before individuals decide whether...

After finishing The Red Badge of Courage, readers complete a grammar worksheet  to identify the chain of events in the plot, the enduring issues, and major themes of Stephen Crane's novel.

Why is a letter a better way to learn about a person than a different primary source? Explore Thomas Day's ideas and advice to his daughter in a letter from 1851, which details the struggles of the American South before the Civil War....

What is the sharecropping system? What role did it play in the post-Civil War economy of the South? Who were the sharecroppers? Who employed them? How were they paid? To answer these questions, kids examine a series of sharecropper...

Students discuss political, social, and personal issues relating to the Civil War from various perspectives using internet sources. Students write various selections from Civil War characters' point of view.

This chapter in William Morey's 1901 text discusses the land reforms of the Gracchi brothers. Find out how well they worked and the problems they caused.

In this section of a chapter in William Morey's 1901 textbook, you will find out about Marius and his reorganization of the Roman army.

This passage in William Morey's 1901 textbook explains the hostility between Antony and Octavius and Octavius' triumph.

In this passage from William Morey's 1901 textbook, you read about the influence of the military in choosing four emperors in one year.

The Battle of Pea Ridge hinged on which side had the best commanders. Find out who was involved in this battle for control of the Trans-Mississippi West and the results of the bitter fighting. Included are biographies and pictures of the...

Exhibit about family life in Illinois from 1700 to the present lets visitors experience the kinds of changes that an environment can undergo over several hundred years. Uses historical narratives, images of objects, timelines, maps, and...

An article by noted historian, Kinley Brauer, discusses the role of foreign policy for both the North and the South in the Civil War. An interesting, and often forgotten, aspect of the war.

Read about the Confederacy's attempt to manipulate the supply of cotton to England in an attempt to gain England's support of its war effort. Written by Kinley Brauer, noted historian.

A wonderful resource using primary and secondary source materials to explore many facets of the Civil War from the war itself to its impact on the home front. Includes video and text downloads.

In this video segment from The Supreme Court, learn about the 1883 Supreme Court decision that marked the end of federal protections for individuals in states and the beginning of Jim Crow segregation.

The papers of lecturer, reformer, actress, and author Anna Elizabeth Dickinson span the period 1859-1951 but are chiefly concentrated in the years from 1859 to 1911. The collection consists of approximately 10,000 items. Included are...