The post-Revolutionary Period of 1781-1787, also known as the Critical Period, is the focus of a series of lessons that prompt class members to examine primary source documents that reveal the instability of the period of the...

Students work together to examine case study of students's lives in different societies of the world. Using the information, they complete a chart and share their information with the class. They discuss society's ideals for students's...

Students analyze film clips in class. In this democracy lesson, students identify the differences between civil liberties, democracy and freedom. Students view a video regarding Japanese internment and answer study questions as well as...

This lesson explores the multiple causes of racial segregation and environmental racism, and helps students understand the perpetuation of institutional racism in the post-Civil Rights era. Students will perform a mock tribunal in which...

Students revisit issues of civil rights in the U.S. They use the recent national discussion of retiring Senator Strom Thurmond's 1948 Dixiecrat Presidential campaign as a starting point.

Students choose to either make an exhibit of posters of pictures about Darfur, or write a letter to the local newspaper regarding Darfur, or plan a concert, party, or bake sale to raise money for refugees. They write a poem defining...

Students research on the Web and in books the "age of majority" in general and how it applies in their particular states. Explore, too, "emancipation" and whether this is another way for teens to earn additional rights. Students write a...

The Declaration of Independence was published in 1776. The Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, modeled after the Declaration of Independence, was drafted and read by Elizabeth Cady Stanton at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848....

Susan VanHecke's Under the Freedom Tree is transformed into a 12-part readers theatre script appropriate for a performance by upper-elementary classes.

Students examine the fundamental civil rights granted to people under the Wyandotte Constitution. They use the worksheet Reading the Wyandotte Constitution to identify what rights Kansans were guaranteed under the state constitution of...

In this American Civil War worksheet, students respond to 20 short answer, multiple choice, and true or false questions about the events that led to the outbreak of war.

Students identify famous people and events of the Civil War era, identify hardships Tubman encountered by giving an explanation of what they would do in a similar situation, and explain in writing, 3 historical facts about Harriet Tubman.

Learners explore some of the ideas of major importance to the Founders, why we need a government, and how the Founders believed governments should be created and what they should do. They think of a right that all people should have and...

Students examine letters written by Union soldiers fighting in the South during the Civil War, and write descriptions of the South using information found in the letters.

Pupils define federalism, Federalist, and Anti-Federalist, debate issue of ratification in classroom convention, and take vote on whether to add bill of rights. Three lessons on one page.

Students examine the "Cult of Domesticity." In this women's history lesson, students visit the specified Web sites to engage in research related to the characteristics that were thought to represent true womanhood as well as information...

Students examine the rate of institutional racism in the United States. Individually, they write in their journals about how they can make better choices and increase their self-esteem. Using historical documents, they identify the...

Students examine facts about the elderly population of the United States that lives in poverty through the context of universal human rights. They participate in class discussion, review census records, read case studies, interview...

Learners take a closer look at the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson, including the Great Society and the passage of the Voting Rights Act, through image analysis and primary source worksheets.

Second graders discover who Rosa Parks was and the significance of her role in Black History. Students place events in Rosa Park's life in chronological order.

How did the Klu Klux Klan manage to gain so many members during the 1920s? Class members examine Klan documents and promotional materials to gain an understanding of the propaganda techniques used to attract members.

The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments are outlined in this PowerPoint. Each amendment is noted on its own slide, with a summary of its purpose and important sections of the actual document. Tip: Have students choose an amendment and write...

Students explore the textual meaning of the Declaration of Independence. In this Declaration of Independence lesson, students read and paraphrase the text of the document into modern-day language. Students also consider the meaning of...

Learners examine the African-American migrants entry into the political process. They summarize their findings in a short essay.