This lesson may be completed in whole or in part, depending on the needs of your students and the time that you have. FOCUS QUESTION In what ways is equality a proposition, or belief, worth fighting for? LESSON OVERVIEW Students will consider whether equality is important to our democracy as they develop a deep understanding of the literary and historical value of the Gettysburg Address through a game-based close reading of the text. LESSON OBJECTIVES Analyze primary sources … [Read more...]
NHD 2019: U.S. History Civil War to Late 19th Century
August 20, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The First Battle of Bull Run: Anticipated Union Triumph Leads to Tragedy Today in History: First Battle of Bull Run brief background & primary sources Related resources Today in History: Second Battle of Bull Run Civil War primary sources, secondary sources, teaching resources The Triumphs and Tragedies of the Transcontinental Railroad Today in History: Transcontinental Railroad Completed primary sources, secondary sources, related resources Reconstruction: … [Read more...]
Today in History: Juneteenth
June 19, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Today in History–June 19–TPS-Barat features Juneteenth. On this date in 1865, Major General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 in Galveston, Texas, informing the slaves of the Emancipation Proclamation, issued two and a half years earlier by President Abraham Lincoln. Although Juneteenth was informally celebrated each year since 1865, it wasn't until June 3, 1979, that Texas became the first state to proclaim it an official state holiday. Today more than 40 officially recognize … [Read more...]
Integrating Technology: Making Myriopticons
May 24, 2018 by Leave a Comment
OK, so this post isn't about digital technology but it does present an idea for combining history with a maker lab of sorts that incorporates math, engineering and art. Let's take a look at a blog post from In Custodia Legis, which features, “A Historical Panorama of the Rebellion” myriopticon, a toy manufactured by Milton Bradley around 1865. "The myriopticon was an educational device targeted at prepubescent boys that consists of a box containing a painted scroll and two scroll tubes. A key … [Read more...]
Today in History: Clara Barton & the Red Cross
May 21, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Today in History–May 21–TPS-Barat features Clarissa "Clara" Barton, who founded the Red Cross on this date in 1881. A former teacher, Barton was working in the U.S. patent office at the start of the Civil War. Despite having little nursing training, Barton administered aid to soldiers at several battlefields, After the war she established the Missing Soldier Office in Washington, D.C., led effort to establish a national cemetery at Andersonville Prison, and, in 1881, founded the American Red … [Read more...]
Collection Spotlight: Works by Civil War Era African American Women
March 28, 2018 by Leave a Comment
These digitized works were written by and about African American women who lived during the U.S. Civil War and include autobiographies, biographies, children’s books, novels, poetry, speeches and more. The authors and the works are listed below; click the section headers to access links to the online works. Some authors also have related resource links. Autobiographies & Biographies Sarah H. Bradford 1818-1912 Harriet, the Moses of Her People 1886 Scenes in the Life of … [Read more...]
Timely Connections: Immigrant Soldiers
November 7, 2017 by Leave a Comment
The United States is a nation of immigrants, many of whom have served the country in times of need. Below you will find links to news articles about immigrant soldiers, historical background resources, and related primary sources and teaching resources. How does studying sources from the past inform your understanding of the contemporary debate surrounding immigrants in the U.S. armed forces? Articles 2018 U.S. Army Discharges Immigrant Soldiers Seeking Citizenship NPR July 6, … [Read more...]
Timely Connections: Slavery & Compromise
November 2, 2017 by Leave a Comment
In a Fox News interview with White House chief of staff John Kelly on Oct. 30, 2017, the former marine general said that “the lack of an ability to compromise led to the Civil War”. Kelly's statement set off a firestorm of impassioned responses across traditional and social media about the cause of the Civil War and the history of slavery and compromise prior to this seminal event. Read some of the contemporary articles, review background information about compromises over slavery prior to the … [Read more...]
NHD 2018 Conflict & Compromise Topic Ideas: U.S. History Mid-19th Century
August 15, 2017 by 1 Comment
These curated resource lists coincide with the topic ideas listed in the NHD 2018 Conflict & Compromise theme sample topics list. The links lead to resources accessed from the Library of Congress (LOC.gov) unless otherwise noted. Note: U.S. historic newspaper coverage is from 1789-1924 unless otherwise noted. Preventing Conflict: The Compromise of 1850 Today in History primary source collections Compromise of 1850 Daniel Webster Henry Clay John C. Calhoun Abolition … [Read more...]
Teaching Now: Using Primary Sources with 21st-Century Learners
June 7, 2017 by Leave a Comment
This is a guest post from veteran teacher Heather Klos, an 8th grade U.S. history teacher and the Social Studies department chair at Crownover Middle School in Corinth, Texas. As an early American history teacher, I know it is important to use primary sources effectively with my 8th grade students. Analyzing primary sources can be very difficult for students, but it is usually my end-game when working with these documents. I have found that breaking down the documents into manageable chunks … [Read more...]
Richard Nixon began historic visit to China. Check out our 
