US History
Chew Heong v. United States: Chinese Exclusion and the Federal Courts (Looking at the Law)
Submitted by Steven Lapham on Mon, 07/27/2009 - 9:16am_ By Edited by James H. Landman_
A close look at the case of Chew Heong, a Chinese immigrant who challenged the nineteenth-century Chinese exclusion laws, provides important insight into early U.S. efforts to control immigration.
Puritan Day: A Social Science Simulation
Submitted by Steven Lapham on Mon, 07/27/2009 - 9:14amBy Joan Brodsky Schur
Eighth-grade students gain a greater understanding of social control and tyranny when they participate in a Puritan Day simulation.
October 1957 Memorandum Related to Sputnik (Teaching with Documents)
Submitted by Steven Lapham on Mon, 07/27/2009 - 9:11amBy Missy McNatt and David Traill
This month marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Soviet launch of Sputnik, which fueled American panic that the Soviet Union could fire intercontinental ballistic missiles. The featured document highlights President Eisenhower’s reaction and the government’s response.
Promoting Historic Preservation in the Classroom
Submitted by Steven Lapham on Mon, 07/27/2009 - 9:07amBy Paul LaRue
High school students learn that there is much more to history than the textbook when they interview World War II veterans and transcribe the stories for the Library of Congress’s Veterans History Project.
Learning Early Twentieth-Century History through First-Person Interviews
Submitted by Steven Lapham on Mon, 07/27/2009 - 9:04amBy Lisa A. Lark
Carrying out face-to-face interviews with American seniors can make U.S. history more relevant to students, and especially those who are first- and second-generation citizens.
9/11 and Terrorism: “The Ultimate Teachable Moment” in Textbooks and Supplemental Curricula
Submitted by Steven Lapham on Mon, 07/27/2009 - 9:01amDiana Hess and Jeremy Stoddard
A survey of curricular materials developed to address 9/11, reveals there is great discrepancy on how the topic should be covered and what students should be learning.
The Constitution In Action (Teaching with Documents)
Submitted by Steven Lapham on Mon, 07/27/2009 - 8:58amBy Lee Ann Potter
Students take on the roles of archivists and researchers when they study primary documents at the Constitution in Action Lab.
(Includes an 1847 credential certificate naming Sam Houston as an elected Senator from Texas.)
Letter by Stephen Decatur and Painting by Thomas Chambers Related to the War of 1812 (Teaching with Documents)
Submitted by Steven Lapham on Mon, 07/27/2009 - 8:53amLee Ann Potter and Elizabeth K. Eder
This article pairs a textual document with a painting of the related 1812 sea battle, underscoring the value of visual images in fostering new insights about historic events, people, and ideas.
The Course of the Republic: American Responses to Technology in the Nineteenth Century
Submitted by Steven Lapham on Mon, 07/27/2009 - 8:48amMeghan McGlinn Manfra
This overview with teaching activities on the Lowell textile mill and Ralph Waldo Emerson offers creative approaches to studying the political and technological changes of the nineteenth century.
Listen Up: Studying the American Labor Movement Through Oral Histories
Submitted by Steven Lapham on Mon, 07/27/2009 - 8:43amCheryl Mason Bolick, Lisa Norberg, and Dayna Durbin
A growing collection of digitized oral history interviews on topics such as labor, civil rights, and women’s issues, allows students to hear firsthand about the experiences of individuals during critical periods in American history.
