On a bluff in Stafford County, Virginia, overlooking the Rappahannock River and the town of Fredericksburg beyond, stands the 18th-century plantation house called Chatham. For years this house stood as the centerpiece of a prosperous estate supported by nearly 100 slaves. Between 1862 and 1864 it became, in turn, an army headquarters, a…

Under Article I, Section 8, Clause 4, of the United States Constitution, the U.S. Congress is granted the power to "establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization." With passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, Congress exercised this authority, denying the rights of citizenship to all Chinese immigrants. The Chinese Boycott Case…

This teaching unit is based on primary sources taken from documents, artifacts, journals, diaries, newspapers, and literature from the period under study, which, in this case, is the beginning of the Revolutionary period in the American colonies. The unit addresses the intellectual foundations, the emotional attitudes, and the specific political…

Social studies educators live and teach in the middle of an information revolution as the Internet becomes an integral part of education. The rate of Internet use in the classroom has risen dramatically. From 1994 through 1998, the percentage of public schools with Internet connections jumped from 35 percent to 89 percent. This Digest summarizes…

This field trip program consists of a 90-minute interpretive tour and a 90-minute hands-on workshop. The tour and workshop explore the role of water power in the Industrial Revolution. On the tour, students discover firsthand the unique resources of Lowell, Massachusetts, and the Park, while the workshop brings these historic resources to life as…

Reviews collections of primary or secondary readings that might serve as supplements to a high school or college U.S. history survey course. An appendix to the article contains an annotated listing of the materials reviewed. (RM)

Describes cooperative effort between museum and school for students in grades six through eight which involved field trips to two local historical resources. At a homestead site, students participated in domestic duties and period crafts. At a cemetery, students recorded data and made rubbings. (KC)

Reviews current writings relevant to teaching the social history of Canada. Subjects addressed are social protest and conflict, labor history, working class history, women, the city, intellectual history, and regional studies. (KC)

Examines Great Britain's colonial education policy in Cyprus in the 1930s and efforts to establish a university. Considers the plan for the university in light of social and political contexts in Cyprus and to Great Britain's broader colonial education policy. Uses primary source material as the basis for investigation and analysis. (CAJ)

Presents a list of resources to assist school librarians, such as primary documents for students, an annotated bibliography of books, other Web sites, and lessons and online activities, that focus on the topics offered in this issue of "Insights on Law and Society." (CMK)

Presents a lesson plan that enables students to learn more about U.S. wartime production during World War II. Includes background information on wartime production efforts and provides activities for building upon this overview. Offers additional online resources, a bibliography, and primary sources. (CMK)

Presents a lesson plan that focuses on witchcraft in the Atlantic world. Describes each of the four sections of the lesson that encompasses learning about terms and religious views on witchcraft to the history of witchcraft in New England, in the United States, and the Salem (Massachusetts) witchcraft trials. (CMK)

Presents resources relating to this issue of "Insights on Law and Society" that are intended for students, teachers, and school library media specialists. Includes resources, such as primary documents for students, Web sites, Supreme Court cases, books, an online article, and lessons. (CMK)

Reviews the last major battle of World War II that occurred at Okinawa (Japan) in 1945. Explains why the Battle of Okinawa was the turning point in World War II. Includes two maps in the appendix and an annotated bibliography. (CMK)

Offers background information on Veterans Day in the United States. Presents a lesson drawing upon the "Teaching Talking History" program, "Memorializing War." Provides ideas for discussion and focuses on having students analyze documents to study memorials. Uses the Gettysburg Address and three other primary sources. (CMK)