Presents a lesson on the origins of adoption, focusing on the work of the Children's Aid Society in New York City (NYCAS) and the Children's Aid Societies (CAS). Asks students to compare modern notions of adoption to the historical attitudes revealed in a document from 1913. Includes document. (CMK)

Presents a lesson on Betsey Sompayrac, a free woman of color living in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Focuses on her will and its contents and historical issues surrounding the will. Students transcribe the will and write a paper, drawing conclusions from the document. Includes a transcription of the will and the document assignment. (CMK)

Presents a lesson about frontier life in Texas and is based on the National Register of Historic Places registration file "Castolon Historic District" and other source materials about Castolon and ranching in the Big Bend region. States that the lesson could be incorporated into units on westward expansion or U.S. geography. (CMK)

One of the most popular courses on college campuses and one of the time periods that still provokes considerable interest among high school students is the 1960s. Drawing on his experience as an author of several documentary collections and as a teacher, the author of this paper suggests ways that teachers and students can use primary sources to…

In this paper, we present a critical examination of the literature on subjective person-organization (P-O) fit and highlight several conceptual and measurement issues that may be perpetuating confusion in this literature. Specifically, we reviewed 46 empirical studies that have measured P-O fit perceptions and identified three primary sources of…

For over thirty years, teaching the United States history survey course has been the focus of the author's professional life. At both the high school and college level, he has introduced students to the sweep of American history from Jamestown to Watergate. During those years, he has grappled with the conundrum of how to make this often-unwieldy…

The accuracy of information in a children's nonfiction book is one criterion the seven-member Orbis Pictus Award Committee considers when selecting outstanding children's nonfiction books for the award. The charge of the committee is to consider other criteria as well, including the clarity and coherence of the book's organization, the extent to…

The Newberry Library, (Chicago, Illinois) lays claim to holding within the Edward E. Ayer collection the finest singler collection of books on the culture and history of native america. This paper discusses the mandates and challenges that confronted the Newberry staff when it mounted its quincentennial exhibition entitled, "American in…

This unit explores Virginia society between 1640 and 1680. By examining copies of original documents, students study the causes of Bacon's Rebellion in 1676. Although the rebellion was a failure, understanding the reasons for the conflict gives insight into colonial Virginia. Students learn that Virginia was initially a predominantly male society…

Designed to help students understand the historical context of the primary and secondary materials by and about the framers of the United States Constitution presented in "Letters of Liberty," this teacher's guide provides directed discussions and activities for evaluating these materials. The guide also is intended to help students gain…

"Ordinary Americans" covers 500 years of U.S. history, from 1492 to 1992, in almost 200 readings, plus scores of archival photographs. The book relates the traditional events of U.S. history, but as an ordinary person lived it. Thus, the story of the Boston Tea Party is told not by Samuel Adams, but by George Hewes, a cobbler. The story of the…

This unit is one of a series that represents specific moments in history from which students focus on the meanings of landmark events. The events of 1945 are regarded widely as a turning point in 20th century history, a point when the United States unequivocally took its place as a world power, at a time when Americans had a strong but…

This unit is one of a series that represents specific moments in history from which students focus on the meanings of landmark events. By studying primary sources of a crucial turning point in history, students become aware that choices had to be made by real human beings, that those decisions were the result of specific factors, and that they set…

Noting that there has been a dramatic increase in the use of videotape in recent years, this paper explores videotape's potential as an archival medium. It is suggested that the nation's current videotape holdings should be surveyed to better define the relative importance of the records already documented, to identify records not previously known…

This anthology of Spanish-language documents is designed to help Mississippi teachers integrate language, literature, history, and culture into their classroom content. Beginning with Columbian voyages to the new world, these documents attempt to help students and teachers to see the various impacts the European encounter left on Mississippi. The…