Between 1914 and the spring of 1917, Europe engaged in the conflict known as World War I. The United States remained neutral. In January of 1917, British cryptographers deciphered a telegram from German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmerman to the German Minister to Mexico, Heinrich J. F. von Eckhardt, offering U.S. territory to Mexico in return for…

Although the U.S. Constitution of 1787 strengthened the national government and provided for the reestablishment of a national navy, congressional debate on rebuilding the Navy did not begin in earnest until the end of 1793. On March 27, 1794, Congress reestablished the Navy with authorization for six vessels. In 1797 the launching of the first…

Emma Goldman (1869-1940) is a major figure in the history of radicalism and feminism in the United States. In a period when the expression of controversial ideas was dangerous, Goldman insisted on her right to challenge convention. She was among the most prominent advocates of labor's right to organize, reproductive rights, sexual freedom, freedom…

It can be said that U.S. immigration started in 1607, when the first settlers joined the original colonists on the shores of the United States. Since then, people of every nation, ethnicity, and class have come to the United States, looking for freedom, prosperity, and stability. While originally immigrants flowed freely into the United States,…

"The Old Man and the Sea" remains one of Ernest Hemingway's most beloved works. This casebook helps readers interpret and appreciate the thematic concerns of the novel, as well as the contextual issues it explores. Topic chapters provide information on Cuba, including its natural geography, sociopolitical history, and the ethnic…

Today, more than 70 years after its publication, the novel "The Great Gatsby" seems as fresh and pertinent to American life as it did in the 1920s. The social, cultural, and historical milieu of the 1920s reflected in its pages is not so very different from that of today. This interdisciplinary collection of commentary and collateral…

When the novel "The Grapes of Wrath" was published in 1939, it had an explosive effect on the public, calling attention to the problems of migrant farm workers during the Great Depression. This casebook provides primary materials on the period and the plight of the migrant worker that bring to life the problems John Steinbeck…

In "Black Boy," Richard Wright triumphs over an ugly, racist world by fashioning an inspiring, powerful, beautiful, and fictionalized autobiography. To help students understand and appreciate his story in the cultural, political, racial, social, and literary contexts of its time, this casebook provides primary historical documents,…

This video pack is intended for parents, teachers, librarians, students, and travelers interested in learning about national parklands and how they relate to the nation's natural and cultural heritage. The video pack includes a VHS video cassette on Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, an illustrated handbook with historical information on…

The U.S. frontier (1785-1861) is the focus of this unit of study for grades 5 and up. This unit contains four elements: (1) a list of documents with their specific archival reference numbers and a brief synopsis of their historical significance to the unit's theme; (2) a set of reproductions of documents; (3) 15 separate classroom activities; and…

Using classroom teaching practices as models, the text advocates and demonstrates teaching local and U. S. history through experiential activities. Students travel to historic sites and exhibits, examine archives and primary source documents, analyze movies and documentaries, conduct interviews, and engage in art-making activities. Throughout the…

This curriculum considers the social history of Illinois during the years of 1836-1861 by studying Abraham Lincoln's legal papers from his time as a lawyer. Nearly 100,000 documents have been discovered in the archives of local, county, state, federal courts, libraries, and other repositories. The documents include detailed information about the…

In 1917 Bill Keys chose to establish a ranch and raise a family in the hostile high desert environment of California. Keys and other 20th-century homesteaders lived much as earlier pioneers in the West had, working hard to make marginal land holdings successful. Today, Keys Ranch is preserved as part of Joshua Tree National Park. This lesson is…

Debates over the separation or accommodation of religion and government have divided the United States since its founding. This collection of over 70 primary documents represents the ideas and issues on the interpretation of the United States Constitution's First Amendment clauses pertaining to establishment and free exercise of religion. The…

This unit of study (for grade 5 and up) about the American frontier contains four elements: (1) a set of reproductions of documents; (2) a list of documents with their specific archival reference numbers and a brief synopsis of their historical significance to the unit's theme; (3) 15 separate classroom activities; and (4) an issue of…