By 1860 much of the beauty of St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis (Minnesota) had been destroyed, as mills on both sides of the river used the power of the falls to turn millions of bushels of wheat into flour. Steel rails linked bonanza farms hundreds of miles to the west to the mills. The mills, the farms, and the railroads depended on each other…

Guns, tanks, and bombs were the principal weapons of World War II, but there were other, more subtle forms of warfare. Words, posters, and films waged a constant battle for the hearts and minds of the U.S. citizenry as military weapons engaged the enemy. Persuading the U.S. public became a wartime industry, almost as important as the manufacturing…

Many historians call the Civil War the central event in U.S. history. The formation of the U.S. Constitution corrected the autonomy of individual states that the Articles of Confederation did not harness. The young country struggled for 75 years to find a graceful balance between the power of the federal government and that of the states. The…

This lesson relates to freedom of speech and freedom of the press as provided for in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The lesson correlates to the National History Standards and the National Standards for Civics and Government. It presents seven primary source documents regarding Thomas Cooper's trial for sedition in 1800. Cooper was…

The state of Indiana has an important, recognized connection to the Lewis and Clark Expedition. That connection is reinforced with a National Signature Event in Clarksville (Indiana) during October 2003. Until the expedition party left its winter camp in May 1804, it remained in Indiana Territory, governed from Vincennes (Indiana) by William Henry…

Middle grades students read, write, speak, listen, and research as they interview a partner and write an article, write a personal memoir, take partner photographs, and use the Internet to find pictures and information illustrating their partners interests. Results are shared in the form of a poster and a classroom presentation. During the fifteen…

The re-invigoration of storytelling in academic and public spheres allows rock art to offer opportunities to various publics, of which archaeologists are part. But how exactly this process of archaeology as lifelong learning is to proceed is not always clear, particularly in the United States. Until the last half decade of the twentieth century,…

This unit on Ancient Rome (covering a time period from 753 B.C. until A.D. 476) contains the following elements: a list of documents, with a description of each document and a brief synopsis of its historical significance to the unit's theme; the documents; and a set of activities. The unit's documents are grouped under the five categories listed…

Two problems in teaching modern Asian history--using source materials and communicating ethnocentrism of the West toward Asian cultures -- are dealt with through the use of a British newspaper published in Shanghai. (Author/KM)

Secondary students participate in a library scavenger hunt to find answers to questions raised by the press release containing President John F. Kennedy's telegram to Nikita Kruschev congratulating the Soviets on the first successful manned space flight. Issues for classroom discussion are also presented. (RM)

Presents an annotated bibliography of primary resources which deal with political issues in Africa. For each of the 13 entries, information is presented on author, title, publisher, publication date, number of pages, and an annotation. Many of the works were written by African authors. All of the works were published between 1966 and 1980. (DB)

Describes a local history unit used to introduce fourth graders in Berkeley, California to history. The topics and activities used to teach the topics are discussed. (AM)

The author suggests using historical memoirs and autobiographies to involve today's students in the lives of the children of pioneer America. He describes some particular memoirs he has presented to elementary classes. (Editor/SJL)

Suggests practical methods for teaching students to check and evaluate the source of reading material in order to aid their thoughtful reaction. (MKM)

Suggests primary sources for studying local ethnic groups when conventional textbooks omit or distort information. Primary sources include church and census records, city directories, oral tradition, pictorial records, programs, and artifacts such as statues and plaques. (AV)