CommonLit
Common Lit: Ancient Egyptian Dynasties: Ruling Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms
Egypt is famous for its enormous pyramids, many of which can still be visited today. The pyramids were built by the rulers of Egypt, called pharaohs. In the following informational text by USHistory.org, discusses the rise and fall of...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The Stamp Act Controversy
Read about why the Stamp Act caused such controversy in the colonies. The British Parliament had imposed several taxes previously, but find out why this one, in particular, struck such a chord.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The Market Crashes
Although not the only cause for the Great Depression, the stock market crash in October 1929, showed the weakness of the American economy in a concrete way. Read about how the stock market values were run up by speculation, and how it...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The Battle of Saratoga
The weeks leading up to the Battle of Saratoga were filled with disaster for the British troops. Read about the problems General Burgoyne had, and find out how the Americans took advantage of those problems to deliver a stunning defeat...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Roe v. Wade and Its Impact
The subject of the legality of abortion has been a contentious one for decades. Read about the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade in 1973, and the subsequent attempts to maintain it and overturn it.
CommonLit
Common Lit: "Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott" by Us history.org
A learning module that begins with "Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott," accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free...
CommonLit
Common Lit: "Showdown in Little Rock" by Us history.org
A learning module that begins with "Showdown in Little Rock," accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free teacher and student...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Ancient Greece: Birthplace of Western Individualism by Us history.org
A learning module that begins with "Ancient Greece: The Birthplace of Western Individualism," accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online...
CommonLit
Common Lit: "The Underground Railroad" by Us history.org
A learning module that begins with "The Underground Railroad" by USHistory.org, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: "American Blood on American Soil"
President James Polk's desire was for the United States to stretch from sea to shining sea. See what happened when his overatures to Mexico to buy the land north of the Rio Grande River were spurned. Take a brief vote to see if Polk was...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Britain in the New World: The House of Burgesses
The Virginia House of Burgesses was the first elected legislature in the New World. Find out why the governmental conditions in England led to this representative government and how it was so different from the governing of colonies in...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Declaration of Independence
The idea behind the Declaration of Independence and the process of writing it involved a great deal of thought and hand-wringing. Read about the three separate parts of the declaration, and the audiences for which the document was aimed.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Experiments With Utopia
Read about the communities, often religious, that strove to be a Utopia, a perfect place where man's natural goodness would provide a good life. Several Utopian communities were spread across the East and Midwest.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The Age of Jackson
An overview of the issues and changes to the political scene in the Age of Jackson. Read about the nullification crisis and Jackson's veto of the national bank charter, and the relocation of Native Americans. Find out about the...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a watershed event in the relations between the American colonists and their mother country. Read about what led up the shooting, the event itself, and its aftermath. Included is a contemporary account of the...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The Mexican American War
The Mexican-American War fulfilled James Polk's desire to acquire the territory of New Mexico and California from Mexico. See how the fight was provoked, and read about Stephen Kearny's actions in New Mexico and John Fremont's in...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations
President Wilson lobbied for a "just peace" for the end of World War I. Read about his Fourteen Points that he thought would accomplish this. See how his plans for a League of Nations and the final terms of the Treaty of Versailles...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: America Rocks and Rolls
Read a brief history of rock and roll and its roots. See why this form of music shook the establishment and shattered the idea of conformity.
CommonLit
Common Lit: "The Rush of Immigrants" by Us history.org
This informational text discusses the new immigration, from the beginning of the Gilded Age of economic growth in the 1870s to the anti-immigration policies put in place during the 1920s. A specific purpose for reading and vocabulary...
CommonLit
Common Lit: "Introduction to World War Ii" by Us history.org
This informational text gives a comprehensive summary of the causes, events, and conclusion of the World War II. A specific purpose for reading and vocabulary notes are provided. This site offers links to paired texts, questions and...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Three Senatorial Giants: Clay, Calhoun and Webster
Read about these three titans of the Senate from 1812 until their deaths in the 1850s. Their last struggle against each other was the issue of slavery. See how Henry Clay, the great compromiser, offered one last compromise to try to keep...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: D Day and the German Surrender
A brief description of the end of World War II with the invasion of Normandy on D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge, the Allied race to Berlin, and finally, V-E Day.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Beginnings of Revolutionary Thinking: Smuggling
The economic theory of mercantilism led to wholesale smuggling by the American colonists. Read about why the idea of mercantilism was so abhorrent to the colonists, and look at the attempts the British made to make the colonists obey....
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: George Washington: Farwell Address
Although he surely could have remained in office longer, George Washington served only two terms in office. Read about his Farewell Address, one of the important speeches in American history. He gave advice concerning both national and...