Student Handouts
Foreign Affairs
Inform your class about foreign policy during the Reagan administration. The resource includes a reading passage that gives an overview of foreign policy decisions made during the Reagan administration and nine questions for pupils to...
Curated OER
George Washington's Foreign Policy
Learners compare George Washington's foreign policy to the policies of presidents who followed him. For this primary source analysis lesson, students compare Washington's Farewell Address to the Roosevelt Corollary, the Monroe Doctrine,...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Refugees from the Caribbean: Cuban and Haitian “Boat People”
Should refugees fleeing poverty be allowed the same entrance into the United States as those fleeing persecution? High schoolers read about US foreign policy in the late 20th century regarding refugees from Cuba and Haiti, and engage in...
Deliberating in a Democracy
Preventive War
"Those who knocked these buildings down will hear from all of us soon!" - George W. Bush. Scholars investigate and analyze the events of September 11, 2001 in ushering in the Bush Doctrine on foreign policy. Using primary documents as...
Curated OER
Debate: Should the U.S. Annex the Philippines?
Building an argument with supporting evidence is a vital skill. Learners engage in a debate over the annexation of the Philippines after the Spanish-American War. They take on the perspective of an individual from that time period,...
Curated OER
Imperialism
Learners explore the concept of Imperialism. For this foreign policy lesson, students examine the policies of the US and other countries through time. Learners then create a political cartoon of their own and create a timeline that...
Curated OER
Iran Hostage Crisis: Reading Primary Documents
Following brief instruction about the Iran Hostage Crisis during Jimmy Carter's presidency, small groups read three-page sections from the diary of hostage Robert C. Ode. They write editorials from the perspective of either U.S. citizens...
Curated OER
Troop Surge vs. Redeployment
Students explore American foreign policy regarding the war in Iraq. In this Iraq debate lesson, students examine videos and documents about the pros and cons of keeping American troops in Iraq.
C-SPAN
Debates
How do the presidential debates of 2016 compare to the debates from the 1980's? What about the 1960's? Evaluate a chosen candidate or issue from the 20th and 21st centuries with a lesson plan focused on political debates. Middle and high...
Smithsonian Institution
Students’ Response to 9/11—A Documentary Report
Young historians research the devastating attacks of 9/11 and use that information to script their own documentaries. The follow-up activity includes recording the documentary and conducting classmate interviews,
Curated OER
State of the "States"
Students consider indicators that mark a country's progress, examine how last year's State of the Union address has affected U.S. foreign policy, research issues deemed important in that speech, and create report cards assessing the...
Curated OER
Multiple Perspectives on the Korean War
Learners interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this Korean War lesson, students examine and analyze primary sources regarding U.S. involvement in the Korean War.
Curated OER
Tribal Sovereignty Mock Trial
Students discuss the issue of tribal/native nation sovereignty. They review the Constitution of the U.S. and discuss how it legally provides for sovereign nations. Then they participate in a mock trial of the 1823 Supreme Court Case...
Curated OER
The Great Society and A Thousand Points of Lights
Students compare 2 preseidental speeches. In this presidential agenda lesson, students compare and contrast a Lyndon B. Johnson speech with a George H. W. Bush Speech.
Curated OER
Let's Be Friends -- North Korea
In this English worksheet, students discuss North Korea. Students brainstorm, debate, and practice their listening skills with this worksheet.
Curated OER
Frederic Remington: His Life and Time
Eleventh graders discuss the life of frederic remington and visit his museum. In groups, they research topics involving remington and write reports. They assemble their findings into a Web page about remington.
Curated OER
The Inaugural Speech: Setting The Tone For The Administration Of A President
Students investigate the Inaugural Speech of the President of The United States while comparing two speeches. They conduct research to find the two speeches on the internet and look at them side by side. The lesson includes background...
Curated OER
United States-Japanese Relations in Post World War II Era
Ninth graders analyze political cartoons and posters relating to the United States and Japan in the period following World War II. They discuss the positive and negative consequences of the United States occupation of Japan.
Curated OER
Vietnam: A Divided Nation
Eleventh graders examine events leading up to and during the Vietnam War. They research assigned topics utilizing interviews, Powerpoint presentations, timelines, and collages in their presentations.
US Department of State
America.gov: American Life: Bridge to the 21st Century
Features a comprehensive summary of American history from the 1990s to the beginning of the 21st century. Focuses on presidential elections, domestic policy, economics, foreign relations, and terrorism.
Other
Encyclopedia of the New American Nation: Open Door Policy
Find an extensive, seven-part discussion of the Open Door Policy, with which the United States attempted to gain a foothold in trade with China. Read about the origin of the policy, and find out whether it was a success.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: End to the Cold War
Brief overview of G. W. Bush administration policy and the collapse of the Soviet Union effectively ending the Cold War.
PBS
Pbs Online News Hour: Rice on Iraq, War and Politics
Transcript of an interview of National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice in September of 2002, discussing President George W. Bush's ideas about moving the US into war against Iraq.
Wikimedia
Wikipedia: Condoleezza Rice
A good biography of the first African-American woman to serve as Secretary of State.