Curated OER
The Declaration of Independence
Pupils explore the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. They research a philosopher using reference books and reliable
Internet sources and write a two-page paper utilizing proper writing conventions. In addition, they...
Curated OER
Draw It Out
Students consider other great episodes of civil unrest in the nation's history. They think about what causes riots, what form they take, and how they end. It also provides lessons in peaceful conflict resolution.
Curated OER
Establishing Borders
learners will discuss a few of the issues related to expansion. The establishment of a personal opinion is a strong skill this lesson could reinforce. The influence of economic developments is covered during the expansion period of the...
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: Slavery & the Making of America
Using primary documents, oral histories, and other historical resources, discover how the arts of Africa, Europe, and pre-Civil War America influenced the culture of enslaved African Americans.
Other
City of London Festival: George Bridgetower Art, Liberty & Slavery 1807
A detailed look at George Bridgetower and his connection to many artists, writers, and musicians. All had a tie to the anti-slavery movement.
Louisiana Department of Education
Louisiana Doe: Louisiana Believes: English Language Arts: Grade 5: Forced Labor in the British North American Colonies
This sample task contains a set of primary and authentic sources about indentured servitude and slavery in the British North American colonies.
Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago: Art Access: American Art to 1900
Study works of American art from the eighteen and nineteenth centuries. Works in a variety of media, including the decorative arts, are represented as are pieces by some of America's best-known artists: Copley, Church, Homer, and...
Library of Congress
Loc: Slavery the Peculiar Institution
Opposition to slavery was growing as slaves rebelled, mutinied, or ran escaped from owners. View these resistance strategies through the following primary sources that include art, original maps, testimonies, newspapers, and letters.
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Teacher Serve: The Traditional Arts and Crafts of African Americans Across Five Centuries
Detailed essay provides an overview of Africa's contributions to American culture while discussing how basket makers, potters, and quilters helped preserve American history through their works.
Other
Teaching Tennessee History: Lesson Plans for the Classroom Volume X [Pdf]
These lesson plans are designed to integrate language arts and primary sources into elementary social studies instruction.
University of Iowa
University of Iowa: Arts and Life in Africa: Sierra Leone
A record of statistics concerning modern day Sierra Leone, up to 1998. Scroll down to history section to see a brief, but informative description of pre-colonial and post-colonial history for Sierra Leone.
US Capitol Visitor Center
U.s. Capitol Visitor Center: 1820 1861: Holding the Union Together
American history from 1820-1861 is interwoven with the history of the Capitol as it was expanded to accommodate a growing government body. A timeline of significant events in the debates over slavery, the addition of free and slave...
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Huck Finn in Context: A Teaching Guide
From the PBS series, "Culture Shock," this teaching guide deals with the controversies that have surrounded the teaching of Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." The guide is designed to help teachers find reasonable...
Virginia Historical Society
Virginia Historical Society: The Home Front: Who Freed the Slaves?
Describes how the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 came into existence, the response from the South, and the impact it had. Three works of art from that period are presented, and the imagery and symbolism explained.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Sapelo Island Culture
In this video segment from EGG: the arts show, learn about the Gullah/Geechee culture of Sapelo Island.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Johnson, a Ride for Liberty the Fugitive Slaves
Eastman Johnson focused his art on the status of race in the United States right about the time of the American Civil War. View his picture "A Ride for Liberty-The Fugitive Slaves" that depicts slaves crossing battlefields from the...
ArtsNow
Arts Now Learning: The Civil War [Pdf]
In this activity, 5th graders explore the concept of cause and effect in the context of the Civil War and work in groups to write and deliver speeches articulating a point of view for one of the War's causes: tariffs, state's rights, or...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Primary Source: The Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs
This collection uses primary sources to explore Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs.
Crayola
Crayola: Freedom Train (Lesson Plan)
Students will enjoy creating their own Underground Railroad, "freeing" the slaves, and writing about their journeys.
Smithsonian Institution
National Portrait Gallery: Civil War@smithsonian
Access to the Smithsonian's extensive collections that document the American Civil War.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: An Explosion of New Thought
The 19th century brought an Americanization of literature, art, thought, and social reform. Read about how the Second Great Awakening brought a revival in religion and sparked reform movements in suffrage, slavery, and treatment of...
Other
Public Art in Los Angeles: Biddy Mason's Place
Features part of an exhibit at the University of Southern California that provides a chronology of Biddy Mason's life.
Other
Teachers Network: Writing a Short Story Based on Kindred
For this lesson plan, students will engage in the technology, social studies, and language arts standards as students engage in reading by Octavia Butler's book entitled Kindred. Students will research tslavery. Students will keep a...
Curated OER
Web Gallery of Art: Joseph Sold Into Slavery by His Brothers
An image of "Joseph Sold into Slavery by his Brothers", created by Karoly Ferenczy in 1900 (Oil on canvas, 192 x 229 cm).