US National Archives
Docsteach: The Constitution at Work
In this activity students will analyze documents that span the course of American history to determine their connection to the U.S. Constitution. Students will then make connections between the documents they have examined and the big...
US National Archives
National Archives: Bring History to Life
How can you actually bring history to life? Here are some tools from the National Archives that allow students to create their own projects using primary-source based activities that develop historical thinking skills. Special historical...
US National Archives
Docsteach: Celebrating America's Bicentennial in 1976
In this activity, students will learn how the Declaration of Independence has been made available so that Americans can still read this important document. They will follow the steps that were involved in printing copies of the...
US National Archives
Docsteach: The Civil War as Photographed by Mathew Brady
Students will analyze a series of photographs taken by renowned photographer Mathew Brady to reflect on the lives of soldiers during the Civil War. The holdings of the National Archives include over 6,000 photographs taken by Brady and...
US National Archives
Docsteach: Integration of the u.s. Armed Forces
Students will draw upon the visual and textual data presented in photographs and documents to gain an understanding of the participation of African Americans in the U.S. Armed Forces and of changes in American military policy regarding...
US National Archives
Docsteach: A Revolution, a Reaction and a Reform: National History Day
Students will analyze primary source documents related to the National History Day (NHD) theme for 2011-12: Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History, determine how the documents are connected to the theme, and evaluate the effectiveness...
US National Archives
Docsteach: Extending Suffrage to Women
In this activity, students will analyze documents pertaining to the women's suffrage movement as it intensified following passage of the 15th Amendment that guaranteed the right to vote for African American males. Documents were chosen...
US National Archives
Docsteach: Lewis & Clark's Expedition to the Complex West
This activity can be used as an introduction or for a closer study of the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Students will learn that the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory in 1803 and President Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and...
US National Archives
Docsteach: From Dred Scott to Civil Rights Act of 1875: Eighteen Years of Change
In 1857, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the Dred Scott decision that African-Americans were not citizens of the United States. Yet within 18 years, Black Americans would not only have citizenship, but would be guaranteed the right to...
US National Archives
Docs Teach: President Reagan and the Cold War: Vision and Diplomacy
See how Ronald Reagan's rhetoric evolved from his speech calling the Soviet Union an "evil empire" to his signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty by examining photographs and documents.
US National Archives
Presidential Proclamation Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week
POTUS Barack Obama declared a week to recognize and help those facing and fighting this vicious battle against the addiction to prescription opioids and heroin. Note the details of the proclamation.
US National Archives
Nara: Emergency Banking Relief Act of 1933
See the text of the Emergency Banking Relief Act of 1933, enacted a mere five days after the inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Read about the provisions put in place in an attempt to shore up confidence in the American financial...
US National Archives
National Archives Experience: Digital Vaults
Unlock the digital vault in the U.S. National Archives' collections. Once inside this portal, use visual resources to make archival connections, view related teacher resources, or simply follow the interconnected pathways of historical...
US National Archives
Our Documents: Official Program for March on Washington(1963)
Contains a copy of the original program for the March on Washington that featured Martin Luther King. Provides a summary of the civil rights movement at that time.
US National Archives
Nara: The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire
The National Archives and Records Administration sheds new light on the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake through this site's use of primary source documents. A series of handwritten and typed documents are provided that look at the...
US National Archives
Nara: American Originals: 54th Regiment Casualty List
An interesting webpage in that it contains a brief summary of the history of the Regiment as well as the Casualty List from the assault on Fort Wagner and two historic photos.
US National Archives
Nara: Charters of Freedom: The Bill of Rights
This site contains a complete transcription of The Bill of Rights, along with zoomable graphics of the original handwritten text. It also includes information about the historical context of the document, links to more constitutional...
US National Archives
Nara: Founding Fathers: Delegates to the Constitutional Convention
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) provides biographies of all 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention.
US National Archives
Nara: Charters of Freedom: The Constitution: Amendments 11 27
Check here to read the three amendments passed during the Progressive Era, the 16th, 17th, & 18th amendments. From the National Archives and Records Administration.
US National Archives
Nara: Apollo 11 Flight Plan
Read the minute-by-minute flight plan of Apollo 11. Links to other information about Apollo 11.
US National Archives
National Archives: The Constitution in Action: Article Ii
This activity can be used during a unit on the U.S. Constitution. Students will analyze the Senate Journal of the First Congress and identify how the document demonstrates content contained within Article II of the Constitution in...
US National Archives
Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum: Interstate Highway System
From the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum come primary source documents concerning President Eisenhower's support for an interstate highway system which resulted in the Federal Highway Act. Find messages to Congress, letters to...
US National Archives
Eisenhower Presidential Library: Women in the 1950s
Find links to primary sources in the Eisenhower Presidential Library that refer to women who were in federal service or political office during the Eisenhower administration.
US National Archives
Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum: Civil Rights: The Emmett Till Case
This is a fascinating look into the governmental response to the killing of Emmett Till. Read the many pieces of correspondence, including a telegram from Emmett Till's mother to President Eisenhower, and several letters from J. Edgar...