Steve Sheinkin's "The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights" recounts the explosion at a U.S. Navy base in the summer of 1944 that claimed 320 lives. It is also a story of African American resistance against prejudice, segregation, and injustice in the armed forces during World War II. The book was a 2015…

September 11, 2001, is a day most American high school students remember. They may not fully grasp the events that took place, the reasons behind the terrorist attacks on the United States, or their implications, but they remember. They were children when this national trauma occurred--and they saw those unforgettable television images of the…

On October 5, 1957, the headline on the front page of the "Baltimore News-Post" proclaimed "Russ "Moon" Circling Earth." The "Russ" Moon was Sputnik I, launched by the Soviet Union a day earlier. The launch had far-reaching and unexpected outcomes for the United States. Almost immediately, President Dwight…

This curriculum-based program uses activities in language arts, mathematics, art, and history to introduce upper elementary students to the events and people of the Civil War's first major battle, Manassas Junction (Virginia). The resource guide, video, and park visit components of the program provide students with a better understanding of the…

This document presents lesson plans and related materials for teaching about the role of women in the U.S. military from World War I to Desert Storm (the Gulf War). The lesson includes a table showing the number of women who took part in Desert Storm broken down by branch of service. Another chart shows the number of women who served in the…

Part 5 of this five part project helps students of the Tasmanian region of Australia explore the history of Port Arthur, a 19th century penal colony located in Tasmania. The project is based on three ideas: (1) studying history can be educational and enjoyable; (2) imagination is an essential part of studying history; and (3) history is most of…

Presents a lesson plan about the Point Lookout (Maryland) prison camp, which housed the largest total number of Civil War prisoners. Provides background information, a description of life in the camp, and five sketches of the camp and its inmates. Includes teaching suggestions, student questions, and recommended sources. (CFR)

Presents a lesson plan based on the Andersonville (Georgia) Civil War prison camp. Provides background information about the history and life in the camp. Includes teaching suggestions, a copy of a letter to the Confederate States of America Surgeon General from a camp doctor, and suggestions for further study. (CFR)

This lesson focuses on the black soldiers of the Civil War and Reconstruction. Students use primary source materials from the National Archives for classroom research. Students analyze featured documents, engage in creative writing, present oral reports and conduct further research on the topic of the black Civil War experience. The lesson is…

After the Louisiana Purchase, Thomas Jefferson put together his own group to explore the new territory under the leadership of Captain Meriwether Lewis. After receiving training in how to make scientific observations and collect specimens, Lewis and Captain William Clark, and their small group of frontiersmen, set off in 1804 with Sacajawea as…

Describes the contents of a 329-page memoir of Daniel Bond, a member of the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. Relates Bond's experiences with incompetent officers, racial bias toward blacks, and his views on the nature of war. Includes a chronological chart detailing activities of the First Minnesota regiment. (CFR)

Presents a lesson plan based on primary sources related to General William Tecumseh Sherman and the Civil War. Provides recommended questions for student discussion and writing assignments. Includes excerpts from primary documents and a list of document sources. (CFR)

Discusses the state of Germany's armed forces in World War II. Describes Germany's progress from inferior weaponry and unprepared military at the beginning of the war to superior weapons and fighting. Stresses heavy German dependence on horse drawn supply. Credits Germany's defeat to human attrition accelerated by Hitler's operational leadership.…

This eighth-grade lesson teaches about military battles and the lives of women during the U.S. Civil War. Students work both individually and in groups, assuming the perspective of a young woman who has left home to join the war effort. The lesson progresses along the following steps: (1) "Getting Started" (Focus on a particular woman's role); (2)…

Presents a sketch of General Thomas M. Vincent, a major recruiter and organizer of U.S. military personnel in the last half of the nineteenth century. Provides quotes from his letters and papers concerning the assassinations of Presidents Lincoln and Garfield. Discusses his efforts to include blacks in the military. (CFR)