Paterson, New Jersey, was established in the 1790s to utilize the power of the water that cascades through the Passaic River Gorge. Massive brick mill buildings lined the canals that transformed the power of the falls into energy to drive machines. These mills manufactured many things during the history of this industrial city. In the late 19th…

By 1860 much of the beauty of St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis (Minnesota) had been destroyed, as mills on both sides of the river used the power of the falls to turn millions of bushels of wheat into flour. Steel rails linked bonanza farms hundreds of miles to the west to the mills. The mills, the farms, and the railroads depended on each other…

Presents a lesson where the students participate in a simulation of the process at Ellis Island in order to understand the feelings people underwent during immigration. Explains that the students choose and research a character, either fictional or a relative, and act out the experience of entering Ellis Island. (CMK)

Provides background information on the life of Lady Bird Johnson, including her role as a politician's wife and First Lady. Focuses on her efforts related to the beautification and conservation of the natural environment. States that her legacy was to legitimize environmental issues as a national priority. Includes learning activities. (CMK)

Provides background information on Robert Portner and Jennie Dean focusing on their contributions to the community of Manassas, Virginia, and the events leading up to their legacies at Manassas. Considers the importance of family history as U.S. history and includes an assignment that enabling students to create their own stories derived from…

The rhythmic noises of the turning water wheel and the roar of the furnace blast never stopped at Hopewell Furnace (Pennsylvania) during its years of operation (1771-1883). As long as the furnace was in blast, the ironworkers' jobs were safe. In case of trouble, they could escape to the woods, fields, and creeks of rural Pennsylvania. Now a…

Within this supplementary teaching unit, students investigate primary source documents to evaluate federal government policy regarding the transition of some four million African Americans from slavery to freedom at the conclusion of the Civil War. Lessons in the unit examine the political debate over the establishment of the Freedmen's Bureau,…

Presents a lesson plan that highlights the role of the Supreme Court in determining the applicability of the first eight constitutional amendments to the rights of students. Allows students to study actual Supreme Court cases involving schools. Includes lesson objectives, procedural outline, numerous case-related primary documents, and a brief…

Describes the Virginian gentlemen within the United States during the eighteenth century and illustrates the features of plantation mansions using the mansion owned by Fielding Lewis known as Kenmore. Presents a lesson that is centered around the estate inventory upon the death of Lewis. Provides the inventory and assignment sheet. (CMK)

Northern New Mexico boasts river valleys surrounded by snow covered mountains. But it is also harsh and unforgiving. One settler called it a "glorious hell." The "Hispanos," as the early Spanish settlers and their descendants were called, and the "Anglos," the immigrants from the east, were often in conflict. The…

Several hundred thousand people converged on the Kennedy Space Center (Florida) on July 16, 1969, to view the launch of the "Saturn V" rocket that would propel "Apollo 11" to the moon. The engineers and technicians watching their computer screens may secretly have kept their fingers crossed, but at two minutes before launch, a…

Presents a secondary school lesson plan about Jennie Dean and the founding of the Manassas (VA) Industrial School in the late 1880s. Provides historical background for the lesson, step-by-step instructional procedures, four primary source photographs, and three student handouts. (CFR)

This lesson discusses two California communities, Locke and Walnut Grove, that illustrate the experiences of early Asian immigrants and their struggles to find a place in U.S. society. The lesson is based on the National Register of Historic Places registration files, "Walnut Grove Japanese-American Historic District,""Walnut Grove…

Presents a lesson plan that teaches students about slavery in the colonial United States. Focuses on the differences between slavery in the northern and southern parts of the country. Explains that the lesson includes and uses slave advertisements to teach about slavery. Offers additional resources. (CMK)

Summarizes the relationship of President Franklin Roosevelt to Congress and its role in creating New Deal legislation. Presents a lesson plan using primary documents that allows students to explore congressional responsibility for enabling the Great Depression and for legislation to deal with its consequences. Includes copies of the documents.…