Examines the events leading to and immediately following the declaration of war on Mexico in 1846. Includes the second and third pages of Abraham Lincoln's "Spot Resolutions" and presents teaching suggestions for interpreting the document and assessing public opinion. (GEA)

Identifies the resources available through the National Archives, including: learning packages providing primary source documents for use by students; columns in "Social Education," which reproduce one document, offer historical background, and suggest learning activities; and summer workshops on instructional uses of primary sources.…

Illustrates how to teach U.S. history through the use of original documents such as Charles Nickerson's cartoon, "Images of the Fifties from Disneyland to Suez." States that the original artwork for this cartoon, which portrays the Eisenhower years, is in the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library in Abilene, Kansas. Provides a pretest, teaching…

In response to the concern for the spreading constitutional and historical ignorance of students, the essay outlines the development of an instructional unit on the Constitution based on selected and personal documents. Covering a development period of approximately 1.5 years, the essay traces the step-by-step efforts of the National Archives to…

Recounts the events of the Battle of Little Bighorn through U.S. cavalry reports, interviews given by Indian warriors present at the battle, and maps (tracings) made of the battle. Gives teaching suggestions for map analysis and includes a map with instructions and a reading list. (GG)

Provides a lesson plan for focusing on the legal struggle to secure personal liberties during the age of Reconstruction. Analyzes the Fourteenth Amendment and a petition from the citizens of Cleveland, Tennessee, in order to identify the methods of change at the federal level and the limitations of such action. (KO)

Presents a lesson plan for illustrating how shifting patterns of immigration and public reaction have influenced public policy toward immigration restriction. Details objectives and procedures for activities using National Archives documents. Includes a worksheet and copies of government documents. (CH)

Provides background material for teaching Article Four of the United States Constitution. Suggests activities using primary documents in order to teach lessons on religious tests. The document chosen is a letter to John F. Kennedy from a citizen written in September 1960. Document may be reproduced for use in the classroom. (KO)

Examines an 1876 letter from a missionary to Ferdinand V. Hayden in the context of the U.S. government's policy of instituting religious education and training for Native Americans. Provides a photocopy of the letter and outlines class activities designed to help students analyze the document. (DB)

Uses microfilm copies of the 1880 and 1900 census records which tallied information about Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family to teach about using census data. Suggests activities that develop vocabulary skills, teach document analysis, utilize map skills, and require research and synthesis skills. (LS)

Introduces the censorship, and imprisonment of Jehovah's Witnesses who distributed, "The Finished Mystery," which contained antiwar statements deemed seditious during World War I. Asks students to examine a Justice Department document pertaining to the case. Helps students decide whether national security needs should override First…