Believes that by focusing on the recurrent situations and problems, or parallels, throughout history, students will understand the relevance of history to their own times and lives. Provides suggestions for parallels in history that may be introduced within lectures or as a means to class discussions. (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.…

Maintains that there is general consensus about recommended reforms in the teaching and learning of history but that it is unlikely that many will be adopted on a broad scale. Asserts that the emphasis on active, student-centered approaches to learning are the best ways to organize history instruction. (CFR)

Neatly summarizes both Latino history and the movement to develop a historical identity and consciousness. Briefly examines the contributions of labor, political, and social organizations especially in the Southwest and the urban Northeast. Discusses the emergence and rapid growth of academic work involving Hispanic culture, history, and…

Offers suggestions for using the "1896" website at Vassar College that includes 90 political cartoons, party platforms, candidate biographies, and other background materials on the election of 1896. Provides five approaches to teaching about the election that move beyond the basic facts of the campaign in order to develop students'…

Presents a lesson where students interact with the art of the Gilded Age and learn about various artists from the time period as a means to review the major themes of the Gilded Age. Explains that this lesson addresses the National Standards for U.S. History. Provides teacher notes, extension activities, and additional sources. (CMK)

Discusses the origins of "Teddy's bear," tracing back to a cartoon published in 1902. States that Teddy's bear can shed light on U.S. culture and society. Focuses on the role of Teddy's bear as a symbol of conservationism, an embodiment of male dominance and female nurturance, and a manifestation of white racial supremacy. (CMK)

As early as 1848, women organized into groups to assert their rights as citizens. In 1969, the National Organization for Women developed a Bill of Rights. The document is presented here, accompanied by learning activities, discussion and debate questions, and research topics for use with high school students. (RM)

Presents an introduction and overview of the field of oral history. Briefly explores the broad range of subjects with which oral history techniques can be utilized. Covers recent trends and developments including the use of oral history interviews in plays, radio dramas, and documentaries. Lists seminal and current works. (MJP)

Presents a lesson plan that enables students to learn how to analyze primary sources, while they also learn why the United States entered into World War I. States that this lesson can be used as an introduction to World War I. Includes handouts that feature primary materials. (CMK)

Provides information concerning the diversity of women's lifestyles who lived on the U.S. frontier during the 19th century. This excerpt contains a lesson plan and teaching strategies for the study of Black women who went West. The larger work is an attempt to focus upon neglected areas of women's frontier experiences and includes an extensive…

Contends that during the colonial period, approximately half of the white immigrants to America were indentured servants. Presents a high school lesson plan on indentured servitude using William Buckland, an indentured servant at George Mason's Gunston Hall Plantation, as a case study. (CFR)

Presents a five-lesson, high school instructional unit on the ideas and activities of Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King, Jr. Includes student objectives, step-by-step instructional procedures, and discussion questions. Provides quotations by Thoreau and King. (CFR)

Provides secondary school U.S. history teachers with a beginning bibliography for incorporating agricultural history into their classes. Annotates books covering the social, economic, and political aspects of agricultural history. Identifies works dealing with topical matters such as land settlement, slavery, agricultural policy, and the Dust…

Asserts that religious sermons are valuable and important historical documents. Maintains that this is particularly true of U.S. history prior to and during the Civil War. Reviews several significant sermons and provides an annotated bibliography of sources. (CFR)