Kentucky's elementary social studies curriculum includes introductory knowledge in state and national history, providing an opportunity for teachers to include instruction on the influence of slavery on society before and after the Civil War, and sometimes on current events. For example, following the violent events in 2017 in Charlottesville,…

Despite decades of formal work with teachers, little is known about what they gain from professional development at and with historic sites. This article presents the first data-set from a 3-year Institute for Museum and Library Services National Leadership Grant project designed to develop a broad-based assessment for understanding what teachers…

There are few topics more engaging, polarizing, controversial, and relevant than the issue of race relations in the United States. As race and racism are enduring issues of importance and popularity, it seems fitting to explore the topic through one of the more engaging and divisive eras in U.S. history; the Civil War. National and state standards…

Jamestown is at the heart of any teaching and learning of colonial American history. Stories of John Smith and Pocahontas are learned by elementary and secondary students across the United States. In Virginia, Jamestown is first taught in third grade and revisited five more times from historical, political, economic, and geographic perspectives.…

The authors of this article examine several controversial U.S. monuments and offer teachers a rationale, resources, and suggested activities for incorporating these historical monuments into classroom instruction. The authors discuss why controversial issues should be discussed in the social studies classroom through the critical examination of…

This booklet takes children on a tour of one of the oldest and most historic State Houses in the nation, that of Massachusetts. The booklet explains that the State House is the workplace of the Governor, the Legislature, and constitutional officers. It offers a historical overview of the Massachusetts State House. The first one was built in 1712,…

Soaring mountain peaks, glaciers, deep-blue lakes, and lush forests delight the senses of visitors who drive on Going-to-the-Sun Road through Glacier National Park in northwestern Montana. The construction of the Going-to-the-Sun-Road, dedicated in 1933, made this experience available to the many visitors who come to the park by car. Building this…

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…

Discusses the founding of San Antonio, originally San Antonio de Bexar, which, in 1718, came into being as a military settlement involved in Spanish imperial defensive measures. Focuses on the development and continued growth of San Antonio, Texas's most populous city in the 19th century. (CMK)

Provides a lesson centered on excerpts from a 1675 letter from the bishop of Cuba, Gabriel Diaz Vara Calderon, to Queen Mariana of Spain that describes life in Spanish Florida missions. Includes a list of questions and excerpts from the letter. (CMK)

Presents a lesson about frontier life in Texas and is based on the National Register of Historic Places registration file "Castolon Historic District" and other source materials about Castolon and ranching in the Big Bend region. States that the lesson could be incorporated into units on westward expansion or U.S. geography. (CMK)

This educational packet contains information about Wilson's Creek National Battlefield (Republic, Missouri), the site of a bitter 1861 struggle between Union and Confederate forces for control of Missouri. The packet contains the following materials: (1) Educational Group Reservation Form; (2) Wilson's Creek National Battlefield Movement Maps (six…

This educators' guide deals with preparation for and a visit to the historic location of Wilson's Creek National Battlefield (Republic, Missouri), the site of the struggle on August 10, 1861, between Union and Confederate forces for control of Missouri. The guide contains the following materials: Educational Group Reservation Form; Educational…

This educational guide is organized to help elementary grade students make the most of their study of and visit to Wilson's Creek National Battlefield (Republic, Missouri), the site of an August 1861 struggle between Union and Confederate forces for control of Missouri. The packet is divided into the following sections: (1) Educational Group…

This essay draws primarily upon Ralph Bunche's personal papers and the two most recent scholarly biographies of him (Henry, 1999; Urquhart, 1993) to analyze his formative years and what they might illuminate about the formation of character. It also places this chapter of Bunche's life within its larger historical context. Special attention is…