Eleanor Roosevelt: American Visionary
features photos and artifacts from the life of one of the most dynamic and controversial First Ladies in U.S. history. She was the first First Lady to hold regular press conferences and to routinely travel the nation. She held prestigious positions throughout her life, serving as delegate to the newly founded United Nations, draftee of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and chair of the first Presidential Commission on the Status of Women.
Knife River: Early Village Life on the Plains
describes village life in the Hidatsa and Mandan tribes during the peak of their culture in the early 19th century (North Dakota). It helps students compare information about these seasonally nomadic Plains villagers with the more popularized film and textbook history of nomadic horse-culture Indians such as the Lakota and Cheyenne.
The Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863
This site presents elements of the battle and its aftermath, including objects used by the soldiers, a lesson plan on the men's experiences, a history of the preservation efforts at the battlefield, and a database about Civil War soldiers
Byzantine Art and Painting in Italy
This site tours Italian Byzantine paintings of the 1200s and 1300s. The site includes an overview of the genre, historical background, and information on the featured artists, the paintings, their provenance, a bibliography, exhibition history, and full-screen images.
Eli Whitney's Patent for the Cotton Gin
This site provides facsimile reproductions of the handwritten patent application and its accompanying drawing, together with explanatory text and lesson plans. This lesson correlates to the National History Standards and the National Standards for Civics and Social Sciences
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
This site provides a summary, history, and teaching activities related to the EEOC and this historic law, which forbade discrimination on the basis of sex as well as race in hiring, promoting, and firing.
Images of the American Revolution
This lesson focuses on the American Revolution, which encouraged the founding fathers' desire to create a government that would, as stated in the Preamble, insure domestic tranquility and provide for the common defense. This lesson correlates to the National History Standards and the National Standards for Civics and Social Sciences.
Letters, Telegrams, and Photographs Illustrating Factors That Affected the Civil War
This site allows students to analyze a variety of documents to identify events, actions, and individuals who contributed to the Civil War's outcome. This lesson correlates to the National History Standards and the National Standards for Civics and Social Sciences. It also has cross-curricular connections with your history, government, and American literature.
The U.S. Recognition of the State of Israel
This is a lesson plan on the history, conflicts, and U.S. involvement surrounding Israel before and after its proclamation of statehood. This lesson correlates to the National History Standards and the National Standards for Social Sciences. It also has cross-curricular connections with history, government, geography, and language arts.
The Fight for Equal Rights: Black Soldiers in the Civil War
This site provides a lesson that uses primary documents such as the Emancipation Proclamation. This lesson correlates to the National History Standards and the National Standards for Civics and Social Sciences. It also has cross-curricular connections with history, government, and language arts.
Jackie Robinson: Beyond the Playing Field
This lesson offers primary documents illustrating how this groundbreaking African American baseball player advocated for civil rights. It incorporates the material into lessons on civil rights history, character education, and civic responsibility.
Observing Constitution Day
On September 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention met for the last time to sign the document they had created. The National Archives and Records Administration celebrates this important day in our nation's history by presenting the following activities, lesson plans, and information. We encourage teachers and students at all levels to learn more about our Constitution and government. This site features a discussion about the Constitutional Convention and the Constitution. Lis
Charters of Freedom
This site features primary documents that shaped U.S. history. See images of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights. Learn about the Articles of Confederation, Constitutional Convention, Marbury v. Madison, Louisiana Purchase, slavery, Civil War, 13th Amendment, immigration, and woman suffrage.
The Civil War as Photographed by Mathew Brady
This lesson asks students to visualize the Civil War by studying dozens of period photographs, and illustrates how the Civil War threatened the very purpose of the Constitution as stated in the Preamble. This lesson correlates to the National History Standards and the National Standards for Civics and Social Sciences. It also has cross-curricular connections with history, American studies, and language arts.
Teaching With Documents: Lesson Plans
This section contains reproducible copies of primary documents from the holdings of the National Archives of the United States, teaching activities correlated to the National History Standards and National Standards for Civics and Government and cross-curricular connections.
Happy Anniversary, Viking Lander
This article commemorates the twenty-fifth anniversary of the landing of NASA's Viking I lander on the surface of Mars. The mission history and achievements of this lander and its successor, Viking II, are described in a brief account. Links to related topics are included.
Exploring Meteorites Mysteries
This program allows educators to borrow meteorite samples and provides a teacher's guide with activities and a slide set to support lessons on the earliest history of the solar system and meteorite impacts on Earth. These educational materials may be borrowed as a package or the guide and/or slides ...
Annotated Timeline
This timeline chronicles the history of space science and astronomy, and places it in the broader context of the history of society and technology. It begins in 13000 B.C. with the arrival of humans in America, and ends in 2003. Links to additional material on certain topics and persons are embedded ...
Mercury
This lithograph shows mosaic images of Mercury, captured by the Mariner 10 spacecraft. The images are accompanied by a brief description and history, some statistical facts, and a list of significant dates in the exploration of Mercury.
Neptune
These images of Neptune were captured by the Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1989. The images are accompanied by a brief description and history, some statistical facts, and important dates in the study of Neptune.
