U.S. History Lessons

by | Apr 18, 2025 | Education, Latest News, travel, US History

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Lesson of the Week: Continuity & Change: 60 Minutes and AI Warfare

General Lessons

  1. US History Lesson Day #1
  2. 5 Ways Google.docs Rocks for Teachers!
  3. U.S. History Lesson: Grandparents Day Lesson
  4. Teaching US Immigration: Learn with ICivics Immigration Nation:
  5. US History Lesson: The INS Citizenship Test
  6. US History Lessons: 35 Primary Documents
  7. Extreme Dot to Dot Puzzles: Extremely Fun for Students
  8. High School Lesson: My Vocabulary STINKS!
  9. Social Studies Lessons: “Champions of the 1st Amendment!”
  10. Jackie Robinson Day

Geography

  1. 3 Great Websites to Test US & World Geography Knowledge!

American Revolution

Ken Burns in the Classroom: American Revolution Teaching Resources

  1. School House Rocks Videos: 1620 – 1776 No More Kings (2:57)
  2. March 5, 1770 The Boston Massacre
    1. Mission US: A Revolutionary Way to Learn History (1770) – EXCELLENT: Interactive Lesson on the American Revolution created by Mission US (@missionUS). Students role-play and make decisions that impact the final outcome. This is great for middle school and high school freshman since the main character is a 14-year old boy. Mission U.S. has great activities for several time periods in U.S. History. Lesson Time (2-3 class periods)
    2. Mission US: The Boston Massacre Interactive “Crown or Colony?” In 2023, Mission US updated one or our favorite lessons for teaching the American Revolution. The updates enhanced and already awesome activities. It is so much quicker and easier to assess student learning.
  3. 1774 Uncovering Loyalties (ICivics) The year is 1774 in Colonial Williamsburg, can you uncover where loyalties lie?
  4. Revolution 250 1776 – 2026 This is an amazing resource for the celebration of the 250th Anniversary of our Declaration of Independence. There are so many incredible events and resources.
  5. Freedom Trail: The Boston Freedom Trail
  6. American Revolution: Interactive Timeline 1775 – 1778
  7. Win a Million! Rags to Riches -13 Colonies Trivia
  8. March 23, 1775: Patrick Henry: Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death
  9. American Revolution Timeline Questions
  10. PBS American Revolution Interactive: Road to the Revolution
  11. April 19th, 1775: National Park Service @NatlParkService The Concord Hymn Read by William Jefferson Clinton
  12. June 17, 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill: Revolutionary Spaces @RevSpaces (1.7K followers) Boston, MA Blog Bunker Hill in Four Objects
  13. “The Soiling of Old Glory” 1776 US History Lesson
  14. March 17th, 1776: Evacuation Day: Evacuation Day Boston
  15. School House Rocks Videos: July 4th 1776 Fireworks (3:05)
  16. July 4th, 1776: The Declaration of Independence Read by Great Americans: This is a great resource for the Declaration of Independence. It is a dramatic reading with famous actors and actresses. It is even narrated by Morgan Freeman.
  17. 1777 2nd Battle of Trenton: George Washington: Be Washington Battle of Trenton Interactive
  18. ICivics DBQuest: America’s Founding Preambles: Preambles_DBQuest Teacher & Student Materials.pdf (12 pages)
    • Declaration of Independence – Introduction & Preamble
    • The Articles of Confederation
    • The U.S. Constitution

School House Rocks

  1. School House Rocks Videos: 1620 – 1776 No More Kings (2:57)
  2. School House Rock: Great American Melting Pot
  3. Elbow Room by School House Rocks

The Constitution & Early Government

  1. Articles of Confederation Quiz:
  2. August 29, 1786 – February 1787: WGBH Shays’ Rebellion Interactive
  3. ICivics DBQuest: The Constitution’s Cover LetterCover Letter_DBQuest Teacher & Student Materials.pdf
    • Washington’s Letter To Congress, September 17, 1787
  4. September 1787 – December 1791: ICivics: Race to Ratify the Constitution
  5. ICivics DBQuest: Hamilton and the National Bank Hamilton_DBQuest_10_6.pdf (17 Pages)
    • Report on a National Bank (excerpt) | Alexander Hamilton, December 13, 1790
    • Letter to George Washington from James Madison | February 21, 1791
    • Report on the Constitutionality of a National Bank (excerpt)
  6. ICivics DBQuest: The Louisiana Purchase: Branching OutA Purchase_DBQuest Teacher & Student Materials.pdf (20 pages)
    • To Appoint & Approve Thomas Jefferson’s Letter to the Senate Jan. 11, 1803.
    • The Pocketbook Thomas Jefferson’s Letter to Congress Jan 1, 1803
    • Beyond the Treaty ​​Thomas Jefferson’s Letter to Congress October 21, 1803
  7. 1789 The French Revolution & Madame Guillotine
  8. May 14, 1804, to September 23, 1806, (862 days) Lewis & Clark DVD: The Great Journey West
  9. War of 1812
  10. 1820 – 1850 Missouri Compromise ICivics Missouri Compromise Map Activity

Native American Relations

  1. ICivics DBQuest: Cherokee Resistance Cherokee_DBQuest Teacher Docs.pdf (32 pages)
    • Excerpt from “An Address to the Whites” (Elias Boudinot) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1826
    • Major Ridge’s Speech Before the Signing of the Treaty of New Echota New Echota, Georgia, 1835
    • Cherokee Petition Protesting Removal Washington D.C., 1836

Civil War

  1. Close Your Eyes: Teaching A Slave Narrative by Henry Bibb (1849)
  2. ICivics DBQuest: Resisting Slavery Resisting Slavery_DBQuest Teacher & Student Materials.pdf (18 pages)
    • Nancy’s Story From the Darkness Cometh the Light; or, Struggles for Freedom, 1891, St. Louis, MO
    • Polly’s Story From the Darkness Cometh the Light; or, Struggles for Freedom, 1891, St. Louis, MO
    • Lucy’s Story From the Darkness Cometh the Light; or, Struggles for Freedom, 1891, St. Louis, MO
  3. ICivics DBQuest: Historical Monuments & MeaningMonuments_DBQuest.pdf (33 pages)
    • The Western Sanitary Commission; A Sketch. . . Report by J.G. Forman, 1866
    • The Story of Archer Alexander: From Slavery to Freedom Biography by William Eliot, 1885
    • “A Suggestion” National Republican, April 19, 1876 A Letter to the Editor by Frederick Douglass
  4. The Smithsonian Museum & The Price of Freedom: 3 Ideas for Teaching the Civil War
  5. Ken Burns in the Classroom: Great Civil War Teaching Resources
  6. 3 Great Civil War Webquest Activities for US History I Teachers
  7. 1862 Civil War Musket Drill: This is a nine minute reenactment of Civil War musket training. Transcript incluced.
  8. Civil War Research

World War I

  1. ICivics DBQuest: Woman Suffrage and World War I Woman Suffrage_DBQuest Teacher Docs.pdf (18 pages)
    • 6 Women Pickets Are Sent to Jail (Newspaper Article)
    • If You Are Good Enough for War, You Are Good Enough to Vote (Drawing)
    • Suffrage as a War Measure (Leaflet Excerpt)
  2. ICivics DBQuest: Women in Service Women in Service DBQuest.pdf (20 pages)
    • Colonel Mary A. Halleran’s testimony to Senate Armed Services Committee 1947, Washington, DC
    • Interview with Commander Janie Mines, US Navy, Retired October 2, 2020, Washington, DC
    • Press Release: Carter Opens All Military Occupations, Positions to Women December 3, 2015, Washington, DC

Civil Rights Movement

  1. ICivics DBQuest: The Nashville Sit-Ins Nashville_DBQuest Teacher & Student Materials.pdf (11 Pages)
    • Bernie Schweid Interview Transcript
    • Newspaper Photograph
    • Diane Nash Interview with Transcript
    • Textbook Excerpt
    • Rev. James Lawson Interview Transcript
  2. ICivics DBQuest: Little Rock: Executive Order 10730 Executive Order_DBQuest Teacher Docs.pdf (24 pages)
    • Headline Round Up: Newspaper Headlines
    • Ark. Gov. Defies Federal Order (Newspaper Article) The Detroit Tribune, September 7, 1957
    • President Eisenhower’s Address on the Situation in Little Rock (Speech)
    • U.S. Constitution, Article II and 14th Amendment

Citizenship

  1. ICivics DBQuest: Non-Voting Delegates in Congress Non-Voting Delegates DBQuest_Teacher & Student Materials.pdf (19 pages)
    • Interview clip with DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton C-Span video transcript January 4, 1997 Washington, DC Citation: District
    • Congressman A.B. Won Pat Reports From Washington 1973 Washington, DC 
    • What is a Resident Commissioner? 2021 From website of Office of Congresswoman Jenniffer González-Colón
  2. ICivics DBQuest: Kids Making a Difference – Garden Edition Kids Making a Difference.pdf (14 pages)
    • My Summer’s Work c.1917, New York
    • Letter to the Editor: My Victory Garden Boston Herald, 23 May 1943
    • Spotlight: Katie Stagliano, Founder of Katie’s Krops 2018, Washington, DC
  3. DC Voting Rights DC Voting DBQuest.pdf (18 pages)
    • For District Suffrage (Evening Star, Washington, DC. January 22nd, 1895, pg. 12)
  4. Policy, Public Interest, and… Margarine? Public Policy Public Interest and Margarine_ DBQuest.pdf (17 pages)
    • Address by HC Adams The 28th Annual Report of the Wisconsin Dairymen’s Association February 14, 1900 Watertown, Wisconsin
    • Washington Post Article Martha Ellyn’s Platter Chatter: Margarine Again Meets Demands of War Time October 8, 1943 Washington, DC
    • Gallup Poll Public Opinion News Service March 5, 1949 Princeton, New Jersey
  5. US Civics Test: Test Your Knowledge
  6. Teaching US Immigration: Learn with ICivics Immigration Nation:

Digital Learning: ICivics

  1. Convene the Council for Presidential Foreign Policy Decision Making: Consult the National Security Council to make decisions as the President of the United States.
  2. ICivics: A Great Resource for Election Lesson Plans

Speeches

  1. Wednesday, January 30, 2013, John Kerry’s Farewell Speech from the Senate
  2. August 28, 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King: I Have a Dream Video & Text
  3. April 18, 2013 President Obama’s Speech: Boston Interfaith Prayer Service