In this video, Kim discusses how mutual misunderstandings between Europeans and Native Americans often defined the early years of interaction and trade as each group sought to make sense of the other.
In this lesson, students analyze similarities and differences among depictions of slavery in "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", Frederick Douglass' "Narrative", and nineteenth century photographs of slaves. Students formulate their analysis of the role of art and fiction, as they attempt to reliably reflect social ills, in a final essay.
The Civil War is often considered the most transformative event in US history. But how much did it really change American national identity? In this video, Kim compares the relative significance of the effects of the Civil War on American values.
This activity is designed to help students understand the debates at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 that shaped America’s legislative branch of government. The primary goal of this activity is for students to discover how a compromise balanced the needs of large states and small states and how this led to the creation of the current House of Representatives and Senate.
This activity can be approached as an individual assignment or as a class activity. Students assume the roles of delegates at the Constitutional Convention. The frst task is to read the Virginia and New Jersey Plans. It will be useful for students also to read the opinions of other delegates. Each delegate page includes a scale for students to record their agreement or dissent.
When Columbus arrived in the Caribbean, he met the Taino people. In this video, Kim explores the consequences of Columbus's voyage for the Taino people, as well as the changes wrought in Europe by Spain's New World exploits.
A Constitution quiz for young students. Test your knowledge! This quiz covers Congress, the Judiciary, the Executive Branch, and the separation powers between these three branches of government.
In 1787, the Framers of the US Constitution came together to create a stronger central government. In this video, Kim discusses how the Framers compromised over the plan for the legislative branch of government, combining the Virginia Plan and New Jersey Plan to form the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The nation’s founders believed Congress to be the fundamental institution of the federal government, since it is the body that most closely represents the people. The framers of the United States Constitution began by creating Congress. Then they established the other two branches of government—the executive branch and the judicial branches.The Constitution gives each branch distinct powers, but it makes sure that the three are in competition. Each branch has its own ways to check and balance the powers of the other two. The separation and balance of powers has contributed to the government’s enduring vitality, providing order and stability while allowing flexibility for adaptation and change.
In this activity students will analyze the Senate Journal of the First Congress and identify how the document demonstrates content contained within Article II of the Constitution in action.
This activity is designed to prepare students for the Constitution-in-Action Lab at the National Archives in Washington, DC. It is a part of a package of activities associated with the lab experience.
In this activity students will analyze the Oaths of Senators for the Impeachment Trial of William Jefferson Clinton and identify how the document demonstrates content contained within Article I, sections 1-7 of the Constitution in action.
This activity is designed to prepare students for the Constitution-in-Action Lab at the National Archives in Washington, DC. It is a part of a package of activities associated with the lab experience.
In this activity students will analyze the Declaration of Intention for Albert Einstein and identify how the document demonstrates content contained within Article I, sections 8-10 of the Constitution in action.
This activity is designed to prepare students for the Constitution-in-Action Lab at the National Archives in Washington, DC. It is a part of a package of activities associated with the lab experience.
The Constitution acted like a colossal merger, uniting a group of states with different interests, laws, and cultures. Under Americaâ"s first national government, the Articles of Confederation, the states acted together only for specific purposes. The Constitution united its citizens as members of a whole, vesting the power of the union in the people. Without it, the American Experiment might have ended as quickly as it had begun.
How revolutionary was the American Revolution? In this video, Kim models the historical thinking skill of continuity and change by comparing society before and after the Revolutionary War.
How much change did industrialization really bring during the Gilded Age? In this video, Kim discusses the impact of industrialization on work, migration patterns, and culture.
How much did the events of the tumultuous postwar era reshape American national identity? Kim discusses the extent to which developments like the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam, and student protests of the 1960s changed core beliefs around citizenship, cultural values, and the proper US role in the world.
This document was identified by teachers in our Primarily Teaching 2016 Summer Workshop at the Truman Library.
In 1792, recent college graduate Eli Whitney moved to Georgia to work as a tutor on a plantation. There, Whitney learned that southern planters were eager to make cotton a profitable crop. Once cotton was picked from the field, seeds had to be removed from the cotton fiber by hand before cotton could be sold. This process was labor-intensive and time-consuming, and it limited the amount of cotton that planters, relying on the work of enslaved people, could produce.
This lesson provides fliers and other documents related to the demonstration in Memphis on March 28, 1968. On that day, students near the end of the march broke windows of businesses. Looting ensued. The march was halted. King was deeply distressed by the violence. He and fellow leaders negotiated a commitment to nonviolence among disagreeing factions in Memphis, and another march was planned for April 8. On April 4, as he stepped out of his motel room to go to dinner, he was assassinated.
This photo was taken in 1912 A. L. Westgard