KA's historian Kim discusses the year 1864 of the Civil War, including Sherman's March to the Sea and the election of 1864.
What are the historical influences on the development of artistic traditions in the Southwest US? This portion of the Latino Art & Culture module explains how the santo tradition reflects past and present cultural values.
What are the historical and cultural sources that inform social content in Latino artworks? This portion of the Latino Art & Culture module examines the Chicano movement in the US.
How can artwork teach us about Latino culture in the United States? This portion of the Latino Art and Culture module takes a close look at the art and culture of Puerto Rican-Americans, Mexican-Americans, and Cuban Americans.
What are the historical, social, and cultural sources that inform the work of Latino artists? This portion of the Latino Art & Culture module describes Latino cultural roots from a rich mixture of European, indigenous, and African sources.
This Latinx History curriculum outlines a yearlong course, one which can be taught on its own, but which is being conceived as part of a course that will integrate both African American and Latinx history. The curriculum begins by naming the problematic dominant narratives that one may internalize or reproduce when learning about or teaching Latinx history, along with the counter narratives that tell a more accurate, complete, and political history. The five units covered in this curriculum begin with an analysis of the various terms used for Latinx people, and a history of them, concluding with a debate that asks: Are these terms more helpful or harmful to the community they claim to serve? Following this unit, the course takes on a chronological format, beginning with the history of the indigenous people of Latin America and their resistance to Spanish colonization. Next, the unit follows the independence and revolutionary movements across Latin America in the 1800s and early 1900s, followed by U.S. imperialism and changing borders throughout the second half of the 19th century and into the 20th century. The curriculum concludes with a unit on the intersectional Latinx movements of the 20th century, with an emphasis on culture as a tool of resistance and survival.
This lesson tells how and why our Navy was created. After the Revolutionary War, Barbary pirates preyed on American vessels and held seamen for ransom. In 1794, Congress reestablished the Navy with authorization for six vessels.
Students across the board will get a kick out of researching a historical figure from the American Revolution to create an acrostic poem.
By immersing themselves in primary sources (George Catlin's letters), students will learn the difference between objective and subjective writing styles. They will draw facts out of the letters to create newspaper articles in Activity 1, and write their own letters as if they were members of the Catlin family in Activity 2. These activities are designed to enliven historical figures, to connect the "current events" of the past with the current events of the present, and to help students read and interpret historical documents.
This lesson presents 13 documents and photos related to the 1804-6 expedition into the newly acquired Louisiana Territory. The documents include a list of Indian presents Lewis purchased, his receipts for wine and tobacco, Jefferson's letter to Madison announcing the purchase of Louisiana, and Jefferson's message to Congress communicating the discoveries of the expedition.
This site features maps of the famous expedition. The Corps of Discovery collected 30 maps from Indians, trappers, and traders, and prepared 140 maps -- most of them drawn or compiled by Clark. The website shows the King map (created for the expedition) and the first map displaying their geographical discoveries. Descriptions of expedition members, life on the trail, and help provided by Indian tribes are included.
This lesson invites students to create a "Driver's License" for characters that have made a contribution to western expansion in the United States.
This art history video discussion examines Roy Lichtenstein's "Rouen Cathedral Set V", 1969, oil and magna on canvas, 3 canvases (SFMOMA).
Kim and David discuss the mystery of the "Lost Colony" on Roanoke Island, the English settlement in North America that vanished in the late 1500s. In this video, they set the stage for the colonial venture and discuss the first two missions to Roanoke Island.
Kim and David continue discussing the Lost Colony of Roanoke. What happened when the English colonists finally settled on the coast of North Carolina? What are the prevailing theories about what happened to the colonists?
This site introduces students to the world of Ben Franklin and other natural philosophers at a time when the word science had not yet entered our language. Portraits of Franklin's colleagues, an overview of his life, and experiments showing how electrical charges attract and repel are part of this lesson (for Grades 3-8).
Students compare the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald with the song, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," then create their own poetry about a historical event.
In this lesson students will be exposed to the cultural and artistic importance of wampum belts to the Native American tribes that George Catlin encountered on his travels, and the importance of the belts in American history as markers of relations between tribes and the U.S. Government between 1776 and 1878. Students will gain insight into the differing ways in which these cultures expressed ideas, values, and policy through objects, written documents, and oral traditions.
This collection uses primary sources to explore the idea of Manifest Destiny and its influence. Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills and draw diverse material from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States. Each set includes an overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide. These sets were created and reviewed by the teachers on the DPLA's Education Advisory Committee.
What were the causes and effects of westward expansion between 1844 and 1877? Kim discusses how economic opportunities, government support, and the idea of 'manifest destiny' brought migrants to the western United States.