This video re-enactment portrays Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton debating issues of scope and power of the state and national governments.

In this activity, students will watch and discuss a 22-minute video of a theater presentation created by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. The activity could also include an in-classroom simulation, extension activities, and a sing- along performance of a freedom song.

Sometimes, people will fight to keep someone else from being treated poorly. Disagreement over slavery was central to the conflict between the North and the South. The nation was deeply divided.

In this lesson, students debate whether illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay in the United States and enjoy all the rights and privileges that come with legal resident status.

Students will explore the personalities of the Revolutionary War's Patriots and Loyalists by participating in a character role play. The lesson will culminate with students researching and writing a character sketch of a key Revolutionary figure of their choice and participating in a Colonial Town Hall & Debate.

The purpose of this activity is to introduce students to the Missouri Compromise and the issues associated with the expansion of slavery in the Antebellum period of United States history. Students will begin the activity by creating a map that represents the Missouri Compromise’s impact on the United States. This map will serve as a backdrop for the activity while introducing students to political and cultural sectionalism (northern and southern states and the issue of slavery) in the early 1800s. After students complete the map, they will answer several questions using it. Students will also be prompted to examine aggregated data from the 1820 Census and a map titled “Mapping Slavery in the Nineteenth Century” to make comparisons and draw conclusions about slavery, specifically in Missouri.

The purpose of this activity is to introduce students to the Missouri Compromise and the issues associated with the expansion of slavery in the Antebellum period of United States history. Students will begin the activity by creating a map that represents the Missouri Compromise’s impact on the United States. This map will serve as a backdrop for the activity while introducing students to political and cultural sectionalism (northern and southern states and the issue of slavery) in the early 1800s. After students complete the map, they will answer several questions using it. Students will also be prompted to examine aggregated data from the 1820 Census and a map titled “Mapping Slavery in the Nineteenth Century” to make comparisons and draw conclusions about slavery, specifically in Missouri.

This teacher's packet is designed to provide Middle and High School Teachers ideas and tools to explore the history of Victor Green's travel guide for Black travelers during the Jim Crow era in North Carolina. It provides lessons and activities to take a closer look at this time period in our state's history and learn about the NC businesses featured in Victor Green's books.

Students will explore the reasons North Carolina Constitution of 1776 needed reform, noting the changes to the NC Constitution that were made in the Constitutional Convention of 1835. Students will then apply what they have learned by assuming the role of North Carolina Governor David L. Swain and delivering a persuasive speech to the NC legislature on why the 1835 Constitutional Convention is necessary.

This Educator Notebook provides information on Women’s History in North Carolina for teachers to use as a resource, either as stand-alone units, or integrated into standard curriculum. Included is research from museum curators and educators, and articles published in the Tar Heel Junior Historian magazine which are written for students in grades 4-12. Lesson plans and suggested activities complement many of the topics. Adaptable to multiple ages, they meet curriculum goals set forth by the NC Department of Public Instruction and connect to classes in national and world history, geography, economics, and the arts, and can be part of any unit of social studies. This resource's link takes you to a very short form that gives you free downloadable access to the complete PDF book.

In this lesson, students will learn about North Carolina’s Tuscarora War (its causes, its effects, and the people involved) through examination of art, participation in a negotiation activity, and class discussion.

On the coast of North Carolina, on a one mile stretch of Topsail Island, sits the community of Ocean City. This short video explores how this was a special place where Black families could vacation, own property, and enjoy the beach in peace during a time where few places were open to them.

This online exhibit explores Victor Green's travel guide, The Green Book, which helped Black travelers during the Jim Crow era. The exhibit takes a closer look at the North Carolina businesses that were featured in his book, and what life was like for Black travelers in North Carolina during this time.

In this resource, students can use short videos, mini-activities, and practice questions to explore American history from the 1900s in this segment of Preparing for the Oath: U.S. History and Civics for Citizenship. The nine questions included in this segment cover topics such as World War II, the Civil Rights Movement, and September 11, 2001. This site was designed with the needs of recent immigrants in mind. It is written at a “low-intermediate” ESL level.

This Teacher Guide identifies the Civics Test questions covered in the theme, The 1900s. It also provides the instructional steps to familiarize teachers with the elements and navigation of the Preparing for the Oath - 1900s student interactive so that they can be comfortable presenting it to their class.

This lesson is about the 1900s in the United States, when citizens worked together to form movements to expand individual rights. This lesson reviews three movements that worked to expand individual rights in the 1900s: the women’s rights movement, the civil rights movement, and the youth rights movement.

This course was created by the Rethink Education Content Development Team. This course is aligned to the NC Standards for 8th Grade Social Studies. 

This course was created by the Rethink Education Content Development Team. This course is aligned to the NC Standards for 8th Grade Social Studies.

This activity compares a runaway slave ad and an abolitionist poster to explore the causes and effects of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law. The law changed how many northerners viewed slavery and intensified conflicts that brought the nation closer to Civil War.

In this lesson, students will employ their detective skills to examine the life, ideals, and actions of John Brown, one of historyʹs most controversial abolitionists. Reviewing primary source documents regarding Brown’s actions throughout the 1850s, students will work with partners in an inquiry activity to learn about the righteous crusade Brown waged against slavery, based in religious faith yet often carried out with violence.  Applying critical thinking skills to the “evidence” presented regarding Brown, students will make a “detective’s” determination regarding Brown’s character and the justifiability of his actions.