In this activity, students use primary source documents in order to assess the validity of this statement, with regard to diplomacy, religion, and commerce: "From 1607 to 1763, Indian/white relations in colonial America shifted from mutual dependency and cooperation towards conflict and tension." Students will write an essay based on their analysis of the documents.

In this activity, students use primary source documents in order to answer this question: "To what extent did colonial encounters with Native Americans from 1607 to 1763 shape a unique American identity?" Students will write an essay based on their analysis of the documents.

Students read the original draft of the Declaration of Independence and compare it to the final version of the document. They will identify the changes between the two versions and hypothesize why those changes may have been made. They then forecast the effects these changes had on the future United States.

The goal of this inquiry is to introduce students to historiography as they wrestle with historical significance within the context of a historical controversy. The common narrative about the end of slavery has given credit to President Abraham Lincoln, who earned the nickname “The Great Emancipator.” However, over the past 30 years, many scholars have sought to revise this narrative, with a critical mass now arguing that the slaves freed themselves. Students look at the laws that emancipated certain slaves over time and then examine the arguments contemporary historians have made about who was responsible for freeing the slaves. This inquiry invites students to engage with the actual historical debate, but rather than focusing on the veracity of claims, students concentrate on the significance of the issues behind the claims. By looking at the controversy about who freed the slaves, students should understand why this issue matters 150 years later. It is important to note that, in their contrasting interpretations, scholars do not really disagree on the facts of emancipation, but rather on the interpretation of those facts. This crucial difference is key to helping students engage in what it means to think and act like historians.

In this lesson, students will explore the social and economic conditions of Americans during the 19th Century Industrial Revolution by examining primary source documents and reflecting on them.

In this lesson, students read and interpret George Washington's first and second inaugural addresses, comparing and contrasting the information of each speech. Then students will write an imaginative narrative based on the events of the two inauguration days.

In this lesson, students will analyze the views surrounding the meaning/action of the Emancipation Proclamation as well as actions taken by Northerners to show their discontent with the conscription draft and the liberating of slaves. By the end of the case study, students will have analyzed and categorized primary sources revolving around the Emancipation Proclamation and the reaction to the conscription act by the people of the North and will construct an essay response to the case study question.

This lesson explores the Federalist Papers. First, students engage in a discussion about how they get information about current issues. Next, they read a short history of the Federalist Papers
and work in small groups to closely examine the text. Then, each small group presents its ideas to the class as a catalyst for further, large-group discussion. Finally, students work in small groups to research a Federalist or Anti-Federalist and role-play this person in a classroom debate on the adoption of the Constitution. Writing activities follow that allow students to use their understanding of the history and significance of the Federalist Papers.

In this lesson, students will use documents from 1865 to 1902 to examine the impact of Reconstruction on African American Rights. It is the student’s role to determine the extent to which this impact resulted more broadly in change or continuity for African Americans. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to evaluate the impact of Reconstruction on African American rights by analyzing documents and completing a Brief Constructed Response (BCR).

In this lesson, students read and analyze a series of excerpts from George Washington's letters, journal, speeches, and other documents in order to match the quotation to the event or date in his life.

In this lesson, students will evaluate the extent to which Andrew Jackson deserves to be celebrated as champion of democracy by selecting evidence to support one's assigned position. Students will complete a DBQ (document-based question) essay using the documents they select.

What conditions provided the impetus for the Sedition Act? Partisan animosity was strong during Adams's presidency. The first two political parties in the U.S. were in their infancy"”the Federalists, to which the majority of members of Congress belonged, and the Democratic-Republicans, led by former vice-president Thomas Jefferson and four-term Congressman James Madison, who had left the House in 1796.

This lesson covers two essential aspects of Reconstruction: the condition of the southern states at the close of the war and Lincoln's plan for restoring them to the Union. In examining the conditions of the southern states, students consider both the physical conditions (i.e., the impact of the devastation of war) and the political condition of these states (i.e., what was the proper relationship between southern states and the Union upon their surrender at Appomattox?)

In the middle of the 18th century, a series of evangelical religious revival movements swept across colonial America. By examining primary documents from the time, this lesson will introduce students to the ideas, practices, and evangelical spirit of the First Great Awakening.

This lesson will examine the ways in which Great Britain challenged American sovereignty in the early republic.

Before the birth of opposition political parties, divisions among U.S. leaders developed over the ratification of the Constitution.

In this lesson, students examine the First and Second National Banks and whether or not such a bank's powers are constitutional or unconstitutional.

Using primary documents, this lesson aims to introduce students to how the American revolutionaries employed religion in their arguments for independence.

In reviewing events, documentary evidence, and biographical information, students come to understand the complex nature of political decision-making in the United States. In this lesson, they consider the momentous questions facing the country during the Reconstruction debate by weighing the many factors that went into the solutions offered. Students also think critically as they consider whether and how other solutions might have played out.