In this lesson, students analyze the history and the ongoing debate surrounding the resettlement of refugees in the United States and reflect on the plight of refugees both past and present and evaluate how the U.S. government's treatment of refugees has changed over time.

In this lesson, students compare and contrast a Winslow Homer's painting with a Civil War photograph from Gettysburg in order to better imagine what a returned Civil War veteran might think and remember as he tends his wheat fields back home.

In this inquiry, students investigate the interaction between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags that incuded the first Thanksgiving. The compelling question focuses on how the relationship between Native Americans and European settlers deteriorated over time.

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.

In this lesson, students will discuss the concept of democracy and through this lens, analyze the unjust Jim Crow laws that dominated the South. Through discussion, readings and the examination of primary sources, students will gain an understanding of how the period immediately following World War II set the stage for numerous challenges to Jim Crow, one of which was the 1947 Journey of Reconciliation. Students will culminate this lesson by creating a historical marker that honors the Journey of Reconciliation’s riders and educates the public about this important period of history.

Discover the stories of the men, women, and children that were enslaved and lived at Vance Birthplace in the mountains of North Carolina from 1795-1865. This audio tour was completed in partnership with the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission.

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.

In this activity, students read a letter about the Battle of Bunker Hill and answer a series of questions. The questions are designed to guide students into a deeper analysis of the source and sharpen associated cognitive skills.

More Americans lost their lives in the Civil War than in any other conflict. How did the United States arrive at a point at which the South seceded and some families were so fractured that brother fought brother?

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.

This lesson introduces students to the philosophy of nonviolence and the teachings of Mohandas K. Gandhi that influenced Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s views. After considering the political impact of this philosophy, students explore its relevance to personal life and contemporary society.

In this activity, students listen to a historical narrative and analyze other primary and secondary sources in order to answer a series of questions.

In this activity, students use primary source documents to answer the question: "What were the political, social, and economic reasons that colonists rebelled against the king in 1776?"

Students will examine the role of perception in interpretation of primary sources in Ralph Earl’s portrait of Andrew Jackson. In small groups, students will research periods in Jackson’s life and use gathered information to create their own portraits of Jackson that communicate facts about actual events filtered through the point of view of someone affected by Jackson.

In this lesson, students will explain the causes, major events, and consequences of the Civil War by examining how the differences between the North and South create conflict and war between the two regions.

In this lesson, students will analyze primary resources to explain how the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and the issue of fugitive slaves escalated tensions between the North and the South, and led to the secession of several states and finally to war. Respond to an ECR writing prompt to demonstrate understanding of how the North and the South had different cultures and how these differences eventually drove them apart.

Students will explore the various nicknames that North Carolina has been given throughout history, focusing on the nickname given to it during the early 1800s: the Rip Van Winkle state. Students will listen to the legend of Rip Van Winkle and then discuss the story.

In this lesson, students will learn about North Carolina’s Regulators, an association formed by backcountry residents to fight government corruption and extortion. Through a Power Point presentation, class and partner discussion, creative writing activities, imaginative scenarios, and the examination of primary sources, students will learn about the civil disobedience practiced by North Carolina’s working class in the late 1700s, as well as the colonial government’s response.

In this lesson, colonial newspapers of the 1760s provide many insights into how citizens felt about the new taxes put in place by the British government after the French and Indian War. By using these primary and secondary source documents, students can interpret feelings of specific colonial groups and British groups. By analyzing and discussing the documents, students can see the particular bias of a colonial group for or against the stamp tax.