In this activity, students analyze primary source documents in order to better understand the content, impact, and perpetual relevance of the U.S. Constitution to the daily lives of American citizens.

This exhibition covers the themes of crime, prevention, and punishment during different time periods. There are 12 galleries altogether, each with a key question, a worksheet, and a number of case studies.

In this activity, students use primary source documents in order to assess the validity of this statement: "British colonial and North American perceptions of each other created exonomic cooperation and social friction between the two groups prior to the American Revolution." Students will write an essay based on their analysis of the documents.

This resource is a transcription of the Stone Engraving of the parchment Declaration of Independence (the document is on display in the Rotunda at the National Archives Museum.) The spelling and punctuation reflects the original.

This lesson plan facilitates discussion with students about the challenges that faced George Washington as the first President of the United States.

Students will analyze documents pertaining to the woman suffrage movement as it intensified following passage of the 15th Amendment that guaranteed the right to vote for African American males. Documents were chosen to call attention to the struggle's length, the movement's techniques, and the variety of arguments for and against giving women the vote.

This lesson focuses on the debates among the U.S. Founders surrounding the distribution of power between states and the federal government. Students learn about the pros and cons of state sovereignty vs. federalism and have the opportunity to argue different sides of the issue.

Fort Dobbs has created a series of short videos designed to teach students about the settlement of the Northwest Carolina backcountry, the lives of the Native Americans living in and near the region of Fort Dobbs, the life of a North Carolina Provincial Soldier, and North Carolina's role during the French and Indian War. The videos are designed for teachers to use them separately to fit into their own lessons or can be grouped together by theme.

This lesson examines primary sources from the Foundling Hospital in London and poses questions about how things were run and what life was like for a child under their care.

In this lesson students do a close reading of “Learning to Read,” a poem by Francis Watkins Harper about an elderly former slave which conveys the value of literacy to blacks during and after slavery. The activities also prompt students to examine the nature of literacy in the 21st century and the value they put upon it.

Students will demonstrate understanding of contributions made by George Washington by analyzing symbols and symbolism in primary source documents.

In this lesson, students will analyze and interpret primary sources and photographs regarding the impact of the Great Depression on the lives of Americans. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of the social, economic, and technological changes of early twentieth century by identifying the causes of the Great Depression, its impact on Americans, and the major features of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal.

This lesson discusses the Great Fire of London in 1666 and its causes as well as its repercussions long after.

In this lesson, students learn firsthand about the childhoods of Jacobs and Keckly from reading excerpts from their autobiographies. They practice reading for both factual information and making inferences from these two primary sources.

Students will analyze a letter from President George Washington to the Governor of North Carolina regarding the state"™s stance on the new Constitution. They will then participate in a mock convention/debate to better understand the issues involved in ratifying the document. Finally the students will pretend they were at the Constitutional Convention as a reporter. The culminating activity will require the students to create a newspaper reporting on the various viewpoints of the Convention in a time-accurate periodical.

This resource examines the life and rule of King Henry VIII 500 years later.

This lesson discusses the maintenance of the nearly 1000 people who attended Henry VIII at different locations.

In this interactive online lesson, students will examine congressional laws and homesteading records while searching for clues as to what order to put them in.

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.

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.