Read about the early history of Nigeria and the kingdoms that existed there. However, the majority of the article focuses on the problems Nigeria has faced since independence in establishing a democratic government. Information is from the U.S. State Dept. Background Notes.

This collection uses primary sources to explore northern draft riots that occurred during the Civil War. 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.

Find out about the diplomatic crisis between the United States and Great Britain at the beginning of the Civil War, why it was important to the North and South, and how it was resolved.

Incredible historic photos of Vicksburg during the siege provide a view of the Civil War.

A clip from a show on the causes of the Civil War. [3:38]

Trace the elements of history, literature, polemic, and autobiography in the 1847 Narrative of William W. Brown, An American Slave.

The presidential election of 1824 represents a watershed in American politics. The collapse of the Federalist Party and the illness of the "official candidate" of the Democratic-Republicans led to a slate of candidates who were all Democratic-Republicans. This led to the end of the Congressional Caucus system for nominating candidates, and eventually, the development of a new two-party system in the United States. In this unit, students will read an account of the election from the Journal of the House of Representatives, analyze archival campaign materials, and use an interactive online activity to develop a better understanding of the election of 1824 and its significance.

View comprehensive sets of artifacts that tell the story of America's wartime past and present. Artifacts from every major American military conflict, beginning with the American Revolution, can be closely examined. Full curatorial notes accompany each object and background movies introduce each of thirteen chapters in America's military history.

This 13-lesson unit, adapted from our Reconstruction Era book, is designed to fit within approximately three weeks. In this unit, students investigate the challenges of creating a just democracy in a time of deep division.

Unit Essential Question: What can we learn from the history of Reconstruction as we work to strengthen democracy today?

In this interactive lesson, students will understand and explain the key provisions of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, commonly referred to as the Reconstruction Amendments.

This site provides a hypertext formatted version of the Project Gutenberg edition of Stephen Crane's "The Red Badge of Courage."

Students will learn how to search the Chronicling America website to find evidence of the past. The lesson introduces students to databases and search strategies used in historic research. Students will use the evidence they discover to create a poster that compares and contrasts newspapers articles from the Union and the Confederacy.

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.

This video [5:57] from American Masters: "The Day Carl Sandburg Died" highlights Carl Sandburg's biography of Abraham Lincoln. Known for his poetry, Sandburg began writing a short story about Lincoln meant for children. It soon became a six volume biography that changed the way Americans viewed Lincoln and the Civil War. It includes teaching materials and discussion questions.

This is a detailed textbased article about the Civil War. Part One focuses on the early stages of the war. There are direct links to specific topics. Geared toward older readers and educators.

This collection uses primary sources to explore the secession of southern states from the US Government prior to the Civil War. 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.

Read about history of Sierra Leone, which has been wracked with civil war, but is now in the process of healing the wounds. Information is from the U.S. State Dept. Background Notes.

Summary and overview of the events leading to the Civil War Battle of Fort Sumter. Site includes fun facts for kids, video [3:00] on Abraham Lincoln, map and photos.

Article on Civil War Battle of Corinth in which students can explore the fun facts, maps, and video [3:00] on the topic.

The PBS South Carolina Collection features a range of digital resources tailored especially for Palmetto State teachers and students. Topics include early education, literacy, African American history, STEM, Common Core, and many more!