The focus of this lesson is the Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts 54th Regiment Memorial by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Students will put themselves in the shoes of the men of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment as they read, write, pose, and then create a comic strip about these American heroes.

A RagGonNon is textile art (quilt) created by Aminah-Brenda Lynn Robinson, displayed at The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. She made it over 30 years and is constructed out of different rags and tells a story of her and her family's past. In

Throughout this unit on Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, students practice the same six skills with greater scaffolding and modeling at the beginning, and more independence toward the middle and end. The tasks include: 1. writing to an essential question to access background knowledge; 2. using context clues and root words to determine word meaning; 3. close reading with the aid of a glossary; 4. taking notes one of two graphic organizers (sequence of events and/or empathy map); 5. re-reading to answer text dependent questions; and 6. summarizing the chapter.

Paulla A. Ebron, professor at Stanford University, takes a look at how objects, landscapes, orally transmitted stories, and songs along with written documents can be used to study cultural history.

Daniel C. Littlefield, Professor of History at University of South Carolina, explores how plantation or slave labor differed according to location and period.

This lesson plan is intended as an introduction to the North Star tour for grades 3 & 4. It will introduce your students to the role enslavement played in the United States during the time before the Civil War.

This resource provides a wealth of information about the period of American literature from 1860-1914. There are eight good articles discussing the movements of realism, regionalism, and naturalism, the rise of black American literature, and more. A list of authors of the period is also included with information about each.

This lesson describes the rice cultivation on Arthur Middleton's South Carolina plantation and the importance of slaves to this cultivation. It also offers a description of the Middleton Family. Click on Teacher's guide for teaching resources.

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

Lesson and student activities to earn about Phillis Wheatley and create your own poetry.

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.

Lesson with primary sources (newspaper archives) to investigate the question: How did the printing press impact the abolitionist movement?

Explore Henry’s journey of freedom from slavery. This is an inspiring portrait of one of the most notable stories of escapes to freedom during the era of the Underground Railroad.

Describes Harriet Tubman’s spiritual journey as she hears the voice of God guiding her to freedom on that very first trip to escape the brutality of slavery. This is a moving portrait of one of the most notable figures of the Underground Railroad.

Explore a notable African-American folktale re-imagined by Virginia Hamilton. This story, in which an old man, tired of the abuse he and others are suffering under the violence of slavery, reclaims his people’s magic and power and helps them to liberate t

The Undefeated is an illustrated poem written to commemorate the birth of the author's daughter and the inauguration of President Barack Obama. The book remembers unforgettable, unafraid, unbowed, famous and overlooked figures from Black history. The poem

[Free Registration/Login Required] An article that discusses the 13-15th amendments and their impact on social history.

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 Teacher's Guide provides compelling questions to frame a unit of study and inquiry projects on the Reconstruction Era, includes NEH sponsored multimedia resources, activity ideas that include use of newspapers from the time and interdisciplinary approaches to bring social studies, ELA, and music education together, and resources for a DBQ and seminar.

Students will utilize research skills to gain awareness of contemporary Unfreedoms: Racism, Illiteracy, Genocide, Hunger, Tyranny and Slavery. Students will demonstrate their ability to write a short summary, propose solutions to global human rights issue