Examining Passenger Lists; Virginia vs New England From: Digital Inquiry Group Grade Level: (MS), (HS), (College) Remote Ready: With Modifications Time: 1 Class Period or Less Length of Reading: Paragraphs Link: Examining Passenger Lists Have students compare a list of passengers headed to Virginia with another list of people headed to New England. They fill out a graphic organizer and answer a couple of questions in pairs or groups. < Back Next > More Information: Grade Level: (MS), (HS), (College): We put these in parentheses because there is no specified age group for the activity; however, we think it would be well suited for middle school, high school, and college students This Activity Involves: Primary Source: This activity utilizes primary sources. Group Work: This activity calls for working in pairs or groups or having a group discussion. Image: Vinckeboons, Joan. Map of Atlantic Coast of North America from the Chesapeake Bay to Florida. [?, 1639] Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/2003623403/.

Slave Voyages From: Slavevoyages.org Grade Level: MS, HS, College Remote Ready: With Modifications Time: Depends upon which lesson(s) you choose Length of Reading: Paragraphs Link: slavevoyages.org Slavevoyages.org has amazing resources, including databases on the Trans-Atlantic and Intra-America slave trades, maps, images, and lesson plans. Watch the Slave Ship in 3D Video , a 4 1/2 minute film, which shows a digital recreation of a slave ship voyage. Then either: Try Researching the Transatlantic Slave Trade , a database scavenger hunt from slavevoyages.org. It acquaints your students both with the slave trade and database searching skills. OR Check out Slave Voyages Lesson Plans . Each lesson plan has an abstract you can read before downloading it. OR Check out these slave trade maps on slavevoyages.org and have students answer these questions from Cheryll Cody, featured on the AHA website . More Info, Reviews, Bookmark it to Your Profile < Back Next > More Information: Grade Level: MS, HS, College: This lesson is meant for middle school, high school, and college students This Activity Involves: Primary Source: This activity utilizes primary sources. Movie: This activity involves a clip, film, or documentary. Map Activity: This activity asks students to examine map(s) (interactive or standard). Image: Unknown, Slave Barracoon, Sierra Leone, 1840s, Drawing, Slavevoyages.org , 5/23/25, https://www.slavevoyages.org/resources/images/category/Places/34/detail .

Was Andrew Jackson a Hero or a Villain? From: Parlay Universe Grade Level: (HS), (College) Remote Ready: With minimal modifications Time: 1 class period or more Length of Reading: Pages Link: Heroes or Villians in U.S. History: Andrew Jackson Students check out two short articles and two videos. These articles are 4+ and 2 printed pages respectively. Skip the article in step 2; it's the same as in step 1. The videos are 15 min and 10 min long respectively. Then students answer questions about whether he was a hero or villain. Finally, they respond to 2 of their classmates comments. < Back Next > More Information: Grade Level: (HS), (College): There is no specified age group for this activity; however, we think it would be well suited for high school and college students This Activity Involves: Movie: This activity involves a clip, film, or documentary. Primary Source: This activity utilizes primary sources. Secondary Source: This activity utilizes secondary sources. Andrew Jackson . Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, .

Guns, Germs, and Steel. Episode 2: "Conquest" From: National Geographic Grade Level: (MS), (HS), (College) Remote Ready: Maybe Time: 63 min Length of Reading: None Link: None Learn why Pizarro and his Spanish Conquistadors conquered the Inca, instead of the other way around. If your school (likely a community college or college) subscribes to the Films on Demand database, you and your students might be able to watch this online for free. < Back Next > More Information: Grade Level: (MS), (HS), (College): We put these in parentheses because there is no specified age group for the activity; however, we think it would be well suited for middle school, high school, and college students This Activity Involves: Movie: This activity involves a clip, film, or documentary. Image: Domingo, A group of Spanish conquistadors in steel armor stand amidst a misty jungle, shields and swords ready for battle. The dense forest emphasizes the danger and mystery of their journey , File #1114977343, AI Generated, Adobe Stock, 5/23/25, stock.adobe.com .

Slavery in the Declaration and Constitutional Convention From: Digital Inquiry Group Grade Level: (MS), (HS), (College) Remote Ready: With Modifications Time: Less than 1 Class Period Length of Reading: Paragraphs Link: Slavery in the Constitution The list of grievances from the Declaration of Independence blames the King of Great Britain for slavery. Students read this primary source in groups and then answer questions about it. Students then read part of the debate from the Constitutional Convention as well as 3 historians interpretations of it (short). And they fill out a graphic organizer. < Back Next > More Information: Grade Level: (MS), (HS), (College): We put these in parentheses because there is no specified age group for the activity; however, we think it would be well suited for middle school, high school, and college students This Activity Involves: Primary Source: This activity utilizes primary sources. Secondary Source: This activity utilizes secondary sources. Group Work: This activity calls for working in pairs or groups or having a group discussion. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, The New York Public Library. "A slave auction in Virginia." The New York Public Library Digital Collections . 1861. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/57a39ba0-c5f5-012f-de6b-58d385a7bc34

The Stamp Act Protests From: Investigating US History Grade Level: (HS), College Remote Ready: With Modifications Time: Each of 3 activities should take 45-60 min Length of Reading: Pages Link: The Stamp Act Protests Three activities are featured here. Students read primary sources about the Stamp Act and post on discussion boards in the persona of someone who was there then they create a political cartoon or editorial. < Back Next > More Information: Grade Level: (HS), College: This lesson is meant for college students; however, we think it would be excellent for high school students too This Activity Involves: Primary Source: This activity utilizes primary sources. Writing Exercise: This activity requires a writing assignment such as a discussion post, journal entry, or lengthy response to a prompt. Almost all of our activities require students to answer questions with short responses, but this icon refers to a slightly longer writing assignments. Group Work: This activity calls for working in pairs or groups or having a group discussion. Paget, Henry Marriott. Troops escorting the stamped paper to the City Hall New York, 1766. Wikimedia Commons, 19 August 2025, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Henry_Marriott_Paget_-_Troops_escorting_the_stamped_paper_to_the_City_Hall_New_York,_1766.jpg .

Federalists & Anti-Federalists (difficult) From: EDSITEment! Grade Level: HS, (College) Remote Ready: With Modifications Time: 1-2 class periods for each activity (x2 activities) Length of Reading: Pages Link: Lesson 1: Anti-federalist Arguments Against "A Complete Consolidation" or Lesson 2: The Federalist Defense of Diversity and "Extending the Sphere," click on "Lesson Activities" In lesson 1, Students view a 4 min video on Alexander Hamilton. Then they read primary source snippets from Anti-Federalist documents, fill in a work sheet and discuss. The first part of lesson 2 jigsaws excerpts from the Federalist Papers. The second part is an optional role-playing game involving voting on bills in Congress. Lesson 1: Activity 1: View a 4 minute YouTube video on Alexander Hamilton. Students then read 2 primary sources excerpts from Anti-Federalist documents (one is 6 pages, the other is 9 pages), fill in a worksheet, and discuss. Activity 2: Students read excerpts from 3 more lengthy anti-federalist documents and discuss. Lesson 2: Activity 1: This is a jigsaw activity. Divide the class into 3 groups. Each group gets snippets of 1-2 different docs from the Federalist Papers (1-3 pages in length); Teachers: don't click the link under "Activity." Instead get these docs with their worksheets under "Materials & Media." Groups answer questions on their document(s) and meet to discuss them. The groups are then reshuffled and students complete worksheets for other document sets by talking to members of the other 2 groups. And the class discusses. Activity 2 (optional): Students will role play. They will each be given a card with the name and interests of a Senator or Representative. Then bills will be introduced and students will have to discuss and vote as their character < Back Next > More Information: Grade Level: (HS), College: This lesson is meant for college students; however, we think it would be excellent for high school students too This Activity Involves: Primary Source: This activity utilizes primary sources. Group Work: This activity calls for working in pairs or groups or having a group discussion. Movie: This activity involves a clip, film, or documentary. Trumbull, John. "Alexander Hamilton." Wikimedia Commons, 20 August 2025, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alexander_Hamilton_MET_DT222199.jpg .

Irish Immigration From: Digital Inquiry Group Grade Level: (MS), (HS), (College) Remote Ready: With Modifications Time: 1 class period or less Length of Reading: Paragraphs Link: Irish in 19th-Century America Irish immigrants were discriminated against in 19th-century America. This lesson tackles the question: Were Irish immigrants considered "white"? It includes background info and slides for brief lecture, 2 very short docs, 2 political cartoons, worksheets and a graphic organizer. < Back Next > More Information: Grade Level: (MS), (HS), (College): We put these in parentheses because there is no specified age group for the activity; however, we think it would be well suited for middle school, high school, and college students This Activity Involves: Primary Source: This activity utilizes primary sources. Hamilton, Grant E., Artist. Where the blame lies / Hamilton . New York: Sackett & Wilhelms Litho. Co., April 4. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, .

Heading into the Quasi-War From: EDSITEment! Grade Level: HS, (College) Remote Ready: Yes! Time: 2-3 class periods for all 3 activities Length of Reading: Pages Link: The United States Confronts Great Britain, 1793-1796: Lesson 1 , click on "Lesson Activities" Activity 1 is a board game that you can print; it involves shipping during the Quasi-War. Activities 2 and 3 have students read primary sources on the opinions regarding the Quasi-War and Jay's Treaty, answer questions, and discuss. Activity 1: Print and cut out the game board and pieces. Each game has 3 players: US, Britain, and France. The US tries to get its cargo ships to either GB or France. GB and France try to stop ships from reaching their enemy. Activity 2: Students read primary source editorials about what to do about the French and British War (5 sources, 6 pages total). Activity 3: Students look at an excerpt of Jay's Treaty (4 pages) then editorials about whether people liked it (4 sources, 5 pages total). < Back Next > More Information: Grade Level: HS, (College): This lesson is meant for high school students; however we think it would be well suited for college students too This Activity Involves: Game: When this icon is present, students play a game (video, board, puzzle, strategy, etc). Primary Source: This activity utilizes primary sources. Image: Author unspecified, Caricature 1780 Press Gang , scanned from Vaisseau de Ligne , Time of Life, 1979, Wikimedia Commons, 5/23/25, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Caricature-1780-press_gang.jpg

Jamestown Song From: Mr. Betts Grade Level: (MS), (HS), (College) Remote Ready: Yes! Time: 3 min Length of Reading: None Link: Jamestown Colony ("Shut Up and Dance" parody) - @MrBettsClass Check out Mr. Betts song about the Jamestown colony set to Walk the Moon's "Shut Up and Dance." It's super catchy and funny, and it helps students remember important stuff! In fact, you won't be able to forget the lyrics, even when you try. The YouTube video has one ad before the video begins. < Back Next > More Information: Grade Level: (MS), (HS), (College): We put these in parentheses because there is no specified age group for the activity; however, we think it would be well suited for middle school, high school, and college students This Activity Involves: Movie: This activity involves a clip, film, or documentary. Image: Listen. , ca. 1901. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2012648364/.

Hamilton v. Jefferson From : Digital Inquiry Group Grade Level: HS, College Remote Ready: With Modifications! Time: Less than 1 class period Length of Reading: Pages Link: Hamilton v. Jefferson Students read 2 paragraphs about the Hamilton-Jefferson disagreement. Then they read a letter each man wrote to GW (1 page each, 2 pages total) about their conflict and answer questions in pairs. < Back Next > More Information: Grade Level: HS, College: This lesson is meant for high school and college students This Activity Involves: Primary Source: This activity utilizes primary sources. Secondary Source: This activity utilizes secondary sources. Group Work: This activity calls for working in pairs or groups or having a group discussion. Trumbull, John. "Alexander Hamilton." Wikimedia Commons, 20 August 2025, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alexander_Hamilton_MET_DT222199.jpg . AND Peale, Rembrandt. "Thomas Jefferson." Wikimedia Commons, 20 August 2025, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Official_Presidential_portrait_of_Thomas_Jefferson_(by_Rembrandt_Peale,_1800).jpg .

Freedmen's Bureau From: Docsteach.org Grade Level: HS, (College) Remote Ready: Yes! Time: 1 Class Period or Less Length of Reading: Paragraphs Link: How Effective were the Efforts of the Freedmen's Bureau? Students "weigh the evidence." Seven primary sources on the Freedmen's Bureau are available. Students read them and then drag and drop their icons on a scale. One side of the scale is evidence that the Freedmen's Bureau was effective the other side is evidence that the Bureau was not effective. Evidence can be dropped in between the two sides as well. Many of the hand written docs have been transcribed. Be sure to click on "View Document Details," and then click on the orange "Show/Hide Transcript" button near the bottom of the page Students answer questions. They can email the answers to their teacher directly from the page. We recommend paraphrasing the questions in your LMS. That way teachers won't have to open an email from each student and click through each answer. < Back Next > More Information: Grade Level: HS, (College): This lesson is meant for high school students; however we think it would be well suited for college students too This Activity Involves: Primary Source: This activity utilizes primary sources. Waud, Alfred R. , Artist. The Freedmen's Bureau / Drawn by A.R. Waud . Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, .