Native American Policy From: Gilder Lehrman Grade Level: MS, HS Remote Ready: With modifications Time: 1-2 class periods Length of Reading: Pages Link: Native American Policy Jigsaw with 6 primary sources documents on Native American assimilation and Indian removal. Each document is 1 page long printed. Students write summaries of docs and/or answer questions. Comparison worksheet provided. < Back Next > More Information: Grade Level: MS, HS: This lesson is meant for middle school and high school students This Activity Involves: Primary Source: This activity utilizes primary sources. Keppler, Joseph Ferdinand, Artist. Our Indian policy - a house of cards / J. Keppler. N.Y.: Published by Keppler & Schwarzmann. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, .

Lewis and Clark's Treatment of Native Americans From: Digital Inquiry Group Grade Level: (MS), (HS), (College) Remote Ready: With modifications Time: 1-2 class periods Length of Reading: Pages Link: Lewis and Clark SAC Students read docs (5 docs, each 1 page or less) and fill out graphic organizer. "Students are [then] assigned to teams to locate evidence [within the docs] to support or refute the claim that Lewis and Clark were respectful to Native Americans." And they discuss their conclusions in groups of 4 with 2 people refuting and 2 people supporting. In the last 10 minutes of the debate all 4 group members work to build a consensus. Includes background info and slides for brief lecture. < 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: “Captain Lewis shooting an Indian.” Library of Congress,Philadelphia: Printed for Mattheew Carey, 1810, https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2001699660/. Accessed: 8.15.2020.

Slavery From: SPLC Learning for Justice Grade Level: MS, HS, (College) Remote Ready: With Modifications Time: Depends Upon Lesson Length of Reading: Pages Link: Teaching Hard History After clicking on the link above, scroll to the "We the People" artwork and the "The American Revolution and the Constitution (1763-1787)" Heading. And then choose the Summary Objective that most interest you. Also see "Summary Objective 7" below the "Slavery in the Early Republic (1787-1808)" heading and brick flag artwork. You will be linked to a short list of wonderful online resources and their descriptions. < Back Next > More Information: Grade Level: MS, HS, (College): This lesson is meant for middle school and high school students; however, we think it would be well suited for college too This Activity Involves: Primary Source: This activity utilizes primary sources. Secondary Source: This activity utilizes secondary sources. Movie: This activity involves a clip, film, or documentary. Image: Ilkay, Captivity , File #129222009, Photo, Adobe Stock, 5/23/25, stock.adobe.com .

An Early History of Slavery (African and Indigenous) From: SPLC Learning for Justice Grade Level: MS, HS, (College) Remote Ready : With Modifications Time: Depends Upon Lesson Length of Reading: Pages Link: Teaching Hard History Framework This site features short, curated lists of wonderful online resources and their descriptions, organized by topic. Follow the link, and scroll to the ship artwork and the "Pre-Colonial and Colonial Era (to 1763)" Heading. And then choose the Summary Objective that most interests you. < Back Next > More Information: Grade Level: MS, HS, (College): This lesson is meant for middle school and high school students; however, we think it would be well suited for college too This Activity Involves: Movie: This activity involves a clip, film, or documentary. Secondary Source: This activity utilizes secondary sources. Primary Source: This activity utilizes primary sources. Image: Ilkay, Captivity , File #129222009, Photo, Adobe Stock, 5/23/25, stock.adobe.com .

Analyze a 1775 Newspaper From: History Matters Grade Level: (MS), (HS), (College) Remote Ready: With Modifications Time: 1 Class Period Length of Reading: Paragraphs Link: Analyze a Colonial Newspaper Read this 1775 newspaper article about a protest in Rhode Island during the Revolution where patriots burned British tea. What makes this resource so special is the link to five short 1-5 minute audio clips from a Smithsonian historian who is analyzing the same article. < 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. The New York Gazette or the Weekly Post-Boy. New York: Printed by J. Parker and W. Weyman, September 13, 1756. The Robert Charles Lawrence Fergusson Collection. https://www.americanrevolutioninstitute.org/discover-the-collections/newspapers/ .

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 .