In this lesson students are asked to analyze Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address and to compare the promises made to his later work as president. Students will use a graphic organizer to list three of FDR’s promises in the speech and then use secondary resources to research whether he fulfilled those promises.

This two day lesson uses the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments from the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention and the 19th Amendment to the Constitution to assess the efficacy of the Women’s Rights Movement of the 19th century. Using the grievances from the Declaration establishes some understanding of women’s rights prior to 1848. Students will engage in class discussion to determine the progress women made in gaining equal rights. Students will use specific examples to assess progress as of today.

Through the carefully examination of the Emerging America Primary Source Set entitled “Islamic Architecture, Art, and Literature’, students become exposed to the physical manifestations of Islam through inquiry and discussion. Students will learn about Ninian Smart’s Seven Dimension of Religion and grow comfortable using the confines of the Smart’s different elements to make sense of complex religious images and readings.

In the following lesson plan students will examine several primary source images and documents related to Civil War wounded. From the sources, students will develop a narrative about changes in the responsibilities of the federal government in response to the enormous numbers of wounded Union soldiers. This lesson can stand alone or kick off a research project. 

See the online exhibit How Civil War Transformed Disability. Use the Exhibits pull-down button above. 

Students are often intrigued by individuals who question authority and seek change. Thus, the following multimedia set was created with a focus on Reformers and Gangsters in American History from Antebellum to Prohibition (1840s-1920s). The following evidence supports the case that reformers who desired change impacted American society resulting in the rise of organized crime. This collection presents evidence focused on the climate of thought arising from the Second Great Awakening, the Abolitionist movement, and women’s struggles for social justice.

The following lesson serves as an introduction to the Age of Progressivism. In this unit, students should connect the various ways individuals and communities respond to new innovations. In response to industrialization, civilizations across the globe reacted in a number of ways ranging from violent protests to political engagement to isolating from the political process. In the early 1840s in a town in western Massachusetts, Northampton, the Northampton Association of Education and Industry (NAEI), formalized their beliefs in a binding constitution.

This lesson is designed to expose students to the immigrant experience through primary and secondary sources. Students may focus more on the difference between primary and secondary sources through the lens of immigration. An extensive number of primary and secondary sources round out this lesson focused on skills that will carry students well into their middle and high school years.

The following unit plan highlights how patterns of immigration are both similar and different for immigrant groups coming to America. The cornerstone of the unit is a diagram and PowerPoint Presentation detailing the progression of the immigrant experience that serves as a model for a variety of immigrant groups. Included in the set is a Universal Design for Learning chart and an extensive annotated list of primary source documents from the Library of Congress provide a visual reinforcement of the immigrant journey both before, during, and after their arrival in the United States.

This two-day lesson is based on students acquiring a better understanding of the effects the Great Depression had on migrant workers and their children as portrayed in the novel: Esperanza Rising. The use of photographs, as primary sources, will support understanding of this time period, as well as provoking oral discussion among English Language Learner students. As a summative assessment, students are asked to write a paragraph explaining their increased understanding of the time period through the use of primary source documents.

The topic of immigration is just as controversial today as it was at the turn of the twentieth century. In this one-day lesson, students will immerse themselves in the attitudes and opinions of many native-born Americans (Nativists) who did not welcome the arrival of immigrants from certain countries. Students will use music and political cartoons from the period to wonder, investigate, and construct new understandings of the popular opinions towards immigrants at the time.