Standard 7: Understand the rise and continuing international influence of the United States as a world leader and the impact of contemporary social and political movements on American life.

This written assessment prompt may be used to assess student knowledge about U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War and Vietnam War. A rubric and sample response are included.

Type: Assessment

Test your knowledge of America in the 21st century with this nine-question multiple choice quiz provided by Khan Academy.

Type: Assessment

Test your knowledge of America in the 1990s with this 7-question multiple choice quiz provided by Khan Academy.

Type: Assessment

Test your knowledge of 1970s America in this 14-question quiz provided by Khan Academy.

Type: Assessment

Test your knowledge of America in the 1980s in this ten-question multiple choice quiz provided by Khan Academy.

Type: Assessment

Try this 12-question multiple choice quiz to see how much you know about the Civil Rights Movement.

Type: Assessment

Try this 13-question multiple choice quiz to see how much you know about post-WWII America and the beginnings of the Cold War.

Type: Assessment

Try this 14-question multiple choice quiz to see how much you know about America in the 1960s. Foreign and domestic policy are both included in these questions.

Type: Assessment

In June 1961, Interfaith Freedom Riders challenged segregated interstate buses by traveling from Washington, D.C. to Tallahassee, Florida. After successfully completing the Freedom Ride they planned to fly home but first decided to test whether or not the group would be served in the segregated airport restaurant. After being denied service, 10 Freedom Riders, later known as the Tallahassee Ten, were arrested for unlawful assembly. This Primary Source Set supports the teaching of the Civil Rights Movement in a Florida context. 

Type: Image/Photograph

Ursula Szczepinska, Curator of Education & Director of Research at The Florida Holocaust Museum, developed this study guide to accompany the traveling exhibition of black and white photographs taken by a Polish artist Lukasz Baksik. Baksik shows in his photographs how gravestones (matzevot) from Jewish cemeteries in Poland have been misused as building material or everyday objects after the local Jewish communities had been destroyed during the Holocaust. The study guide helps educators address questions regarding memory, history, community, respect, responsibility and challenges readers to think about our local history and historic sites. The guide can be used with the exhibition or independently.

Lesson objectives:

• Students will examine the ways in which Europe’s Jewish community was affected by the Holocaust.
• Students will consider the long-term impact of the Holocaust on the 20th and 21st centuries.
• Students will examine concepts of memory, history, community, dehumanization, respect, responsibility.
• Students will investigate what happened to the Jewish communities in Eastern Europe during the Holocaust.
• Students will examine the post war fate of historic sites.

Type: Image/Photograph

Students will analyze foundational documents and read about important people and events that helped African Americans achieve Civil Rights and Liberty.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will be comparing two U.S. Supreme court cases of Plessy V Ferguson and Brown V. Board of Education by reading and analyzing the impact in the decisions.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will analyze and rank the importance of 5 Supreme Court cases regarding the subject of the rights of the accused.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will research and discuss key leaders within the various rights movements, consider the forms of civic engagement that theses historical figures used to accomplish their goals, and complete a graphic organizer using their collected information. Then they will complete a written short response of their favored form of civic engagement from the lesson and tie it back to the historical figure/s they studied.

Type: Lesson Plan

• A guided practice will be used to teach the end of segregation in the United States. The guided practice requires students to interact with primary text from the Supreme Court opinion of Brown v. Board of Education.
• This lesson will be used to demonstrate the end of segregation in the United States and draw a direct comparison between the Supreme Court cases of Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will be placed into small groups to view, analyze, and discuss primary source photos. The photos incorporated will display Jim Crow Laws, segregation, and early forms of protest during the Civil Rights movement. Each photo will require students to provide a brief description and answer questions based off of the primary source images. After the lesson, students will complete a guided practice incorporating primary source text taken from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. This is lesson 2 of 3 in a mini-unit integrating civics and U.S. History.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will be introduced to the practice of segregation through a guided lesson. The guided lesson will include key vocabulary terms necessary for the lesson, the basis of the Supreme Court case of Plessy v. Ferguson, and the establishment of Jim Crow laws. After the lesson, students will complete a guided practice incorporating primary source text taken from the opinion of Plessy v. Ferguson. This is lesson 1 of 3 in a mini-unit integrating civics and U.S. History.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will analyze and rank the importance of 5 Supreme Court cases regarding the subject of integration.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will review important Supreme Court cases that helped expand or protect civil rights and liberties related to integration, busing, and the rights of the accused.  

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will analyze the facts and opinions of landmark SCOTUS cases, looking for evidence of how the Court safeguarded and/or limited the rights of certain individuals, populations, or communities.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will review a timeline of the Vietnam War and American escalation and involvement. Students will also analyze primary sources from pro and anti-war protests and media coverage to determine how individuals and the media shaped public opinion and government reaction to the war.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will go on a "road trip" to learn about events surrounding the Civil Rights Movement while becoming familiar with the geography of the United States. 

Type: Lesson Plan

This gallery walk covers landmark Supreme Court cases that may directly impact the lives of students.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will "think, pair, share" the road to African-American equality based on reading about various U.S. Supreme Court cases and constitutional amendments.  

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will use case studies to evaluate issues that cause the government to balance protecting individual rights with protecting the common good.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will review important leaders and organizations in the African American community during the Civil Rights Movement, how lives changed for African Americans and the impact of civic and political participation for African Americans.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will analyze key female leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, the things that these women were able to accomplish, the organizations that they served as a part of or partnered with, and the ways that they helped to advance the Civil Rights Movement.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will read excerpts from Plessy v. Ferguson [1896], Brown v. Board of Education [1954], and Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education [1971] and explain the outcomes of each case using a graphic organizer. Students will receive direct instruction on some historical context and background information of each case to aid in understanding. Students will complete a timeline to illustrate the impact of landmark Supreme Court decisions as it relates to integration and busing. The lesson will conclude with a student analysis of the impact of the Supreme Court cases on integration and busing and how those cases have expanded rights found in the U.S. Constitution 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will assess key organizations that contributed to the shaping of the Civil Rights Movements by learning about the “Big 5": C.O.R.E., S.N.C.C, S.C.L.C., N.A.A.C.P., and the National Urban League. Students will rotate through stations, where they will have the opportunity to learn about the 5 organizations. Students will complete a graphic organizer, focusing on organizational leaders and events that helped shaped the direction and results of the Civil Rights Movement.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will learn about the impeachment process in the United States with a PowerPoint Presentation that provides detailed information and historical examples. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will travel to multiple "stations" to learn about significant events and people from the American Civil Rights Movement. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will explain the impact of political parties, interest groups, media and individuals on shaping public policy by researching a topic and creating a shareable with the class.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will analyze the impact of civic engagement as a means of preserving or reforming institutions. In particular, students will identify legal methods that citizens can use to promote social and political change. Students will identify historical examples of citizens achieving or preventing political and social change through civic engagement.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will explain the importance of political and civic participation to the success of the United States’ constitutional republic. Within their research, students may assess key figures and organizations in shaping the Civil Rights Movement, women’s suffrage movement and Black Power Movement. Students may also examine efforts to expand or contract rights for various populations in the United States during World War II. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students analyze the impact of civic engagement as a means of preserving or reforming institutions. This analysis will take place through identifying means and methods to promote social change using historical examples of citizens achieving or preventing political and social change through civic engagement.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will work collaborative to identify key excerpts from landmark Supreme Court cases and evaluate the legal and societal impacts of each case. The landmark cases deal with integration and the rights of the accused, (Dred Scott v. Sandford, Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board of Education, Gideon v. Wainwright, Miranda v. Arizona, and Mapp v. Ohio). 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will explore the impact of civic engagement as a means of preserving or reforming institutions. Students will look at how citizens can use various methods to promote social change. Students will also examine historical examples of citizens achieving social change through civic engagement, specifically focusing on iconic changes in society through the use of fashion.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will explore various nongovernmental agencies and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages associated with utilizing them as part of U.S. foreign policy.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will explain how issues between Florida, other states and the federal government are resolved.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students use excerpts from various State of the Union addresses to determine how U.S. foreign policy aims to support human rights abroad. After working collaboratively to pull out the main idea from each excerpt, students respond to synthesis questions regarding the extension of founding ideas and the application of those ideas in foreign policy.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will apply what they have learned about the levels, structure, and jurisdiction of U.S. Federal and Florida State Court systems to case scenarios.

Type: Lesson Plan

The Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, the first man-made satellite, into space in 1957. Americans watched the Soviet satellite beeping and blinking across the American night sky. Sputnik I weighed only 184 pounds and could do little more than beep, but many people worried that this meant the United States was losing the race to develop space technology.

Pressure exploded from United States politicians and the American public demanding that the country catch up and increase investment in rocket technology and aeronautics. In this lesson students will analyze the film Florida: Moonport USA todescribe the effect of the United States space program on Florida's economy, growth and culture.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information about Brown v. Board of Education and the struggle for civil rights before and after the case through discussion, music, and video, using reasoning and evidence from class discussions to be inspired to do their part to educate and stop discrimination.

Type: Lesson Plan

Using NY Times articles and interactive features, students learn about the historical basis for the "War on Poverty", modern vs. historical factors that determine poverty, and compare approaches for combating poverty. Students will practice noting bias when examining sources to draw their own conclusions.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will determine to what extent the Cuban Missile Crisis changed the Cold War as they analyze primary and secondary documents, including letters and telegrams from President Kennedy First Secretary Khrushchev, regarding events that brought the United States and the Soviet Union to the brink of nuclear war.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students analyze primary and secondary source documents in an effort to answer the central historical question: Is the image of the "happy 1950s housewife" accurate? The teacher first introduces the time period and some of its features: the baby boom, the GI Bill, suburbia, Leave it to Beaver. The teacher then shows images of the "happy housewife" from 50s-era publications. In groups, students analyze 2 documents: a Harper's magazine article on suburbia and a passage from Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique. They complete a graphic organizer that includes a hypothesis: does the stereotype seem true? Students then do the same with 2 more documents: secondary source analyses by Joanne Meyerowitz and Alice Kessler-Harris. The class completes the graphic organizer and shares final hypotheses in a group discussion: Should we believe the stereotype? How about the experience of minority women?

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students analyze primary source documents in an effort to answer the central historical question: Why did many Americans oppose the Vietnam War? First, students view 2 anti-war images and a timeline of anti-war events. They fill out a graphic organizer and formulate a hypothesis that answers the central question; discussion follows. Students then read 2 documents: a speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Kerry's testimony before Congress. For both, they complete questions on a graphic organizer. Final class discussion: Why did anti-war sentiment grow? Did only college kinds participate? How do you think supporters of the war might have responded?

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students analyze primary source documents in an effort to answer the central historical question: Was JFK a strong supporter of Civil Rights? First, the teacher streams a video clip from Discovery Education on JFK and civil rights. Students form a hypothesis and discuss whether JFK was "strong" on civil rights based on this. Students then read a 1963 JFK speech supporting the Civil Rights Act; as a class, they answer sourcing, close reading and context questions and revisit their hypothesis. Students then read John Lewis's controversial original draft of the speech he delivered at the March on Washington. They answer guiding questions which corroborate both documents and attempt to reach a conclusion. If there is time, the teacher may bookend the lesson with another clip which shows how LBJ signed the eventual law into action.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students analyze primary and secondary source documents in an effort to answer the central historical question: Was the Great Society successful? Students first read LBJ's "Great Society" speech and answer sourcing, close reading and context questions about it before discussing as a class. The teacher then hands out a list of Great Society programs and asks: Which have you heard of? Which do you think were successful? Students then watch a film clip about the Great Society, streamed via Discovery Education. This is followed up with 2 secondary sources: a "Pro" perspective from historian Joseph Califano and a "Con" perspective from Thomas Sowell. They fill out a graphic organizer in groups and discuss: Which historian is more convincing? What kind of evidence does each use to make his case? How do these arguments still play out today?

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students analyze primary source documents in an effort to answer the central historical question: Why did the Montgomery Bus Boycott succeed? The teacher first introduces the boycott and Rosa Parks by streaming a film clip from historicalthinkingmatters.org. Students then break into 3 groups and look at a textbook account of the boycott and a timeline, making a "claim" as to why the boycott succeeded and sharing it with the whole class. The groups then corroborate with 2 more documents-a letter by Jo Ann Robinson and a memo by Bayard Rustin-and make another claim. Finally, 2 more documents-a letter by Virginia Durr and a speech by Martin Luther King, Jr.-are added to the mix, and students formulate and share a final claim. In a final class discussion, students reflect on how their claims did/did not change as they encountered more evidence.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students analyze primary source documents in an effort to answer the central historical question: Why did the Russians pull their missiles out of Cuba? The teacher begins by recapping the Cold War and the presence of missiles in Cuba and streams a video clip from Discovery Education about the Crisis and the negotiations that ended it. *Please see note in reviewer public remark below about this video. Students then analyze, in pairs, 3 documents: 1) a letter from Chairman Khrushchev to President Kennedy, 2) a letter from Kennedy to Khrushchev, and 3) a cable from Soviet ambassador Dobrynin to his foreign ministry. For each, they answer guiding questions. A final class discussion addresses the documents: What kind of a deal was struck? Why was it secret? Does the class textbook mention it?

Type: Lesson Plan

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn how women took on leadership roles during the Civil Rights Movement by exploring the contributions of Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker, and Dorothy Height with this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Travel through the southern United States to visit significant areas of the Civil Rights Movement with this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn about the conclusion of the Watergate scandal and President Nixon's term as President of the United States in this interactive tutorial.

This is part 6 in a six-part series. Click below to open the other tutorials in this series.

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Explore the "birth" and legacy of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) with this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Travel around the state of Alabama to learn about three events during the Civil Rights era: the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the 16th Street Church bombing, and the March to Selma with this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Continue learning about Watergate -- a political scandal that represents a significant chapter in American history--with this interactive tutorial. The events of Watergate led Richard Nixon, President of the United States, to resign his office.

This is part 2 in a six-part series. Click below to open the other tutorials in this series.

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Analyze methods used by civil rights groups to influence government action to end segregation in the United States Armed Forces, resulting in Executive Order 9981 with this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn about Watergate -- a political scandal that represents a significant chapter in American history with this interactive tutorial. The events of Watergate led Richard Nixon, President of the United States, to resign his office.

This is part 1 in a six-part series. Click below to open the other tutorials in this series.

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn about public policy solutions and how public opinion, the media, and interest groups all influence decision-making about public issues with this interactive tutorial. 

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Explore different methods for promotion social and political change and examples of preservation from U.S. history with this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn about the Republican and Democratic political parties in the United States, including their origins, modern versions, and impact on public policy in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

In Parts 1 and 2 of this interactive tutorial series, learn about the era of Jim Crow segregation and the larger context within which it flourished, the "Nadir" of American race relations.

CLICK HERE to open Part 1.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

In Parts 1 and 2 of this interactive tutorial series, learn about the era of Jim Crow segregation and the larger context within which it flourished, the "Nadir" of American race relations.

CLICK HERE to open Part 2. 

Type: Original Student Tutorial

In this interactive tutorial, learn about the major factors that led to America's involvement in the war in Vietnam.  You'll also learn about America's role during the war, how the war affected the American public, and the resulting consequences of the war.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

In this interactive tutorial, learn about the three U.S. presidents elected during the turbulent 1960s: John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard Nixon.  You'll learn how each of these men left an unfinished legacy as president, and you'll learn about their politics, successes, and failures, with an emphasis on domestic politics.  

Type: Original Student Tutorial

In this interactive tutorial, learn about landmark cases decided by the Supreme Court in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, including Brown vs. Board of Education, Miranda vs. Arizona, and Roe vs. Wade.  This tutorial covers the backgrounds, outcomes, and impacts of eight important cases in detail. 

Type: Original Student Tutorial

This website, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, provides a wealth of resources that educators can use to teach their students about this important era in American history. Resources include an interactive historical timeline from 1945 to 1975, fact sheets detailing each branch of the U.S. military's involvement in the war, maps, and links to numerous primary source documents. The site also provides printable PDF posters that highlight different roles in the war, including the role of women and African Americans, as well posters that outline America's increasing involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1965, and posters that display service patches for each branch of the military.

Type: Resource Collection

This full-length video is a complete biography of Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th President of the United States. Topics touched on include the Great Society, the Civil Rights movement, and the Vietnam War. Teachers should find the video an excellent resource to review or learn more about this time period.

The webpage also includes numerous shorter videos, articles, and primary sources about LBJ, as well as a teacher's guide for using the film in class.

Type: Resource Collection

In this source analysis activity, students will read and analyze speeches and documents from the Civil Rights Movement and the Declaration of Independence. Students will answer questions about each document after reading. At the end, discussion questions require an overall analysis of the foundational principles of the United States and expansion of civil rights for African Americans.

Type: Teaching Idea

In this source analysis activity, students will read and analyze speeches from President Kennedy and President Nixon, as well as the Tonkin Gulf Resolution. Students will answer questions about each document after reading. At the end, discussion questions require an overall analysis of U.S. foreign policy during the Vietnam War.

Type: Teaching Idea

In the summer of 1959, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) organized the Miami Interracial Action Institute and taught attendees principles of non-violent direct action to combat inequality in the South. Two attendees, sisters Patricia and Priscilla Stephens, took these principles with them when they returned to Tallahassee for school and formed the Tallahassee chapter of CORE.

Using tactics they learned at the CORE workshop, the Stephens sisters held their first sit-in at the Woolworth’s lunch counter in Tallahassee on February 13, 1960, and a second sit-in at the same lunch counter a week later, leading to the arrest of the sisters and a group of other students. Rather than pay their fines, eight students opted for jail time, effectively launching the first jail-in of the civil rights movement. This primary source set supports the teaching of the Civil Rights Movement in a Florida context.

Type: Text Resource

Learn more about the 1973 landmark Supreme Court decision Frontiero v. Richardson. In this case, the Court considered the matter of a female Air Force officer who applied for benefits for her husband--and was denied. The Court's ruling touched on issues of gender and civil rights.

Type: Text Resource

Learn more about the 2003 landmark Supreme Court decisions Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger. In these dual cases, the Court upheld the use of affirmative action (as one factor in many) in deciding college admissions.

Type: Text Resource

Learn more about the 1979 landmark Supreme Court decision U.S. Steel Workers v. Weber. In this case, the Court upheld a controversial affirmative action policy regarding the training and placement of skilled laborers.

Type: Text Resource

Learn more about the 2006 landmark Supreme Court decision Hamdan v. Rumsfeld. In this case, the Court considered issues of civil rights and the treatment of prisoners of war in the context of the global War on Terror.

Type: Text Resource

Learn more about the 1966 landmark Supreme Court decision Miranda v. Arizona. In this case, the Court considered the civil rights issues of due process and self-incrimination. The case set an important legal precedent and established the "Miranda Rights" which must be read to criminal defendants upon arrest.

Type: Text Resource

Learn more about the 1958 landmark Supreme Court decision Cooper v. Aaron. In this lesser known follow-up to Brown v. Board of Education, the Court held that states could not pass legislation that undermined the desegregation of public schools.

Type: Text Resource

Learn more about the 1978 landmark Supreme Court decision Regents of University of California v. Bakke. In this case, the Court upheld policies of affirmative action (but not strict racial quotas) as a factor in deciding college admissions.

Type: Text Resource

Learn more about the 1963 landmark Supreme Court decision Gideon v. Wainwright. In this case, the Supreme Court decided issues related to due process and a criminal defendant's right to a lawyer's counsel even if he or she cannot afford one.

Type: Text Resource

Learn more about the 1995 landmark Supreme Court decision U.S. v. Lopez. In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that Congress could not ban the possession of firearms within "gun-free school zones." The decision touched on issues of gun control, federalism, and the powers of Congress under the Commerce Clause.

Type: Text Resource

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the Social Studies content area. It is most appropriate for 11th-12th grade students enrolled in a U.S. History class. In this article, the author, a professor of aeronautics, reflects on the Soviet launch of the Sputnik satellite and how it inspired both Cold War paranoia and a national commitment to scientific education. Sputnik, he concludes, was a true historical turning point.

Type: Text Resource

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the Social Studies content area. It is most appropriate for 11th-12th grade students enrolled in a U.S. History class. This article both retells the struggles of the Freedom Riders who were beaten and arrested in 1961, and also interviews them on their experiences, more than 50 years later. It is accompanies by a photo gallery of before/after photos of the Freedom Riders.

Type: Text Resource

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the academic content areas. It is most appropriate for 9th-10th grade students enrolled in a U.S. History or an Earth/Space Science class.

This is an interview of Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin, one of the first men to walk on the moon. In a question/answer format, Aldrin answers questions about his ambitious vision for the future of American space exploration, and he also reflects on the past and present of the U.S. space program.

Type: Text Resource

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the Social Studies content area. It is most appropriate for 11th-12th grade students enrolled in a U.S. History class.

This article explores the origins - both in language and ideology - of the complicated concept "American Exceptionalism." The author explains the positive and negative implications of the idea and the impact American Exceptionalism has on our culture and politics today.

Type: Text Resource

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the Social Studies content area. It is most appropriate for 11th-12th grade students enrolled in a U.S. History class.

In this essay, the author uses the occasion of a new retrospective documentary about Watergate to explore the limitations of American's understanding of the scandal and its true implications.

Type: Text Resource

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the Social Studies content area. It is most appropriate for 11th-12th grade students enrolled in a U.S. History class.

The author uses the 50th anniversary of JFK's inauguration to reflect on the undiminished popularity of this (to many historians) overrated president, leading to his general reflection on presidential reputations.

Type: Text Resource

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the Social Studies content area. It is most appropriate for 9-0 grade students enrolled in a U.S. History class.

The author reports on the passage of a Senate resolution that apologizes for its failure to pass previous anti-lynching registration.

Type: Text Resource

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the academic content areas. It is most appropriate for 9th-10th grade students enrolled in an English or Social Studies class.

Type: Text Resource

In this tutorial video from Khan Academy, you'll learn about the causes, course, and consequences of the Vietnam War.

Type: Tutorial

This short video provided by Khan Academy features two historians reviewing the ratification of the 15th Amendment, which granted African American men the right to vote. The historians also explore ways in which the different Reconstruction Amendments were undermined and not fully realized for almost a century. Helpful graphics illustrate the content.

Type: Tutorial

View a brief, funny video about the 44th President, Barack Obama, who passed healthcare reform over the objections of a hostile Congress.

Type: Tutorial

Learn the historical context for a landmark Supreme Court decision, New York v. United States,in this short interactive tutorial. This case dealt with federal laws regarding radioactive waste removal in the late 20th century. You'll have a chance to evaluate the case on your terms before seeing how the justices actually ruled. Enjoy!

Type: Tutorial

In a series of short videos, learn about the life and work of Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of the 32nd president and niece of the 26th president. The first video details Eleanor's lonely childhood, the second describes her first involvement in American politics and public speaking, the third examines her work with organizations like the Red Cross and the League of Women Voters, and the fourth explains her role working with the United Nations and leading the committee that drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. This pivotal document changed the way the world viewed the rights of people. Watch one video or enjoy them all!

Type: Tutorial

View a brief, funny video about the 42nd President, Bill Clinton, who oversaw a strong economy in the 1990s but became only the second president ever to face impeachment.

Type: Tutorial

View a brief, funny video about the 41st President, George H.W. Bush, a one-term president who oversaw the end of the Cold War and the Persian Gulf War.

Type: Tutorial

View a brief video about the 43rd President, George W. Bush, who was in office on September 11, 2001 and responded by declaring a global "War on Terror."

Type: Tutorial

View a brief, funny video about the 40th President, Ronald Reagan, the Hollywood actor who shaped the politics of the 1980s and became a Republican Party icon!

Type: Tutorial

View a brief, funny video about the 38th President, Gerald Ford, who took office after the resignation of Richard Nixon due to Watergate.

Type: Tutorial

View a brief, funny video about the 39th President, Jimmy Carter, a one-term president best known for his role in trying to resolve the Iran Hostage Crisis.

Type: Tutorial

View a brief, funny video about the 37th President, Richard M. Nixon, who re-established relations with China and wound down America's involvement in Vietnam... before resigning his office in disgrace following the Watergate scandal.

Type: Tutorial

Learn more about the 1954 landmark Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. This case was a pivotal moment in the struggle for racial equality in America.

Type: Tutorial

View a brief, funny video about the 36th President, Lyndon B. Johnson. Learn about the ways he helped advance the Civil Rights Movement, his dream of a Great Society, and his approach towards the war in Vietnam.

Type: Tutorial

View a brief video about our 35th President, John F. Kennedy. His assassination while in office helped turn Kennedy into a legend, best remembered for telling Americans to "ask what you can do for your country."

Type: Tutorial

View a brief, funny video about the 34th President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, a president who brought about the interstate highway system and forever changed the way in which Americans travel!

Type: Tutorial

Explore key events from the 1970s, 80s, 90s, and early 2000s in this webisode from PBS. During these decades, America closed out the Vietnam War era, saw the collapse of communism and the end of the Cold War, and experienced a rise in terrorist attacks against Americans abroad and on American soil. In this resource you can examine primary source documents and photographs, listen to segments of key speeches, examine a timeline and glossary, take a quiz, and explore additional resources connected to this era. Enjoy this journey into American history!

Type: Tutorial

View a documentary about the First Amendment protections of freedom of speech and freedom of the press. You'll review the historic origins of these rights and then go into detail about the Supreme Court's landmark ruling in New York Times v. United States, the Pentagon Papers case. Enjoy!

Type: Tutorial

With this interactive timeline, you can explore key cases and events in the history of the Supreme Court, ranging from 1787 to 2005. To learn specifically about cases related to integration, busing, affirmative action, the rights of the accused, and reproductive rights, click on the years 1954, 1963, 1966, and 1973, though ALL the links will lead you to valuable information. Have fun exploring!

Type: Tutorial

In this tutorial, you will view an outstanding video on the meaning and history of habeas corpus: the law that prevents a person being held in jail or prison without being able to hear and contest the charges being brought against them. You'll then learn about 4 recent Supreme Court cases where habeas corpus has been called into question in the context of the global war on terror.

Type: Tutorial

In this video, you will hear from Supreme Court Justices O'Connor, Breyer and Kennedy as they recount the landmark Supreme Court decision on the Brown v. Board of Education case in 1954. This case was instrumental in the advancement of the Civil Rights Movement and to desegregating public schools in America. The video also include discussion of a key event that followed the Brown v. Board ruling, specifically that of the nine students who integrated Little Rock Central High School in 1957, a group known as the Little Rock Nine. Enjoy this conversation on the Constitution!

Type: Tutorial

In this webisode brought to you by PBS, you will explore key events that took place in American history from 1963-1968, including the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement. In this resource you can examine primary source documents and photographs, listen to segments of key speeches, examine a timeline and glossary, take a quiz, and explore additional resources connected to this era. Enjoy this journey into American history!

Type: Tutorial

In this tutorial, you will explore key events that took place in American history from 1955-1963, including the rise of the Civil Rights Movement and early events in the Cold War. Through this interactive tutorial, you can examine primary source documents and photographs, listen to key speeches, and interact with a wealth of information during this webisode brought to you by PBS. The webisode even includes a timeline, glossary, quiz, and additional resources that you can examine to further explore this era. Enjoy this journey into American history!

Type: Tutorial

In this tutorial video, you'll take a whirlwind journey through George H.W. Bush's one-term presidency, which saw the end of the Cold War and the successful Gulf War in Iraq. During this time America continued to boom economically, but while one conflict ended, others would soon pop up in Africa and the Middle East. Enjoy this "crash course" in U.S. history!

Type: Tutorial

In this tutorial video, you'll take a whirlwind journey through the 1980s and President Ronald Reagan's two terms in office. President Reagan is often credited for a strong economy and for ending the Cold War. Enjoy this "crash course" in U.S. History!

Type: Tutorial

In this tutorial video, you'll take a whirlwind journey through recent history and learn about America in the 1990s. During this time President Bill Clinton oversaw globalization and a strong economy linked to the rise of the Internet, but his successes didn't prevent his own impeachment... Enjoy this "crash course" in U.S. History!

Type: Tutorial

In this tutorial video, you'll learn about the George W. Bush administration and America during the early 2000s. From the controversial Election of 2000, to the terrorist attacks that took place on 9/11, the 2000s were marked by domestic and foreign crises. Enjoy this "crash course" in U.S. history!

Type: Tutorial

In this tutorial video, you'll take a whirlwind journey through the 1960s, a decade in American history marked by social, political, and governmental change, as well as influential leaders such as JFK and Martin Luther King, Jr. You'll learn more about the Civil Rights Movement and the laws and court decisions that sought to bring equality to more groups of people in our nation. Enjoy this "crash course" in U.S. History!

Type: Tutorial

In this tutorial video, you'll take a whirlwind journey through the era of conservatism in the 1960s and 1970s in America. During this time, President Richard Nixon and others harnessed a backlash to 1960s liberalism by bringing groups together to fuel a new conservative movement across the nation. You'll learn about Watergate and about key pieces of legislation and government agencies, such as the ERA and EPA, that mark this era. Enjoy this "crash course" in U.S. History!

Type: Tutorial

In this tutorial video, you'll take a whirlwind tour through America in the 1970s. Presidents Ford and Carter were the nation's chief executives during this time, and both are usually considered "failed" presidents for their inability to improve America's economic decline over the course of the decade. Enjoy this "crash course" in U.S. History!

Type: Tutorial

In this tutorial video, you'll take a whirlwind journey through key events of the Cold War in Asia. The United States' struggle against communist expansion led to full-blown, boots-on-the ground wars in both Korea and Vietnam. Enjoy this "crash course" in U.S. History!

Type: Tutorial

In this tutorial video, you'll take a whirlwind journey through key events of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s in America. During this time, society focused on achieving equal rights and more protections for all groups in America, especially African-Americans. Enjoy this "crash course" in U.S. History!

Type: Tutorial

Adrian Zika grew up in communist Yugoslavia (now Kosovo). He immigrated to the United States, became a U.S. citizen, and was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2018.

Type: Video/Audio/Animation

Alejandro Brice and his family immigrated from Cuba at the beginning of the Cuban Revolution. His father was jailed as a counter-revolutionary sympathizer and upon release, the family fled the country. Dr. Brice shares his memories of his “freedom wings”, the culture shock of growing up in Ohio as immigrants, learning English in elementary school, watching his family start over, and becoming a U.S. Citizen. Dr. Brice is a college professor specializing in the education of immigrant children and English language learners.

Type: Video/Audio/Animation

Ivonne Blank immigrated to the United States in 1961 as part of Operation Pedro Pan, the largest exodus on unaccompanied minors in the Western Hemisphere. Ms. Blank talks about how difficult it was waiting for her parents and living in an orphanage in Denver, CO. Her parents later left the island by boat, were rescued by the Coast Guard, and resettled in the United States. After the family was reunited, they were able to rebuild their lives with support from their community. Ms. Blank went on to become a lifelong educator and U.S. citizen.

Type: Video/Audio/Animation

Idelia Viera shares the experience of being exiled from Cuba as a young woman, with special focus on the Cuban Missile Crisis. Ms. Viera describes the difficulties her immigrant family faced and overcame in their new home, providing educational opportunities for their children she and her husband never had. Her daughter, Dr. Cristina Viera, shares her experiences growing up as the child of political refugees and talks about how her career path stems from the dreams her father had before he left Cuba.

Type: Video/Audio/Animation