A new primary source activity introduces students to the Crafts, who escaped slavery and were pursued under the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850.
New Teaching Activity: From Dred Scott to the Civil Rights Act of 1875
Students will learn how rights for African-Americans changed quickly from the Dred Scott decision to the Civil Rights Act of 1875 by examining primary sources and explaining the relationships between them.
Civil Rights Today Essay Contest for Texas 12th Graders
The Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation invites students to explore the enduring issue of civil rights as it impacts them or those around them in the 2014 "Civil Rights Today" Essay Contest. The contest is open to 12th-grade Texas students. Essays must be submitted by midnight on February 10, 2014. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, signed into law … Continue reading Civil Rights Today Essay Contest for Texas 12th Graders
Black Soldiers in the Civil War: A New DocsTeach Activity
In this activity, students can analyze a Government poster used to recruit recently freed slaves to fight for the Union Army during the Civil War. The poster refers to the Emancipation Proclamation and President Lincoln’s General Order 233, to provide equal pay for Black soldiers and equal protection if they were captured by the Confederacy and became … Continue reading Black Soldiers in the Civil War: A New DocsTeach Activity
The Equal Rights Amendment: The Most Popular Never-Ratified Amendment
Documents from the records of Congress help students understand why the Equal Rights Amendment wasn't ratified, even with its considerable support.
Historic Videos for National History Day Projects
Our new Historic Video Footage web page lists over 500 videos related to this year’s NHD theme that students can use in their projects. We have included a sampling on our YouTube channel.
Connecting Science and Diplomacy: President Ford at 100
Our new "Apollo-Soyuz: Space Age Detente" activity invites students to explore how President Ford used the first joint country space flight as a diplomatic opportunity.
Remembering JFK
Find resources about John F. Kennedy, his administration, and his assassination from the National Archives.
Kidnapping of Free People of Color
Abolitionist Elisha Tyson wrote to Congress with details on several kidnapping cases of free African Americans in the North who were sold into slavery under the guise of the 1793 Fugitive Slave Act. Tyson argued that federal legislation was necessary to address the problem.
The Documents Behind Twelve Years a Slave
Students can see part of Solomon Northup’s story, told in his 1853 autobiography and the new movie, Twelve Years a Slave, in documents found in the National Archives.