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.

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 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.

What Effect Did the WWII Fair Employment Practices Commission Have on the Civil Rights Movement?

Today’s post comes from Joel Walker, education specialist at the National Archives at Atlanta. On December 31, 1942, the Counter Intelligence Section of the Seventh Naval District based in Jacksonville, Florida, distributed its monthly summary of subversive activities.  On page two of the summary, under the heading "Activities Concerning Negroes," was printed a small paragraph … Continue reading What Effect Did the WWII Fair Employment Practices Commission Have on the Civil Rights Movement?

Dumping the Flow Chart of the Legislative Process

Watching C-SPAN or using the old textbook flow chart can be a pretty boring way to teach the legislative process. As future voters, it is important for students to understand how lawmaking works and what role they will play in that process. But how can you do it without putting your students to sleep? Making … Continue reading Dumping the Flow Chart of the Legislative Process