Lesson Plans

In this lesson, students continue their examination of Tocqueville’s argument about the power of the majority and its consequences. Having suggested previously that the majority can crush a minority without even hearing its screams, he elaborates on the dangers of unchecked and unlimited power in democratic America and how to deal with it.

In this lesson, students will examine a preselected set of newspaper articles drawn from the "Chronicling America" website. They will determine the right each article illustrates and the responsibility that comes with that right.

The “riots” of the 1960s provide teachers with an excellent opportunity to highlight a wide variety of important themes in U.S. history.

The lessons in this unit provide an opportunity for students to learn about and discuss two U.S. families in which both the father and son became President.

Relive the decisions that led to the attack on Fort Sumter to determine whether Lincoln aimed to preserve peace or provoke the hostilities that led to the Civil War.

In this lesson, students learn what ancient maps can tell us about the world views and aspirations of ancient peoples and cultures.

Students read excerpts from Columbus's letters and journals, as well as recent considerations of his achievements in order to reflect on the motivations behind Columbus's explorations.

Students compare imagined travel experiences of their own with the actual experiences of 19th-century pioneers.

Help your students understand the development of the Declaration as both a historical process and a compositional process through the use of role play and creative writing.

Work with primary documents and latter-day photographs to recapture the experience of traveling on the Oregon Trail.