Media Resources

The Black Archives of Mid-America, located in Kansas City, Missouri, was founded by Horace Peterson III in 1974. Today, the Black Archives houses some of the most important sources related to the history of people of African descent in Kansas City and beyond, including oral histories with civil rights activists, the original document freeing slaves in Missouri, the personal papers of prominent African American figures, and an extensive collection of historical photographs.

This episode of BackStory recounts the turbulent history of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Each segment below contains a clip from the podcast as well as a set of comprehension questions to guide listening.

This episode of BackStory discusses the ways people in the U.S. have responded to technological changes over the centuries, highlighting that suspicion of such changes is often reasonable and warranted, especially for minority and marginalized groups.

A collection of essays and lessons created by the National Endowment for the Humanities and National History Day as part of the NEH’s special initiative to advance civic education and the study of U.S. history and culture in preparation for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. 

Smarthistory is an NEH-funded digital humanities project that offers free resources on art, history, and art history for classrooms and public enjoyment. Curated by scholars from around the world, users will find videos, essays, and insightful commentary about thousands of pieces of art.

In this episode of NEH-funded BackStory, learn how the 1893 Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition showcased exclusion and inequality in addition to the latest achievements in science, technology, art, and education.

Esther Krinitz's art and story provide a powerful lens through which young people can view and reflect on important issues and themes raised by the Holocaust. 

Although only 27 amendments to the U.S. Constitution have been ratified, thousands of proposed amendments have been introduced in Congress or circulated in public petitions. The Amendments Project compiles, classifies, and analyzes these proposed amendments to the Constitution. In addition to providing an overview of constitutional history and the amendment process, the site enables advanced search and filtering of the amendments database, making it an effective hands-on introduction to using search tools for research.

Funded in part by the NEH, Chicago00: A Flight on the 1893 Ferris Wheel is a two-minute virtual reality (VR) video simulating the experience of riding the original Ferris Wheel, built as the central attraction of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.

Visualizing Emancipation is a comprehensive map and timeline illustrating the slow decline of slavery in the United States. It provides quick access to thousands of primary source documents in connection with this timeline.