Resource Library
Find compelling classroom resources, learn new teaching methods, meet standards, and make a difference in the lives of your students.
We are grateful to The Hammer Family Foundation for supporting the development of our on-demand learning and teaching resources.
![A group of high school students sit at desks in conversation.](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_480/public/2023-10/AdobeStock_254378868.jpg?itok=f6YAphey)
Introducing Our US History Curriculum Collection
Draw from this flexible curriculum collection as you plan any middle or high school US history course. Featuring units, C3-style inquiries, and case studies, the collection will help you explore themes of democracy and freedom with your students throughout the year.
Mines in South Africa
Explore the responses by leaders of the African National Congress to the new Union of South Africa government’s racially motivated Native Lands Act of 1913.
![In 1887 and 1888, Cecil Rhodes consolidated a number of individual diamond mine claims around Kimberley to form a single company called De Beers Consolidated Mines.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/Democracy_18850101_DeBeersDiamondMineca1885_%20FH281147.jpg?h=94780249&itok=8PQyBwsl)
My Name
Consider the importance of African naming practices in South African poet Magoleng wa Selepe’s poem about the effects of colonialism on African identity.
![This Tswana-Venda wedding demonstrates the continued importance of traditional culture in contemporary South African society.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/Democracy_2018_TswanaandVendaWedding_%20FH281155.jpg?h=4c3b389f&itok=V-EjaKiW)
Apartheid Policies
Read the National Party’s 1948 statement in support of apartheid, which justifies separation as a way to preserve the white European race.
![The Reservation of Separate Amenities Act (passed in 1953) led to signs such as the one shown above. The Act prohibited people of different races from using the same public amenities.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/Apartheid_Era_Sign.jpg?h=77e8015d&itok=b86oNSyE)
Experiencing Apartheid
Writer Mtutuzeli Matshoba provides a vivid account of life under apartheid through the story of his friend who was forcibly ejected from his home.
![A child walks to school through the barren village of Qunu, South Africa, located just outside of the town of Mthatha.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/Democracy_2013_GirlWalkingtoSchoolMthatha_FH281816.jpg?h=a5f2f23a&itok=lR43Ngto)
The Freedom Charter
Examine the 1955 Freedom Charter, established by the ANC and supporting groups, which calls for all races to enjoy equal rights, protections, and benefits under the law.
![A group of resisters proudly pose after their release from prison in Durban during the Defiance Campaign Against Unjust Laws, 1952.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/Democracy_1952_TheDefianceCampaign_FH281822.jpg?h=56feb499&itok=2LnEBZM4)
Mandela on Trial
Nelson Mandela describes the ANC and PAC’s shift from non-violent resistance of apartheid to violent sabotage under the militant faction MK in his testimony during the Rivonia Trial.
!["A young Nelson Mandela poses for a photograph in Umtata shortly before moving to Fort Beaufort to attend Healdtown Comprehensive School. "](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/Nelson_Mandela_Medium_res.jpg?h=623540e1&itok=0V950_BY)
A Wife's Lament
Consider the unique experiences of black South African women during apartheid, many of whom were forced to live far away from their husbands on bantustans.
![A group of women hold signs in demonstration against the pass laws in Cape Town on August 9, 1956, the same day as the massive women’s protest in Pretoria.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/Democracy_1956_WomenResistPassLaws_FH281823.jpg?h=cb9047e7&itok=NA94IMQt)
Church Mouse to the White House (excerpted)
This reading excerpt from Martha Sharp's unpublished memoir explores in greater detail why she and her husband traveled to Czechoslovakia to engage in aid work.
![Formal portrait of the Sharp Family](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-09/Formal_portrait_of_the_Sharp_family_for_Web_or_Office_Use.jpg?h=5fa81f83&itok=jCHdObjE)
Gender and Identity
Read the personal reflections of a mother whose young son has challenged her assumptions and expectations about gender identity.
![Sample identity chart.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/Sample%20Identity%20Chart.jpg?h=73950368&itok=I6qebs7v)
Martha’s Letter to Helen
Read Martha Sharp's letter to Helen Lowrie written in Lisbon, Portugal, describing her daring journey from France.
![Martha and Waitstill Sharp wave to a crowd before leaving New York City for Europe. Martha wears a corsage of flowers on her coat and holds a bouquet of flowers in her left hand. Stamped in ink on verso: "Photo by William T. Hoff, New York Municipal Airport"](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-09/Martha_and_Waitstill_Sharp_waving_for_Web_or_Office_Use.jpg?h=a9a611f7&itok=ld5w1FcD)
Martha's Letter to Hastings
Read Martha Sharp's letter to her son explaining her reasons for remaining in France while her husband returned back to the United States.
![Letter from Martha Sharp to her son Hastings](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-09/Martha_to_.jpeg?h=cfefdc4d&itok=9UTlsSb8)