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.
Letter from Jourdon Anderson: A Freedman Writes His Former Master (en español)
In Spanish, Jourdon Anderson, a formerly enslaved person, responds to a request from his former master to return to work for him.
![A portrait of an African American family seated on a lawn.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/08762v.jpg?h=eaa4a767&itok=KrJAig0D)
A Lifeline for Democracy
In her 2005 commencement speech at the University of Vermont, Ruth Simmons describes experiences that helped her escape the poverty and discrimination of her youth to become the president of Brown University.
![Book cover of American flag with faces over it.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Reconstruction_cover_large.jpg?h=51bee232&itok=yY8xN3AK)
Louisiana White League Platform (1874)
The White League was a paramilitary group responsible for widespread violence against black and white Republicans in Louisiana and Mississippi. The group’s platform from 1874 is articulated here.
![Book cover of American flag with faces over it.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Reconstruction_cover_large.jpg?h=51bee232&itok=yY8xN3AK)
Names and Freedom
Historians Douglas Egerton and Leon Litwack explain the process of freedpeople adopting new surnames.
![A group of African Americans soberly observe Juneteenth in their hats, canes and bonnets in Austin, TX, 1900.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Emancipation_Day_celebration_-_1900-06-19%20%281%29.jpg?h=6ea8326e&itok=2mUmYjCx)
Names and Freedom (en español)
In Spanish, historians Douglas Egerton and Leon Litwack explain the process of freedpeople adopting new surnames.
![A group of African Americans soberly observe Juneteenth in their hats, canes and bonnets in Austin, TX, 1900.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Emancipation_Day_celebration_-_1900-06-19%20%281%29.jpg?h=6ea8326e&itok=2mUmYjCx)
“Be Like Wilt” by Neema Avashia
This narrative tells Avashia’s story of finding belonging unexpectedly on the basketball court as someone who felt like an outsider in a small, rural town.
![a basketball shot through a white basketball net](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2024-08/stephen-baker-QAX5Ylx-lKo-unsplash.jpg?h=5cd30523&itok=rYvZObO0)
“Be Like Wilt” by Neema Avashia (en español)
This narrative tells Avashia’s story of finding belonging unexpectedly on the basketball court as someone who felt like an outsider in a small, rural town. This resource is in Spanish.
![a basketball shot through a white basketball net](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2024-08/stephen-baker-QAX5Ylx-lKo-unsplash.jpg?h=5cd30523&itok=rYvZObO0)
“Coming into Language” by Jimmy Santiago Baca
This narrative exemplifies how one can find a sense of home and belonging through self-expression.
![person holding a blue pen and writing on a sheet of paper](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2024-08/8-10-17FacH09900.jpg?h=4362216e&itok=pMGMcxdS)
“Coming into Language” by Jimmy Santiago Baca (en español)
This narrative exemplifies how one can find a sense of home and belonging through self-expression. This resource is in Spanish.
![person holding a blue pen and writing on a sheet of paper](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2024-08/8-10-17FacH09900.jpg?h=4362216e&itok=pMGMcxdS)
“A Kingdom Bright and Burning” by Dave Connis from Welcome Home
This short story explores the inner journey of a young boy as he learns to communicate with his adoptive family.
You Worked Long Hours
Essie Favrot gives a firsthand account of working as a domestic worker for a white Southern family.
![Young African American woman holding a baby](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/1870_YoungAfricanAmericanWomanHoldingABaby_FH2169994.png?h=3fd7e032&itok=LhHXUBvi)