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.
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.
We Need to Talk About an Injustice
Read an excerpt from lawyer Bryan Stevenson’s inspiring TED Talk about the need to talk and teach about history to overcome injustice.
We Wear The Mask
In this poem, Paul Laurence Dunbar reflects on the experience of African Americans in post-Civil War America and the universal human behavior of hiding an aspect of ourselves.
Excerpt from Mississippi Black Codes (1865)
The Mississippi Black Codes attempt to codify expectations of freedpeople around topics such as intermarriage and labor laws.
South Carolina "Red Shirts" Battle Plan (1876)
Read an excerpt of the battle plan developed by the “Red Shirts,” a Democratic Party paramilitary group that emerged in South Carolina in the late 19th century.
A Teacher Describes Violence and Intimidation (1875)
J. L. Edmonds, an African American schoolteacher, gave this account of the murder and intimidation before the 1875 election in Clay County, Mississippi.
Limiting Opportunity
This reading covers an excerpt from The Autobiography of Malcolm X, where Malcolm Little's teacher told him his race limited the career opportunities available to him.
Growing Up with Racism
In a letter to her daughter, Lisa Delpit reflects on how racism has shaped her worldview and her hopes and fears for her child.
The Impact of Propaganda
Get insight on the ability and limits of propaganda to influence the beliefs, feelings, and actions of those exposed to it.
Shaping Public Opinion
Read about the far-reaching efforts of Joseph Goebbels and the Ministry of Propaganda to generate enthusiasm for the Nazi party.
Speech by President Lincoln: Second Inaugural Address
This is an audio recording of President Lincoln's second inaugural address (March 4, 1865).
W.E.B. Du Bois Reflects on the Purpose of History
In 1935, W. E. B. Du Bois published an influential book titled Black Reconstruction in America. This audio excerpt, from a chapter titled “The Propaganda of History,” questions the ways in which Reconstruction was being studied and taught at the time.