Lesson
Grades
- 4
In this lesson, students explore the Lewis and Clark Expedition as a major turning point in U.S. expansion. Through short documentary videos, mapping, source analysis, and role-based debate, they...
Creating a Nation
Learn about the founding fathers and the parts of the U.S. Constitution. Also, learn how the country began westward expansion.
Lesson
Grades
- 10
- 11
Prior to the 1706s, American colonists remained loyal subjects of Great Britain. However, around the 1760s, problems between Great Britain and the American colonists began to erupt when Great Britain...
Lesson
Grades
- 4
Using the History in a Nutshell video on The Mexican-American War, learners analyze causes, key events, and outcomes of the war through mapping, discussion, and role-based inquiry. Students will...
Video
Grades
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
During the Texas Revolution, Fort Alamo, located in present-day San Antonio, fell to President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna’s Mexican troops on March 6, 1836. This siege between Mexican forces and...
Video
American author Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. Poe solidified his legacy as master of the gothic and macabre with his poems and short stories, and was one of...
Video
Grades
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- Higher Education
Episode
2
Pirates had a strict list of articles, or laws, that had to be signed by each member of the crew before a voyage began. Those rules governed who would get how much of whatever treasure was captured...
Video
Grades
- 3
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- Higher Education
This excerpt from the California Gold Rush History In A Nutshell briefly outlines how the California Gold Rush affected California's Native American population. Closed captions coming soon!
Video
Grades
- 4
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- Higher Education
The date of January 24, 1848 started out as a typical work day for carpenter James W. Marshall, who was tasked with constructing a water-powered sawmill in Coloma, California. While digging a channel...
Photo
Grades
- 4
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- Higher Education
This photo gallery contains the following images: Sutter’s Mill- Where gold was first discovered in California in January, 1848 Carpenter James W. Marshall John Augustus Sutter – Founder of Nueva...
Document
Grades
- 4
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- Higher Education
Forty-Niner: The nickname for people (mostly men) who flocked to California in 1849 hoping to take advantage of the gold rush. Gold: Element symbol "Au" - A relatively rare element, gold is a precious...