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NCSS-2
Time, Continuity and Change
Resources:
The Vietnam War
Relevant pages:
Cultural Revolutions
Relevant pages:
History as Destiny: The Case of New York City
Relevant transcripts:
Relevant interactive tools:
Colonial City: Revolutionary Battleground
Relevant transcripts:
Relevant interactive tools:
Urban Crisis: Fire and Water
Relevant texts:
Urban Crisis: Disease, Crime, and Space
Relevant texts:
New Deal Order
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Relevant transcripts: Resource Type: Classroom Simulation In this simulation, a special congressional committee—the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Vietnam—will examine changes in U.S. foreign policy toward Vietnam from 1954 through 1975. The committee will investigate why the United States entered the war but failed to prevent the communist takeover of the Republic of South Vietnam. Students will impersonate historical characters who are called to testify before this fictitious Senate subcommittee. The historical characters will explain, from their perspective, why the United States entered the war, why it escalated its military involvement there, and then, despite the escalation, why it suffered defeat. Do the senators and journalists reporting on the investigation blame any one U.S. president? Or do they blame rather a wide range of circumstances both domestic and international? This simulation will expose students to a variety of conflicting interpretations of the U.S. role in Vietnam. Review of Invisible Man Resource Type: Primary Source New York intellectual Irving Howe affirms Ralph Ellison's book Invisible Man as a "Negro novel." Discovery and Settlement: New Amsterdam Resource Type: Document-Based Question The present-day issues of tolerance and diversity are explored in colonial society. These primary sources provide contemporary perceptions of Native Americans, African Americans, Jews, and European settlers. The American Revolution: Defeat and Victory in New York Resource Type: Document-Based Question New York City was a center of loyalist support and trans-Atlantic trade during the revolutionary era. The documents on the Battle of Brooklyn, the British occupation, and the end of the Revolutionary war demonstrate how these events were turned into victories for New York, establishing the city's path toward national and world prominence. Urban Society: Central Park and Social Reform Resource Type: Document-Based Question This microhistory of Central Park in New York City provides students with a laboratory for learning how social reformers attempted to clean the city of its slums and promote the well-being of its residents. These tools can be applied to the study of any large city. Modern Republicanism and the New Right Resource Type: Document-Based Question The development of a Republican majority is the focus of this DBQ, which explores the larger issues of modern republicanism in postwar America and the emergence of the new right. Electoral maps provide in-depth analyses of presidential elections since the 1960s. Eisenhower and the Politics of the 1950s Resource Type: Document-Based Question This selection of primary sources gives students an opportunity to examine different layers of dissent during the Eisenhower presidency. Although President Eisenhower enjoyed great public support, his administration was challenged by problems at home and abroad. Homogenized Society and Conformity Resource Type: Document-Based Question This carefully crafted selection of primary sources will allow students to weigh the multiplicity of factors that influenced American culture in the 1950s, such as the Cold War, government policies, legislation, corporations, and television. Students can focus on the extent to which consensus and conformity dominated relations among or within various social groups. Power and Racism Resource Type: Primary Source Stokely Carmichael (1941–88), born in Trinidad, invented the rallying cry of "Black Power" in Mississippi, in 1966, as a leader of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). He left America in 1969 for Africa, where he helped found the All-African People's Revolutionary Party. The Counterculture Resource Type: Document-Based Question Although the decade of the 1950s deserves its reputation as an age of political, social, and cultural conformity, seeds of social discontent nevertheless permeated American society. This carefully crafted DBQ focuses on the intellectual and artisitic critics of the affluent society, as well as the origins of the women's and civil-rights movements. I Am Waiting Resource Type: Primary Source One of the beat poets, Ferlinghetti captures an alternative perspective on life in postwar America in this poem. Woolworth Counter Strike Resource Type: Primary Source In 1960, students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College, a historically black institution, defied segregation by sitting at the luncheon counter of the F.W. Woolworth store in Greensboro. African Americans and the Civil War Resource Type: Document-Based Question This rich variety of primary sources allows students to evaluate the role and historical agency of African Americans. When W. E. B. DuBois wrote Black Reconstruction in America (1935), he quoted a contemporary historian who gave no credit to African Americans for the freedom they won. These documents provide evidence of the roles African Americans played in the history of the Civil War and the larger history of their fight for freedom and equality. Freedom Petition of Massachusetts Slaves Resource Type: Primary Source Four slaves submitted this letter to the provincial legislature in Massachusetts on April 20, 1773. First Continental Congress Declaration and Resolves Resource Type: Primary Source Representatives of twelve of the thirteen original colonies met in Philadelphia in September and October of 1774 to develop a common response to the Coercive (Intolerable) Acts. Common Sense Resource Type: Primary Source Thomas Paine (1737–1809) was born in England and emigrated to the colonies in 1774. In Common Sense, Paine articulates his argument for independence. Abigail Adams to John Adams Resource Type: Primary Source In 1776, Abigail Adams wrote a letter to her husband, John Adams, who was then attending the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. Manumission of Slaves in North Carolina Resource Type: Primary Source In the wake of the Revolution, many Southern states liberalized their provisions for manumission. By 1790, slaveholders could manumit their slaves throughout the South, except in North Carolina. The Declaration of Independence Resource Type: Primary Source In the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress asserted American independence from Britain and justified its decision to do so by citing a series of alleged violations of American rights. Memoirs of Captain Alexander Graydon Resource Type: Primary Source Alexander Graydon (1752–1818), a captain in the Continental army, recounted the problems he encountered as he recruited men to fight the war, and he commented on the meaning of the Revolution. A Whig Freeholder on Emancipation Resource Type: Primary Source Pennsylvania, like many of the Northern states, established gradual emancipation. Rewards for Revolutionary War Veterans Resource Type: Primary Source North Carolina, like other states, rewarded veterans of the American Revolution with the granting of land and slaves. The Constitution and Slavery Resource Type: Primary Source The Constitution's clauses relating to slavery did not mention the word "slavery.” Benjamin Rush on the Confederation Resource Type: Primary Source Benjamin Rush (c. 1745–1813) was an American physician and signer of the Declaration of Independence. He served as a member of the Continental Congress (1776–77) and for a time in the Continental army; he was also a member of the Pennsylvania convention that ratified the U.S. Constitution. Jefferson on Slavery Resource Type: Primary Source Jefferson questioned the effects of slavery and slaveholding, and foretold its end. Otis on the Rights of the British Colonies Resource Type: Primary Source James Otis (1725–83) was a political activist during the period leading up to the American Revolution. In pamphlets, he articulated grievances against the British government. Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death Resource Type: Primary Source At the second Virginia Convention, on March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry (1736–99) delivered this speech in which he argued that war with Great Britain was inevitable. Lord Dunmore's Call to Slaves Resource Type: Primary Source In November 1775, Lord Dunmore called on slaves to desert their masters and join the British army. Vermont's Constitution, 1777 Resource Type: Primary Source The 1777 Vermont constitution included a clause that allowed for gradual emancipation. Freedom Petition of New Hampshire Slaves Resource Type: Primary Source During the revolutionary era, many slaves petitioned colonial or state legislatures for their freedom and filed freedom suits, such as the one submitted by Nero Brewster, a slave, in Portsmouth on November 12, 1779. An Act for Enfranchising Ned Griffin Resource Type: Primary Source In the wake of the Revolution, many Southern states liberalized their provisions for manumission. This came to an end between 1810 and 1820, as Southern lawmakers restricted, and in some cases barred, manumission. Manumission of Slaves in Maryland Resource Type: Primary Source In the wake of the Revolution, many Southern states liberalized their provisions for manumission. This period of liberalized manumission came to an end between 1810 and 1820. Jefferson on Emancipation Resource Type: Primary Source Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), in this letter to Edward Coles (1786–1868), maintained that emancipation was a task for the younger generation. The Environmental Movements Resource Type: Document-Based Question The larger issues of western expansion, industrialization, urbanization, and progressivism are explored in this DBQ on the environmental movements that arose at the end of the nineteenth century. Women and the Progressive Era Resource Type: Document-Based Question The discussion of women at the end of the nineteenth century and beginning of the twentieth century is often separated into different chapters and topics. This DBQ asks students to combine what they have learned about American society and about the changing roles and perceptions of women to evaluate the women's movement during the Progressive Era. The Yellow Wall Paper Resource Type: Primary Source Charlotte Perkins Gilman was a well-educated American woman who became depressed after her marriage in 1884. Diagnosed with neurasthenia and prescribed the "rest-cure,"she later wrote about her experience in The Yellow Wall Paper, published in 1899. Black Women and the National Council of Women Resource Type: Primary Source Adella Hunt Logan, a leading member of the Tuskegee Women's Club, argued on behalf of the National Association of Colored Women that black women should be included in the National Council of Women in the United States. Striking Shirtwaist-Makers Selling Socialist Newspaper Resource Type: Primary Source Many Jewish women were very involved in labor and socialist movements, as seen in this 1910 photograph of striking shirtwaist-makers selling copies of The Call, the New York socialist daily. Letter of a Woman Homesteader Resource Type: Primary Source Elinore Pruitt Stewart was one of many female homesteaders. In 1914, her letters were published in Letters of a Woman Homesteader. One letter, dated October 14, 1911, is reproduced below. Margaret Sanger on Working Women Resource Type: Primary Source Margaret Sanger became nationally famous for organizing a birth-control movement. In this 1915 issue of the International Socialist Review, Sanger discusses working women. The Rebel Girl Resource Type: Primary Source Joe Hill, lyricist and labor activist, wrote songs for the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), including this tribute to the women involved in the IWW. The First Loan Fund Recipient Resource Type: Primary Source Frances Johnson was the first recipient of a college loan from a branch of the American Association of University Women. This enabled her to attend Cornell University. She is discussed in the minutes of the branch, published in 1925. Marriage Rates of Alumnae Resource Type: Primary Source This table shows the marriage rates of women who graduated from a variety of American colleges during the period of 1820–1930. Growth of Woman's Christian Temperance Union Resource Type: Primary Source This 1959 chart shows the growth in membership of women involved in the movement to prohibit the consumption of alcohol. Scientific Advances and Thinking Resource Type: Document-Based Question By the late-nineteenth century, science and scientific thought influenced American intellectual life and culture. The documents attached to this DBQ allow students to assess how the achievements of science were both admired and feared. Evolution and Religion Resource Type: Primary Source Reverend Henry Ward Beecher, one of the most famous Congregational preachers of his day, involved himself in controversy when he accepted Charles Darwin's theories of evolution. The Warfare of Science with Theology Resource Type: Primary Source Andrew D. White was an American educator who wrote about the controversial reactions to Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species in his book, A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom, published in 1896. Mrs. Marion Crocker on the Conservation Imperative Resource Type: Primary Source Mrs. Marion Crocker of the General Federation of Women's Clubs wholeheartedly endorsed the conservation movement, and the scientific basis on which it stood, in this 1912 speech to the Fourth Annual Conservation Congress. Social Darwinism: Its Influence and Legacy Resource Type: Document-Based Question Social Darwinism is usually understood as an ideology that justified survival of the fittest, that argued against government intervention or social reform to improve society. The documents in this DBQ, however, point to the complexity of social-Darwinist thought, considering how a progressive version fueled the Progressive Era and how a conservative strand exerted tremendous influence in American political thought. Principles of American Reform Judaism Resource Type: Primary Source In 1885, American Reform rabbis met in Pittsburgh to outline the basic principles of American Reform Judaism. Sanger on Mammals Resource Type: Primary Source Margaret Sanger became a nationally famous social reformer. Here she teaches children about mammals. Southern Society: Religion and Slavery Resource Type: Document-Based Question Using this DBQ, students will examine the paradoxical role of religion in the lives of slaves in the antebellum South. Different kinds of religion are explored as students confront the ways in which religion served to liberate or to oppress slaves. Equiano: A Slave's Autobiography Resource Type: Primary Source Olaudah Equiano was enslaved as a child after he and his sister were kidnapped in Africa. His autobiography offers a rare comparison of African and American cultures. A Slave Funeral Resource Type: Primary Source Charles Ball was a slave in western Maryland. In the following excerpt, he describes a slave funeral. Family Worship on a Plantation Resource Type: Primary Source This picture illustrates a family worshiping on a plantation in South Carolina. Note the African American preacher and both black and white worshipers. The Master-Slave Relationship Resource Type: Document-Based Question The recent scholarship on slavery explores the complex relationship between master and slave and re-examines the historical agency of slaves. In reading the slave narratives provided in this DBQ, students can assess how slaves tried to retain their dignity in the worst of circumstances. Dred Scott Decision Resource Type: Primary Source The following excerpt is from the majority decision in the case of Dred Scott v. Sandford. Written by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, it addresses the question of African American citizenship and slavery in the territories. A New Masculinity Resource Type: Point-Counterpoint Historians are grappling with the changing definitions of American male identity that developed at the end of the nineteenth century. Casey Blake argues that American men were looking for ways to "compensate" for what they regarded as the feminine elements of modern life, particularly those brought about by rapid urbanization and industrialization. In response, a new definition of manhood, what Blake terms "aggressive male individualism," emerged. A teacher examines the interpretations of Gail Bederman and Susan Curtis. Young Generation's Response to Victorian Culture Resource Type: Point-Counterpoint Casey Blake explains why the generation of educated Americans that came of age during the 1880s and 1890s rejected the Victorian culture of their parents, which focused on maintaining rigid control and creating an order to life. A teacher examines competing interpretations and finds that historian George Cotkin does not regard the break from Victorian culture as having been as dramatic as Blake and Lewis Erenberg insist. Science and Religion Resource Type: Point-Counterpoint Casey Blake argues that Americans in the late nineteenth century were excited about new scientific developments but were also somewhat fearful—or at least ambivalent—about how science might alter religious and moral values. Historians differ on the nature and extent of the tension between religious faith and a scientific approach to knowledge, which Americans sought to resolve. A teacher examines the subtleties of Charles Rosenberg, James Turner, and Paul Croce. Social Darwinism Resource Type: Point-Counterpoint The doctrine of Social Darwinism was historically interpreted in a variety of ways, and as such it was used to defend a host of ideological perspectives, which in some cases conflicted with one another. A teacher examines the competing interpretations of Richard Hofstadter, Robert Bannister, and Mike Hawkins. Women and Social Reform Resource Type: Classroom Simulation In this simulation, students will be assigned the role of a prominent, late-nineteenth-century, middle-class American woman. The goal is to understand the changing perceptions and roles of women in Progressive-era America, as they took on leadership roles in a variety of associational groups such as the YWCA and the Red Cross. Social Darwinism Resource Type: Classroom Simulation This simulation captures American society in 1900 and presents a fictional meeting of educators. In their respective roles, students will debate the ways in which educational reform can improve American society. Students will understand how different strands of social-Darwinist thought informed American life, culture, and politics, imposing a legacy which continues to affect American education as well as the larger society. Compromise Between the North and South Resource Type: Classroom Simulation In this dramatic simulation students will explore the possibility of an eleventh-hour compromise between the North and the South on the eve of the Civil War (1861–65). Students will understand how mounting tensions in the 1850s eventually led to the outbreak of war. Decisions of Slaves to Leave the Plantation: Should I Stay or Should I Go? Resource Type: Classroom Simulation In this simulation students will examine the very complex decision that slaves faced regarding whether to leave the plantations in the early years of the Civil War and whether to join the Union forces. Students will understand how a single decision gravely affected the lives of slaves, their families, the outcome of the war, and even the period of Reconstruction. The American Revolution and Slavery Resource Type: Document-Based Question The revolutionary era (1775–89) gave birth to contradictory definitions of freedom and equality. For some, freedom and equality entailed the right to property, including slave property. For others, freedom and equality implied universal entitlements that applied to all individuals, including slaves. This DBQ offers students the opportunity to debate these contradictory definitions by analyzing the definition of freedom each author uses in the provided documents. The Frontier in American History Resource Type: Primary Source After the 1890 census, the historian Frederick Jackson Turner wrote an essay on the role of the American frontier in shaping the American character. Roosevelt on Physical Health Resource Type: Primary Source The future president, Theodore Roosevelt, discusses the importance of physical health and strength for American males. The New World: Origins of Slavery Resource Type: Document-Based Question The following primary sources, focusing on Bacon's Rebellion, help students understand the condition of freemen and indentured servants on the eve of the revolt and how colonial legislation helped institutionalize slavery in the southern colonies. Colonial Society and Economy Resource Type: Document-Based Question Colonial society (Virginia in particular) changed from a society with slaves to a slave society, where slavery was the foundation of the economic and social order. This selection of primary sources allows students to understand how commerce and agricultural production caused slavery to replace indentured servitude in the southern colonies and to create new forms of wealth. Bacon's Rebellion: Colonial Society and Politics Resource Type: Classroom Simulation In this simulation, which focuses on Bacon's Rebellion, students will recreate colonial society with a view to understanding how the legal and economic infrastructure of the colonies facilitated the development of slavery. The American Revolution and the Meaning of Equality Resource Type: Classroom Simulation In this simulation, which recreates the Revolutionary era, students are asked to probe and debate the contemporary meanings of freedom and equality. They will examine the defining principles of the Founding Fathers and the U.S. Constitution, with a view toward understanding their impact on American political institutions and thought. Middle-Class America and Its Discontents Resource Type: Classroom Simulation This simulation asks students to place themselves in a Greenwich Village coffeehouse on the eve of the 1960s. Replicating a broad spectrum of American society, from conservatives to counterculture critics, students will understand how the fifties represented an era of consensus that paradoxically carried the seeds of protest that would fuel the rebellion of the sixties. Industrialization and Sectionalism Resource Type: Classroom Simulation In this simulation, which examines the economic expansion and industrialization of the United States, students confront the increasing economic interdependence of the North and the South. The menacing tensions between the social and cultural realities of the two regions will be examined as students come to understand the many causes of the Civil War (1861–1865). Civil-Rights Debate: Where Do We Go from Here? Resource Type: Classroom Simulation In this simulation students are asked to represent a variety of figures from American society in the 1960s. The goal is to understand the complex nature of race relations and power politics in the United States—especially how individuals and events at home and abroad influenced the civil-rights movement. Mapping Early New York City Resource Type: Classroom Simulation In this innovative simulation students learn the skills of mapping. Although focused here on the early history of New York City, these skills can be applied to any urban center in any time period. Moot Court: Central Park on Trial Resource Type: Classroom Simulation This simulation, a moot court, engages students in social and moral reform. By exploring how nineteeth-century social and political elites dispossessed various groups such as African Americans in order to build Central Park, students will understand how the present-day problems of gentrification and urban renewal have their roots in nineteeth-century reform. Allure of the New Resource Type: Primary Source Archibald MacLeish, Librarian of Congress | |
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