Smithsonian's History Explorer Resources Related To "Separate is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education Homepage"

Slave Life and the Underground Railroad Homepage

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 12:32:44 GMT

Students will learn about slavery, slave life and the Underground Railroad in this OurStory module. OurStory is a series of modules designed by the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History to help children and adults enjoy exploring history together through the use of objects from the Museum's vast collections, quality children's literature, and engaging hands-on activities. Ideal for afterschool use, OurStory resources allow students to think critically, to be creative, and to achieve academic standards both in and out of the classroom.

Preparing for the Oath: Courts

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 10:40:34 GMT

Learn more about the judicial branch of the government through short videos, mini-activities, and practice questions in this segment of Preparing for the Oath: U.S. History and Civics for Citizenship. The four questions included in this segment cover topics such as the purpose of the Supreme Court and the number of justices that serve on it.

This site was designed with the needs of recent immigrants in mind. It is written at a “low-intermediate” ESL level.

Japanese Americans and the U.S. Constitution Homepage

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 08:52:26 GMT

In this online exhibition, students will explore the experiences of Japanese Americans who were placed in internment camps during World War II, a period of history when racial prejudice and fear upset the delicate balance between the rights of citizens and the power of the state. The story is told through interactive galleries that combine photographs, objects, oral histories, and first-person accounts. Students will be able to share their responses to what they have learned on a comment board that is included in the exhibition as well as search more than 800 artifacts from the Smithsonian Collection. Also included are links to related activities, Web sites, a bibliography and more resources about this topic. A non-flash version of the site is available at http://americanhistory.si.edu/perfectunion/non-flash/overview.html.

Stories of Freedom & Justice: Learning Resources

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 11:07:52 GMT

With the right resources, learners of any age can engage with the topics of nonviolence and civil rights. This webpage is a gateway to lesson plans, videos, family activities, and instructional media related to the nonviolent civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. The content within these resources will help students build familiarity with the civil rights movement and encourage them to think critically about civil rights in the past and today.

Featured resources include videos and a teacher guide of the Museum's award-winning Join the Student Sit-Ins program, literacy-based family activities on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the student sit-ins in Greensboro, North Carolina, and an archived webcast of an oral history of the three surviving members of the Greensboro Four.

Treasures of American History: National Challenges

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 14:56:27 GMT

In this section of the online exhibition Treasures of American History, students will learn that by understanding the challenges of the past, they can draw lessons and inspiration for confronting new challenges in the present and future. The topics discussed in this section are: the American Revolution; slavery; westward expansion; the Civil War, women's suffrage, the Great Depression and World War II, the Civil Rights movement and AIDS. A Spanish version of the exhibition is available on the exhibition's homepage.