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.
Segregation and Precipitating Events
This excerpt from an FBI investigation of the murder of Emmett Till describes some of the Southern norms that were created to enforce white supremacy.
Mississippi Miscegenation Laws
This document lists in chronological order the evolution of Mississippi miscegenation laws between 1865 and 1942.
The Brown Decision
This document gives students the immediate historical context of the Till murder by summarizing the segregationist reaction to the Brown decision and the emergence of White Citizens’ Councils in Mississippi.
Quotes from the Mississippi Constitutional Convention 1890
This source includes quotes from delegates at the 1890 Mississippi Constitutional Convention asserting the desire to create a government to uphold white supremacy.
A Latina Mother Responds to Conditions at School
Historian Tatiana Cruz describes what a Latina mother saw when she visited her daughter’s school in Boston in the 1970s.
Forgetting Isn't Healing
Jouranlist Sonari Glinton connects Elie Wiesel’s teachings on bearing witness to his own experiences as a Black man in the United States.
There Was a Purpose in My Being There
Learn about the voter registration drives in the South during the civil rights movement through a volunteer’s first hand account.
Black Teen Shot in Mo. Was Unarmed
An article in the Washington Post about the events in Ferguson, published two days after the incident, provides larger context for the shooting.
Brown Remembered As a Gentle Giant
A profile of Michael Brown published two days after he was killed features recollections from friends and teachers and details of the community's response.
Committee for Freedom of the Press Letter
A letter in response to police detention and harassment of journalists, delivered to the Ferguson and St. Louis County Police departments and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
5 Facts About Angel Island and Ellis Island, 1910-1940
This reading outlines 5 Facts About Angel Island and Ellis Island from 1910-1940.