Alabama Course of Study: US History to 1877, Grade
10
Below you will find the 2004 version of the ALCOS
for Social Studies, grade 10. Beneath each standard
are links to web resources that may
be useful
to
you and your students.
Contrast effects of economic, geographic,
social, and political conditions before and after
European
explorations of the fifteenth through seventeenth
centuries on Europeans, American colonists, and indigenous
Americans.
Famous Explorers
Provides brief biographies of famous explorers from the Age of Exploration,
including a chart of names, national origins, and regions travelled/discovered.
42 Explore.com: Explorers
Provides links to web pages offering information about explorers from several
countries as well as related games and WebQuests.
PBS.org:
Conquistadors
Provides information, pictures, and learning activities about conquistadors
Cabeza de Vaca, Cortes, Orellana, and Pizarro, with special resources for students
and teachers. Companion site to PBS documentary "the Conquistadors."
Primary Sources
Links to primary sources recounting early exploration, including excerpts from
journals of explorers. Unfortunately, many of the links no longer work, but
there are still enough valuable resources with active links to make it worthwhile.
The Early Modern World
Part of Fordham University's Internet History Sourcebooks Project, which provides
general sites with links to documents on various explorers.
Explorer Interviews Lesson
Plan
Brief lesson plan designed for elementary grades in which students research
explorers, write questions and answers, and role play to perform the interviews.
Could easily be modified for secondary students.
Lessons of the
Explorers
Linked resources with suggested classroom activities to help teachers plan
a successful lesson on the early explorers.
Explore the Explorers
Online
Article from Education World with more ideas for classroom activities that
can be incorporated into lessons about early explorers.
Exploration through the
Ages
The Mariner’s Museum online exhibit, "Exploration Through the Ages." Includes
information on individual explorers, ships, navigational tools, and the voyages
themselves. The site also lists suggested student activities, including a few
online games.
LOC-Discovery and Exploration
Library of Congress American Memory collection which documents the discovery
and exploration of the Americas with both manuscripts and published maps.
Cyberspace
Explorer: Getting to Know Christopher Columbus
This lesson supports third- through fifth-grade students' exploration of multiple
online sources to gather information about the life of Christopher Columbus.
After completing a cyber scavenger hunt, students use their notes to prepare
a timeline and summary report.
Images of Christopher
Columbus & His Voyages
Collection of Library of Congress prints with captions, including portraits
of Christopher Columbus and depictions of his voyages to the Americas.
Age of Explorers
Online exhibit by the Mariners' Museum detailing the history of maritime exploration.
Virtual Jamestown.org Digital archive of documents, interactive
maps, and teaching activities about the Jamestown
settlement and the "Virginia Experiment."
Virtual
Jamestown Colony
links to lesson plans on Jamestown, including corporate colonization, development
of government, economic matters, organization of society, and broader themes
of Jamestown settlement.
RACE: The Power
of Illusion
Companion website to PBS documentary with a high-school lesson plan which examines
race-based slavery in Jamestown.
About.com: Colonial
America
This website contains links to documents about the first settlements, the Declaration
of Independence, among other things. It also includes some quizzes, timelines,
and articles.
Religion in 18th Century America
Three-lesson unit plan on the Great Awakening and
the role of religion in the colonies and early
America.
Mary Rowlandson
This website is dedicated to Mary Rowlandson and contains a brief biographical
sketch and some links to sources and other sites on Rowlandson’s life
and captivity.
13
Colonies Map Quiz
This website features a map quiz of the original 13 colonies. Students are
tested on their ability to use a compass rose and their knowledge of the location
of each colony.
A
Colonial Family and Community Webquest In this webquest from the Henry Ford Museum,
students will go back in time and investigate the
daily lives of the Daggetts, a colonial family
from northeastern Connecticut. They will collect
clues to uncover answers to 7 questions about colonial
life in the 1700s.
Colonial
Williamsburg
The Colonial Williamsburg website has facts and pictures about places, clothing,
people, slaves, and other things of colonial interest. It also has an online
fieldtrip of Colonial Williamsburg, links to teacher resources, timelines,
and libraries.
Rare Map
Collection-Colonial America
The website of the Hargrett Library's rare map collection, which contains digitized
versions maps of the Americas, from 1625-1744
13
Original Colonies
This is a website dedicated to information on the original 13 colonies, with
facts, activities, and links on colonial history and life.
Congress
for Kids: The Original Thirteen Colonies This website features tests, games, puzzles,
web quests, and other activities about the colonies.
The activities range from easy to difficult, and
there are additional links to pages for the Declaration
of Independence, Democracy, and the Articles of
Confederation.
Social Studies
for Kids
This website allows you to click on the colonies to find out more information
about their founding, with links to more information.
Poems of Phyllis
Wheatley
Link to an online book of poetry by Phyllis Wheatley, provided by the University
of Oregon
Master
of Life Speaks to the Wolf Speech by the Prophet Neolin of the Delaware
Indians, which discusses American Indians adopting
European customs and accepting their presence.
Salem
Witch Trials
Discovery Channel lesson plan for studying the Salem Witch Trials through a
discussion of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible.
The Salem Witch Trials,
1692
EyeWitness to History website with a summary of the Salem Witch trials, images,
and excerpts from primary sources.
African
Slave Trade and European Imperialism
Timeline of the history of slavery from the 15th Century through the early
19th Century. Each section of the timeline contains links to sites that provide
primary and secondary source material for the era/date in question.
Trace the chronology of events leading to the American
Revolution, including the French and Indian War,
the Stamp Act, the Boston Tea Party, the Intolerable
Acts, the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the publication
of Common Sense, and the Declaration of
Independence.
Pro-Teacher
Lesson Plans
This is a list of links to websites and lesson plans focusing on the Revolutionary
War.
The
Charters of Freedom
Interactive website on the documents of the American Revolution and the new government
(The Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights) provided
by the National Archives.
American War for Independence
Unit plan for teaching the American Revolution
which divides the war into spheres based on geography and chronology: North, South, and Ending
the War. It primary sources to examine the
battles and politics of the war.
Describe the political system of the United States
based on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
James Madison.com A collection of links to external lesson plans
for teaching about the Constitution
Signers
of the Constitution
National Archives website with biographical information about the signers of
the Constitution.
Signers Word Search
An advanced word search on the signers of the Constitution for grades 9-12.
National Endowment for the
Humanities
NEH website with ideas for celebrating Constitution Day and resources for classroom
activities, including pictures and primary source texts.
Teaching
With Documents: Observing Constitution Day
National Archives site on teaching with documents for Constitution Day. Includes
a painting of the signing of the Constitution and links to short biographies
of the signers.
The
Charters of Freedom
Interactive website on the documents of the
American Revolution and the new government
(The Declaration of Independence, Constitution,
and Bill of Rights)
provided by the National Archives.
In
Congress Assembled
Unit plan of four lessons which uses primary source documents to teach students
about the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and early issues discussed by Congress
in the founding of the United States. Grades 6-12
We the
People
Discovery Channel lesson plan: By gathering images from modern media (newspapers,
magazines, television, and/or the Internet) students will show how the meaning
of the Preamble is reflected in current American culture
The First Political
Cartoons
Archiving Early America's website features the first American political cartoons,
with explanations and downloadable images.
Benjamin
Banneker.
Short biography of Benjamin Banneker from About.com. Includes a photo gallery
of scanned images from his almanacs, including a portrait.
American Treasures
of the LOC.
Provides a picture of L'Enfant's original map and a link to the main online
exhibit, with more pictures of early buildings and designs in Washington, D.C.
Congressional Pugilists
Library of Congress political cartoon showing the fight on the floor of Congress
between Matthew Lyon and Roger Griswold in 1798. The image could be
used to illustrate the political tensions of the time period and as an exercise
in analyzing cartoons.
Sparknotes: The
Federalist Papers
Sparknotes page for The Federalist Papers, with summaries, analysis, timelines,
biographical information, and study questions pertaining to the various essays.
GradeSaver:
The Federalist Papers
Summary and analysis for each of the essays, with a link to the online text
of each one. Requires a subscription; however, a few examples are available
free of charge.
Letters from an
American Farmer
Links to the Letters from the American Farmer. Lengthy, but useful primary
source material for higher level secondary courses.
The Federalist and Anti-federalist Debates on
Diversity and the Extended Republic
In the unit, students will examine some of the
most important arguments of those opposing or supporting
the Constitution and the government's interpretation
of it. They will learn why Anti-federalists believed
that a large nation could not long preserve liberty
and self-government and why Federalists such as
James Madison believed that a large nation was
vital to promote justice and the security of rights
for all citizens.
Identify key cases that helped shape the United
States Supreme Court, including Marbury versus
Madison, McCullough versus Maryland, and Cherokee
Nation versus Georgia.
Street Law.org
Website devoted to providing resources to teachers
to further the discussion and understanding of
major supreme court cases in the classroom.
Describe relations of the United States with Britain
and France from 1781 to 1823, including the XYZ Affair,
the War of 1812, and the Monroe Doctrine.
The War of 1812
This "1812 experience" is comprised of numerous articles, quality book reviews
and offers, extensive links, and the largest collection of War of 1812 images
on the internet.
Turning Points in History: The
War of 1812
Lesson plan on the War of 1812
in which students are “investigative reporters,” researching
primary source documents to learn about specific battles and events. Modifiable
for grades 4-12.
President Madison's
1812 War Message
Mini-unit consisting of three lessons which analyze Madison's speech, its context,
and its implications. Students read the speech and a variety of other primary
source documents which influenced or responded to the speech. Grades 9-12.
War
Message PDF – President Madison's speech
in PDF format, edited and annotated for use in
the lesson listed above; however, this document
could also be used to supplement another lesson
of your own.
Thomas H. Warner Letters Five of Maryland soldier Thomas H. Warner's
letters written during the War of 1812. Scanned
images and typed transcriptions are provided for
each letter.
The Sedition Act
Series of lesson plans for grades 9-12 which investigates
the Sedition Act, the atmosphere of US-French relations,
partisan disagreements over the US response to
the XYZ affair which led to its passage, and the
act's larger consequences.
Describe the development of a distinct
culture within the United States between the American
Revolution
and the Civil War, including the impact of the Second
Great Awakening and writings of James Fenimore Cooper,
Henry David Thoreau, and Edgar Allan Poe.
Beginnings of the Second Great Awakening
Brief Summaries of historical context and primary
source documents for teaching about the Second
Great Awakening; includes the Cane Ridge Revival
and the Temperance Movement.
Religion and the New Republic
Library of Congress online exhibit outlining the
impact of religion on early America. Includes
many primary source documents, photographs, etc.,
as well as descriptive summaries of different
groups and practices that emerged during the
Second Awakening.
Teacher's Guide to Edgar Allan Poe
National Endowment for the Arts teacher's guide
to the stories and poems of Edgar Allan Poe.
Includes lessons on specific works and background
information on the writer, as well as suggested
resources.
Teaching Thoreau
Resources for educators of students from elementary
to post-secondary on teaching about Henry David
Thoreau and Transcendentalism in America.
James Fenimore Cooper Society
Website with background information on the author,
online texts of Cooper's writings, and other
teaching resources.
Trace the development of efforts to abolish slavery
prior to the Civil War.
The
Amistad Case
Background and documents for teaching about
the Amistad Case with primary source documents,
from the National Archives website.
Gilder
Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance,
and Abolition
Yale collection of over two hundred online versions of historical documents
pertaining to slaver, links to other websites about slavery. A teacher page
includes lesson ideas and other resources meant specifically for classroom
use.
On
An Underground Railroad
History Happens music video which uses historical paintings and lyrics to tell
the story of the underground railroad. The "Teacher Support" area
includes suggestions for how to use the video in the classroom.
Frederick
Douglass
National Parks Service online exhibit on the life of Frederick Douglass and
his home, now a museum, in Washington, D.C.
Timeline of Abolitionism
Digital History timeline of abolitionism from
1644 to 1964 in North America.
National
Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Website for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, with a history
of slavery, the underground railroad, lesson plans, and links to other online
resources.
The Underground
Railroad
National Geographic website that allows students to take an interactive journey
on the Underground Railroad.
Summarize major legislation and court decisions
from 1800 to 1861 that led to increasing sectionalism,
including the Missouri Compromise of 1820, the Compromise
of 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act, the Kansas-Nebraska
Act, and the Dred Scott decision.
Nullification Crisis
Lesson Plan on the Nullification Crisis which has
students examine primary source documents and discuss
the justifications for nullification as well as
the economic basis for the crisis.
The Growing Crisis of Sectionalism in Antebellum
America: A House Divided
Unit Plan covering the Missouri Compromise, Nullification
Crisis, slavery versus anti-slavery, the Kansas-Nebraska
Act, and the election of Abraham Lincoln, which shows
how these events deepen the rift between North and
South and culminate in civil war.
Describe how the course, character, and effects
of the Civil War influenced the United States.
Mr.
Lincoln's Virtual Library
Library of Congress online collection of
documents, including speeches, maps, photographs,
and other primary source material relevant
to Lincoln's presidency.
Also includes links to other useful online collections.
Lincoln
Bicentennial
Teacher resource page with lesson plans and ideas for all grade levels on the
life of Abraham Lincoln.
The
Civil War for Kids
Class-made website on the Civil War which includes a timeline, brief biographies,
maps, and images of flags, uniforms, and important figures. Also includes several
classroom activities.
History
Place Civil War Timeline
Timeline of important historical events during the Civil War, beginning with
the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and ending with the passage of the
13th Amendment in 1865. Includes photographs and links to more information
on various people, battles, and events, etc.
The
Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the
Civil War
University of Virginia collection of newspapers, slave owner contracts, census
records, and Freedmen’s Bureau records for Augusta County, Virginia,
from the antebellum through postwar periods.
American
Civil War Homepage
Links to a wealth of resources (primary and secondary) for teaching about the
Civil War, including music, images, biographies, etc.
A [Union]
Soldier's Diary
Online version of the memoirs, diary, and letters of Civil War Private Jefferson
Moses of Illinois.
Civil
War Maps
Downloadable images of Maps of Civil War era geography and battlefields from
the Rare Maps collection at the University of Georgia.
Camp
Life
Online exhibit from the Gettysburg National Military Park which introduces
students to Civil War Camp life. Includes an image gallery of photographs
and common objects (books, games, equipment) from Civil War camps.
Symbols
of Honor
Online exhibit of the various flags used at different times and places during
the Civil War.
Civil
War Medicine
Brief site on medical technology and advancement during the Civil War, with
a few photos and drawings from the era.
Teaching
With Historic Places
List of lesson plans for teaching about the Civil War using various sites on
the historic register, provided by the National Parks Service. Includes a lesson
on the Alabama battle for Mobile Bay at Fort Morgan.
Alfred
Whital Stern Collection of Lincolniana
Library of Congress collection which documents the life of Abraham Lincoln.
Includes documents by and about Lincoln, photographs, and other items concerning
issues relevant to Lincoln's presidency (i.e. slavery, Civil War, reconstruction).
Band
Music from the Civil War Era
Scanned sheet music, online recordings, and a historical overview of band music
from the Civil War era, from the Library of Congress American Memory Collection.
Civil
War Treasures
Collection of photographs, letters, diaries, and posters from the Civil War,
collected by the New York Historical Society and made available by the Library
of Congress.
Civil
War Battles by State
List of all Civil War battles organized by state, with links to more information
about each one (including its location, commanders, campaigns, casualties,
results, and a paragraph description).
Buffalo Soldiers
Online exhibit from the International Museum of the Horse about the Buffalo
Soldiers on the western frontier.
The
Civil War and Emancipation
Summary from PBS's Africans in America series which outlines the events that
took place during the Civil War which led to the Emancipation Proclamation.
Emancipation
Proclamation: Featured Document
National Archives' online images of the five-page original document, with a
brief summary of events and links to a transcribed, printer-friendly version.
Ben's
Guide to the Emancipation Proclamation
Brief summary of the state of the country when the proclamation was issued,
with a map of slave and free states, and links to an online version of the
document.
The
Emancipation Proclamation: Freedom's First Steps
EDSITEment lesson plan for grades 9-12 in which students read and analyze the
Emancipation Proclamation, the reaction of African-Americans, and the significance
of the document.
Contrast congressional and presidential reconstruction
plans, including African-American political participation.
American
Experience: Reconstruction
Companion website to PBS program with many helpful resources for learning about
Reconstruction, including primary sources, interactive maps, and a teaching
guide.
Andrew Johnson
Documents on Andrew Johnson impeachment from Harper's Weekly which includes
political cartoons, a simulation game, and links to primary source documents,
etc.
Resources on Impeachment
Documents on impeachment from Auburn University in PDF format, which offer
information about the process of impeachment in general, as well as information
about Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton.
Research Guide
on Impeachment
A comprehensive site provided by the LOC's American Memory Project which provides
historical background information and external links to commentary, government
documents, indexes, and guides on impeachment.
The Battle over Reconstruction
This curriculum unit of three lessons examines
the social, political and economic conditions
of the southern states in the aftermath of
the Civil War and shows how these factors
helped to shape the Reconstruction debate
as well as the subsequent history of American
race relations.
