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.
Wendell Phillips Speaks Out in Support of Reconstruction (en español)
In Spanish, this speech by abolitionist Wendell Phillips illustrate the shift in public opinion about Reconstruction in the North.
"Of Course He Votes the Democratic Ticket" (1876)
A political cartoon by Thomas Nast from Harper’s Weekly depicts the intimidation techniques that the Democratic Party used to suppress the votes of Black Southerners in the election of 1876.
"Of Course He Votes the Democratic Ticket” (en español)
Wood engraving by Thomas Nast from Harper’s Weekly (1876)
Excerpts from the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment
This reading contains excerpts from the Emanicipation Proclimation and the Thirteenth Amendment.
Excerpts from the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment (en español)
In Spanish, this reading contains excerpts from the Emanicipation Proclimation and the Thirteenth Amendment.
Petition from the Colored Washerwomen
In 1866, Black women laundry workers in Jackson, Mississippi, joined together to protest low wages.
Petition from the Colored Washerwomen (en español)
In Spanish, in 1866, Black women laundry workers in Jackson, Mississippi, joined together to protest low wages.
Pardon/Franchise Engravings by Thomas Nast
Wood engravings by Thomas Nast depict the tension between the demands of healing and justice during the Reconstruction era.
"Shall We Call Home Our Troops?" (1875)
Wood engraving by Thomas Nast from Harper's Weekly depicting the reaction of the radical South toward African Americans after the North does not follow up their promises.
"The Birth of a Nation" Summarizes Reconstruction
Title cards, or intertitles, from The Birth of a Nation, a 1915 film portraying D.W. Griffith's racist vision of life in the South during the Civil war era.
We Need a New American Founding
Scholar Eddie S. Glaude draws from the history of Reconstruction and the the Civil Rights movement to call for a “new American founding.” This reading is available in Spanish.