This site recounts the struggle for control of Hawaii between native Hawaiians and American business interests in the late 1800s. This 1897 petition and a lobbying effort by native Hawaiians convinced the U.S. Congress not to annex the islands. But months later the U.S.S. Maine exploded in Havana and the Spanish-American War began. The U.S. needed a mid-Pacific fueling station and naval base.

Primary source images, standards correlation, and teaching activities are included in this resource.

A lesson plan in which students create their own multi-media epic poems about the year 1900. Walt Whitman's Song of Myself and Hart Crane's The Bridge serve as artistic models for students, who also draw on life histories, sound recordings, and other primary resources.

The 3Plus-U site was developed to give you a view of the common concerns shared by millions of people who work. This digital adventure uses maps, games and stories to explore the issues of child labour, forced labour, discrimination and freedom of association in the workplace.

Several special fighting forces from the United States, made up of single ethnic groups, made significant contributions during World War II, including the African American Tuskegee Airmen and the Navajo Code Talkers. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was made up solely of Japanese Americans, some of whom were recruited directly from internment camps. (Some Japanese American men who would later become leaders, such as Senator Daniel Inouye, were members of the 442nd.) The images in this group provide a look at the lives and sacrifices of the men of the 442nd, the most highly decorated American unit in WWII. The photographs in this group were all taken for the government-run War Relocation Authority (WRA) and are meant to portray the proud patriotism of the men and their families. One photo shows three women holding their babies, with photographs of their enlisted husbands. Another is a portrait of an older couple who had five sons in the 442nd. Other photographs reflect the training the soldiers of the 442nd received, their life in the battlefield, and their triumphant homecoming. Other documents in this group show a more personal side of the men of the 442nd. One soldier's photo album depicts his personal experiences as a member of the combat team. A 50-page booklet, The Story of the 442nd Combat Team, compiled by members of the team, has this quote from Franklin D. Roosevelt on the dedication page: "Americanism is a matter of the mind and heart; Americanism is not and never was a matter of race and ancestry." On a more poignant note, oil paintings by Japanese American artist Henry Sugimoto reflect the emotions, pain, and suffering these individuals and their families experienced as a result of the war. In Senninbari (Thousand Stiches), a woman holds a scarf of remembrance as a ghostly Nisei soldier looks down from the sky. And in Send Off Husband at Jerome Camp, an internee family stays behind the camp gates as their soldier father/husband goes off to fight for the United States.

'The Word' with commentary by professor and historian A.B. Spellman focuses on the pardon and immunity granted to President Richard M. Nixon, based on a plea of depression. Spellman compares this to the treatment given to African Americans facing time in jail.

The complete Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress consists of approximately 20,000 documents. The collection is organized into three "General Correspondence" series which include incoming and outgoing correspondence and enclosures, drafts of speeches, and notes and printed material. Most of the 20,000 items are from the 1850s through Lincoln's presidential years, 1860-65. Treasures include Lincoln's draft of the Emancipation Proclamation, his March 4, 1865, draft of his second Inaugural Address, and his August 23, 1864, memorandum expressing his expectation of being defeated for re-election in the upcoming presidential contest. The Lincoln Papers are characterized by a large number of correspondents, including friends and associates from Lincoln's Springfield days, well-known political figures and reformers, and local people and organizations writing to their president. In its online presentation, the Abraham Lincoln Papers comprises approximately 61,000 images and 10,000 transcriptions

Abraham Lincoln’s Crossroads is an educational game based on the traveling exhibition Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War, which debuted at the National Constitution Center in June 2005. The online game is intended for advanced middle- and high-school students. It invites them to learn about Lincoln’s leadership by exploring the political choices he made. An animated Lincoln introduces a situation, asks for advice and prompts players to decide the issue for themselves, before learning the actual outcome. At the end of the game, players discover how frequently they predicted Lincoln’s actions. A Resources Page keyed to each chapter provides links to relevant Websites on Lincoln and the Civil War, permitting students to explore issues in more depth

Aggrery Mbere interview. Program focuses on the current political situation of Africa. Host Marita Rivero speaks separately with Aggrey Mbere (member of the South African National Congress and a current instructor at Roxbury Community College) and Mugelle Otieno about developing an organization by Africans for Africans to solve Africa's problems, revamping aid programs, Secretary of State Henry Kissenger's visit to Africa, MBere's participation in the United States Civil Rights struggle, whether there are true policy changes occurring in the United States, whether liberation will occur with or without outside forces, and how Communism will factor into the struggle. Program includes the 'Community Calendar.' Produced by Marita Muhammad Rivero.

The purpose of this course is to examine the African American experience in the United States from 1863 to the present. Prominent themes include the end of the Civil War and the beginning of Reconstruction; African Americans' urbanization experiences; the development of the modern civil rights movement and its aftermath; and the thought and leadership of Booker T. Washington, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, W.E.B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X. WARNING: Some of the lectures in this course contain graphic content and/or adult language that some users may find disturbing.

African American History II is a course that examines the broad range of experiences of African Americans from the close of the American Civil War to the 1980s. We will explore both the relationship of blacks to the larger society and the inner dynamic of the black community. We will devote particular attention to Reconstruction, the migration of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North, and the political machinations of the African American community.

This site showcases the African American collections of the Library of Congress. Displaying more than 240 items, including books, government documents, manuscripts, maps, musical scores, plays, films, and recordings, this is the largest black history exhibit ever held at the Library of Congress.

This site presents a review of African-American history and culture as seen through the practice of pamphleteering. The site includes sermons on racial pride and essays on segregation, voting rights, and violence against African-Americans.

This lesson introduces students to the role of African-Americans in WWII using news reel. This lesson is based on the understanding that students have already been exposed to news reel as primary source documents in the Social Studies classroom (this can be done in succession with Lesson #1 or as a stand alone lesson during African-American History Month or during a WWII unit).

Carmen Fields interviews Frank Hector (World War II veteran) and Ralph Cooper (Vietnam veteran) about their experiences in the military. Hector talks about the accomplishments of African American soldiers and war veterans. Hector says that the military is a good experience for young African Americans. Cooper talks about the disproportionate numbers of African American soldiers in the front lines and the lack of services for veterans of color. Hector and Cooper talk about their opinions of Colin Powell (Head, US Joint Chiefs of Staff). Field's report is accompanied by footage of Powell and soldiers during the Persian Gulf War. Fields reports that many African Americans join the military to escape the high unemployment rate in the African American community. Field's report is accompanied by footage of Reverend Michael Haynes (Twelfth Baptist Church) leading a church service at the Twelfth Baptist Church. Relatives of soldiers in the Persian Gulf War stand in front of the altar to pray for the soldiers. Fields interviews Haynes. Haynes says that African American soldiers must be granted equal rights and privileges when they return home from the war. Fields' report is accompanied by footage from interviews with people on the street about African American soldiers in the Persian Gulf War. This edition of the Ten O'Clock News also included the following item: Students at Boston University attend a prayer service for peace in the Persian Gulf. BU Theology students talk about the Persian Gulf War

'Dealin'' with poet and Pan African supporter Haki MadhubutiProgram focuses on the meaning, nature, and support of the liberation of African countries by African Americans. Program segments include an excerpt from Henry Johnson's film on the African Liberation Day March in Washington, DC, May 27, 1972 (including footage of Boston residents preparing for the trip to Washington, DC, and event speeches by Charles Diggs, Michigan Congressman and United Nations Delegate and organizer for African self-determination, and Elaine Brown, two years before she became President of the Black Panthers), 'Dealin'' with poet and Pan African supporter Haki Madhubuti (formerly Don L. Lee) discussing the nature of Pan Africanism, 'Commentary' by Askia Muhammad (poet, activist, and journalist) on the disparity between United States support of self-determination for nations and its actual practice in Africa, 'Information' on the meaning of 'African liberation,' interview and performance footage of vocalist Syreeta Wright, and segment interludes featuring Grover Washington (jazz musician), Tasha Thomas (of musical production The Wiz), and Fred Cash (of the musical group The Impressions). Produced by Marita Rivero. Directed by Conrad White.

Caroline Hunter comments on the struggle for African liberation. Guests Caroline Hunter, Dinizulu Ceitou (both of Boston's African Liberation Day Committee), and Christopher Nteta (of the Pan African Liberation Committee) discuss the liberation struggle in Mozambique with host Topper Carew. Topics include Frelimo (the African freedom fighters in Mozambique), the influence of African American support on the cause, the relationship between corporations and the seizure of African land, the need for violence to achieve liberation, the relationship between racism and colonization, and the need for African Americans to recognize that the African struggle is their own. Program includes a 30-minute film titled 'The Struggle Continues (A Luta Continua),' which documents the work of the resistance. Produced by Topper Carew. Directed by Conrad White.

Carmen Fields reports on the restoration of the African Meeting House on Beacon Hill. Fields reports that the Meeting House is the oldest African American church in the nation and that it was gutted by fire in 1973. Fields interviews Philip Hart (Board of Directors, African Meeting House) and Ruth Batson (Director, African Meeting House) for the report. Hart talks about the significance of the Meeting House. Batson talks about plans for music, scholarly debate, and religious services at the Meeting House. Fields notes that a series of rededication programs will begin soon. Fields' report is accompanied by footage of construction workers and staff at the Meeting House and by photographs documenting the history of African Americans in Boston.

This site explores the diversity of Africa's cultures and their influence on work, family, and community. Sculptures, textiles, interviews, proverbs, prayers, folk tales, and songs are included.

Sometime after 1492, the concept of the New World or America came into being, and this concept appeared differently — as an experience or an idea — for different people and in different places. This semester, we will read three groups of texts: first, participant accounts of contact between native Americans and French or English speaking Europeans, both in North America and in the Caribbean and Brazil; second, transformations of these documents into literary works by contemporaries; third, modern texts which take these earlier materials as a point of departure for rethinking the experience and aftermath of contact. The reading will allow us to compare perspectives across time and space, across the cultural geographies of religion, nation and ethnicity, and finally across a range of genres — reports, captivity narratives, essays, novels, poetry, drama, and film. Some of the earlier authors we will read are Michel Montaigne, William Shakespeare, Jean de Léry, Daniel Defoe and Mary Rowlandson; more recent authors include Derek Walcott, and J. M. Coetzee.