This course is a survey of American History from the Age of Exploration and Discovery to the present. Emphasis is placed on critical and evaluative thinking skills, essay writing, interpretation of original documents, and historiography. This history curriculum is assembled from UC college preparatory courses and students will demonstrate comprehension of a broad body of historical knowledge; express ideas clearly in writing; work with classmates to research an historical issue; interpret and apply data from original documents; identify underrepresented historical viewpoints; write to persuade with evidence; compare and contrast alternate interpretations of an historical figure, event, or trend; explain how an historical event connects to or causes a larger trend or theme; develop essay responses that include a clear, defensible thesis statement and supporting evidence; effectively argue a position on an historical issue; critique and respond to arguments made by others; raise and explore questions about policies, institutions, beliefs, and actions in an historical context; evaluate primary materials, such as historical documents, political cartoons, and first-person narratives; evaluate secondary materials, such as scholarly works or statistical analyses; and assess the historical significance and cultural impact of key literary works (e.g. Common Sense, Uncle Tom's Cabin).

In this video segment from Soldiers Without Swords, learn about the Double V campaign launched by the black press during World War II to empower African-Americans at home and abroad on the war front.

This video segment, adapted from NOVA, chronicles the education of leading chemist Percy Julian. Although Julian began his elementary school years in the Deep South under Jim Crow laws, he became one of the few African Americans of his time to earn a Ph.D.

Race and Place is an archive about the racial segregation laws, or the 'Jim Crow' laws from the late 1880s until the mid-twentieth century. The focus of the collection is the town of Charlottesville in Virginia. The Jim Crow laws segregated African-Americans from white Americans in public places such as schools, and school buses. The archive contains photos, letters, two regional censuses and a flash map of the town of Charlottesville. The Jim Crow laws were not overturned until the important Brown versus Board of Education court ruling in 1954 (but not totally eliminated until the Civil Rights Act of the 1964). The project intends to connect race with place by understanding what it was like to live, work, pray, learn, and play in the segregated South.

During the World War Two years, a series of groundbreaking radio programs tried to mend the deep racial and ethnic divisions that threatened America. At a time when blacks were usually shown on the radio as lazy buffoons, the federal government and civil rights activists used radio for a counter attack. Did radio unify America in the face of war? This is "Radio Fights Jim Crow".

Remembering Jim Crow is a companion to a radio documentary, and examines the system that, for much of the 20th century, barred many African Americans from their rights as U.S. citizens. Read personal histories of segregation. See a sampling of Jim Crow laws. Learn how African Americans fought economic hardships imposed by Jim Crow and how they built social institutions to combat segregation.

That Jim Crow was a tremendously important period in United States history is undisputable. Less obvious is how to properly address the violence, politics, and complexities that mark the era. This site looks at the century of segregation following the Civil War (1863-1954). Jim Crow, a name taken from a popular 19th-century minstrel song, came to personify government-sanctioned racial oppression and segregation in the U.S. This website describes pivotal developments during that time – the Emancipation Proclamation, the Compromise of 1877, the Brown v. Board of Education decision, and others.

The film "Strange Fruit" looks at the history of the anti-lynching campaign in the United States, the history of the song Strange Fruit and explores the impact of Strange Fruit today. This lesson plan includes critical thinking and writing activities related to the song's lyrics.

The film "Strange Fruit" looks at the history of the anti-lynching campaign in the United States, the history of the song Strange Fruit and explores the impact of Strange Fruit today. This lesson plan includes activities related to the film including discussion questions and research about hate crimes.