The exhibition 1492: AN ONGOING VOYAGE describes both pre- and post-contact America, as well as the Mediterranean world at the same time. Compelling questions are raised, such as: Who lived in the Americas before 1492? Who followed in the wake of Columbus? What was the effect of 1492 for Americans throughout the Western Hemisphere? The Library of Congress' Quincentenary exhibition addresses these questions, as well as other related themes, including fifteenth century European navigation, the myths and facts surrounding the figure of Columbus, and the differences and similarities between European and American world views at the time of contact.

Through viewing and discussion of the video and investigation of the Web resources, students will develop a deeper understanding of rationing and the mathematics needed in a WWII household.

The 2008 Summer Teachers Conference focused on the year 1948. Lesson plans created by teachers attending the conference and powerpoint presentations delivered by speakers are presented on this site.

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.

This course asks students to consider the ways in which social theorists, institutional reformers, and political revolutionaries in the 17th through 19th centuries seized upon insights developed in the natural sciences and mathematics to change themselves and the society in which they lived. Students study trials, art, literature and music to understand developments in Europe and its colonies in these two centuries. Covers works by Newton, Locke, Voltaire, Rousseau, Marx, and Darwin.

This course will introduce the student to the history of the Atlantic slave trade from 1500 to 1900. The student will learn about the slave trade, its causes, and its effects on Africa, Europe, and the Americas. By the end of the course, the student will understand how the Atlantic slave trade began as a fledgling enterprise of the English, Portuguese, and Spanish in the 1500s and why, by the mid-eighteenth century, the trade dominated Atlantic societies and economies. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: think analytically about the various meanings of 'slave' and 'slavery' during the age of the Atlantic slave trade; identify and describe the 'triangular trade' and define the Atlantic World; identify and describe the logic for enslavement of Africans by Europeans; identify and describe the African ethnic groups enslaved by Europeans and those captives' New World destinations; identify and describe the early slaving voyages of the Portuguese and Spanish. Students will also be able to describe how the Dutch and English later inserted themselves into the trade; identify and describe the expansion of the plantation complex in the New World in the 1600s and its impact on the Atlantic slave trade; identify and analyze the rise of European empires and the parallel expansion of the Atlantic slave trade; identify and analyze slavery within African societies. They will also be able to identify and describe the trans-Saharan slave trade and the Red Sea/Indian Ocean slave trade; identify and describe the nature of the African slave market and principal slaving ports in western Africa; analyze and describe New World slave societies and their impact on the Atlantic slave trade; identify and describe the 'Middle Passage' of the Atlantic slave trade; identify and describe the causes for the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade in the nineteenth century; analyze and interpret primary source documents that elucidate all aspects of the Atlantic slave trade. (History 311)

In this lesson, students learn about historic preservation efforts in Timbuktu, Mali, and about the city’s past as “the intellectual heart of Africa.” They then research various events related to the city’s history to create oral presentations.

By creating a PR campaign for a historical or literary figure, students can practice a wide range of thinking skills.

Putting historical or literary figures on trial makes a lively and challenging alternative to a class debate.

Designing museum exhibits encourages students to think creatively and to use a wide range of thinking skills.

This "rethinking reports" series of articles provides alternative research assignments that challenge students to think critically about historical actors.

Cooperating with faculty at UNC-CH, and with the scholars who commission custom maps from the AWMC for their publications, we are developing a collection of free digital maps for educational use. This effort gives teachers and students an expanding set of small-scale reference maps for classroom and personal use. Each may be downloaded from the website in multiple formats. A blank version of each map -- suitable for map quizzes and customization -- is usually available.

This course will trace the development of cities and urban centers from the Ancient Period through the present era. The student will examine how political, economic, and social institutions influenced the structure of urban centers and shaped the built environment in cities across the world and vice versa. By the end of the course, the student will understand how cities have developed over the past six millennia and better appreciate the dynamic relationship between geography, political and social institutions, and the built environment. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: think critically about the development of cities and urban centers from the Ancient Period to the present era; identify and describe the origins and features of cities in ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Central Asia, and the Far East; identify and describe the Greek city-state and the evolution of the 'polis;' identify and describe the city planning and design that characterized the Roman Republic and Empire; identify and describe the emergence of Islamic cities in Africa and the Middle East, the rise of urban centers in China and Japan, and the sophisticated cities of the Aztec peoples in the Americas; identify and describe the indigenous and Roman influences of medieval European cities as well as analyze the cultural impact that these urban centers had; identify and describe the characteristics of the Baroque city and analyze the differences between the Renaissance city and the medieval city; Students will also be able to describe the emergence of colonial cities in the Americas and Asia; identify and describe the impact that the Industrial Revolution had on European cities and will be able to define the characteristics of an industrial city; identify and describe the origins and characteristics of the post-industrial city; identify and analyze the causes of the 'urban renaissance' and describe the movement's successes and pitfalls; analyze and interpret primary source documents from the ancient world to the present using historical research methods. (History 361)

This is a lesson in which students take a trip around the world in 1896 using an online collection of 900 images. The collection includes photos of railroads, elephants, camels, horses, sleds and sleighs, sedan chairs, rickshaws, and other types of transportation, as well as city views, street and harbor scenes, landscapes, and people in North Africa, Asia, Australia, and Oceania.

This unit looks at Babylonian mathematics. You will learn how a series of discoveries have enabled historians to decipher stone tablets and study the various techniques the Babylonians used for problem-solving and teaching. The Babylonian problem-solving skills have been described as remarkable and scribes of the time received a training far in advance of anything available in medieval Christian Europe 3000 years later.

A Living History Day turns students into teachers and challenges them to think historically.

Students create a timeline of world events from 1905 through 2006, the years encompassed by the Cosmic Times posters, to get a sense of the history surrounding the discoveries over the past century. Grades 7-12.

Test your knowledge on Christopher Columbus.

Presents more than 200 photos, speeches, and letters from one of the most important and colorful leaders of the 20th century and in all British history. Best known as Prime Minister of the U.K. during World War II, Winston Churchill was a soldier, writer, legislator, painter, and statesman. Listen to sound files of famous speeches (including the Finest Hour and Iron Curtain speeches). Learn about Churchill's impact on world events and history.