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Why America? Database

Subject Topics
Resource Type Grade Level

1776 Unites

Lesson plans, multimedia, and other resources that celebrate Black excellence and showcase African-Americans who have prospered by embracing America’s founding ideals.

Alabama History at Home

A collection of activities, lesson plans, and virtual tours to learn about Alabama's history.

American Council of Trustees and Alumni

10 things everyone should know about American history, articles and resources to prepare students to be informed and engaged citizens.

American Historical Association

The AHA is a trusted voice for history education, the professional work of historians, and the critical role of historical thinking in public life.

American Revolution Institute

Games, videos, classroom collections, traveling trunks, curriculum and lesson plans, and professional development for teachers.

American Veterans Center

A collection of veteran's chronicles, oral histories, documentaries, educational programs, civic events, and a WWII High School Curriculum.

Annenberg Classroom

Annenberg Classroom's free resources include over 65 videos on constitutional concepts and Supreme Court cases.

Ashbrook Center

Professional development opportunities: teaching American history resources, core documents curriculum, lesson plans, document library, and Master of Arts programs for teachers.

Ben’s Guide to the US Government

Ben's Guide is designed to inform students, parents, and educators about the Federal Government. Sponsored by the United States Government Publishing Office.

Bill of Rights Institute

A teacher platform with online resources & curriculum on current events, voting, landmark Supreme Court cases. Also offers teacher councils and professional development.

C-SPAN Classroom

Free video-based materials for social studies teachers.

Center for Civic Education

The CCE develops curricular materials, provides professional development for teachers, and advocates for stronger civic education in the United States.

Center for News Literacy

News Literacy can help students of all ages recognize the differences between fact and rumor, news and advertising, news and opinion, and bias and fairness.

Center for the Study of the American Constitution

The CSAC is a resource for historical documents, publications, and lessons based on the United States Constitution.

Center on Representative Government

Free civics education resources to improve the public’s understanding of the role of representative government.

Close Up

Close Up provides issue-centric, nonpartisan government curriculum for middle and high school students.

CommonLit

A digital lesson library and professional development platform for teachers.

ConSource

Constitutional index and crash courses, documents, videos, and lesson plans, Virtual Supreme Court Competition for High School Students, professional development opportunities for teachers.

Constituting America

Contests, music, games, and theatrical debates and forums for teachers to use for interactive classroom activities.

Constitution Annotated

In publication for over 100 years, the Constitution Annotated is a comprehensive, government-sanctioned record of the interpretations of the Constitution.

Constitutional Rights Foundation

Non-partisan, issue-based, standards-aligned curriculum based on the American Constitution.

Core Knowledge

A platform where educators can find published educational books, curricula, and lesson materials in language arts, history and geography, music, science and visual arts.

Digital History

Digital History is a research database filled with primary sources, videos, learning content, and more, covering the entire expanse of America's story.

DOCS Teach/National Archives

A teacher-friendly online tool for teaching with America's founding documents, from the National Archives.

EDSITEment!

A National Endowment for the Humanities site with K-12 teacher guides, lesson plans, videos, podcasts, lectures, interactives for the classroom, and film projects.

EduHam at Home

A free educational experience in American History by the creators of Hamilton the Musical, designed for the 2020-2021 school year.

FIRE

Explore Supreme Court opinions, timelines, challenged books, and other resources to get the full picture of how the United States’ culture of free speech and First Amendment law has developed over the years.

Foster’s Outriders Civics Program

In partnership with Hillsdale College, Outriders promote and provide free access to online civics education and programs.

Gilder Lehrman Institute

Theatrical plays, curricula, essays, lesson plans, videos, study plans, online exhibitions, and teaching resources on all facets of American history and culture.

iCivics

Games, lesson plans, professional development opportunities, tools for teaching controversial topics and a wide curriculum for civic education.

Interactive Constitution

Online program for studying the Constitution and its ramifications, with worksheets and study plans.

KidCitizen

Interactive exploration of Congress and civic engagement for elementary students.

Lafayette Park (National Park Service)

A lesson plan surrounding Lafayette Park, women's history, and the First Amendment.

LexGen

A student-founded Civics education nonprofit with curriculum ideas for helping young people learn about laws and voting.

Lincoln’s Cottage

Workshops for educators and collaboration with other historic sites, museums, federal agencies, and nonprofits on or off campus, as well as teacher lesson plans and field-trip opportunities.

Montpelier

Podcasts, programs and seminars for teachers as well as exhibitions, educational resources and field-trip opportunities for K-12.

Mount Vernon

Lesson plans, distance learning videos, online collections with an array of Washington and Mount Vernon artifacts, primary sources, and professional development opportunities for teachers.

Museum of the American Revolution

Teacher lesson plans and guides, professional development workshops, teacher summer institutes, and virtual field trips.

National Archives

Documents, photos and records on America's history, tools for teaching primary sources, Hispanic-Latinx Historical records, professional development opportunities, distance learning sessions.

National Constitution Center

Online exhibitions and tours, interactive Constitution, educational videos, teacher blogs and podcasts, classroom exchanges, interactive games, and primary sources archive.

National Endowment for the Humanities

Tuition-free development opportunities and workshops for K-12 educators and higher education faculty to study a variety of humanities topics.

National Geographic

Videos, documentaries and classroom activity ideas for kids.

National History Day

Virtual teacher resources, student contests, links to sites to help students conduct research, primary sources and lesson plans, Understand Sacrifice program, and the Making History Series.

National Humanities Center

Webinars, lesson plans, primary and secondary sources for literature and history teachers.

National Museum of American History

Browse 100s of virtual exhibits, articles, teacher resources, and more.

National Park Service

Information and educational materials centered around America's 63 national parks.

National Women’s History Museum

The NWHM works to preserve, illuminate, and share the powerful history of women in America through exhibits, classroom resources, and events.

Newseum for Education

1,000s of lesson plans, digital artifacts, videos, historical events, interactives, and other education tools based on American media and journalism.

Next Generation Politics

Civic resources, created and edited by teens, including a blog and podcast, The Round Table.

Oyez, Oyez, Oh Yay!

Access to Supreme Court case summaries, videos, and supporting lessons, all of which have been designed to help Texas students prepare and be successful for end of course assessments.

RealClear American Civics

RealClear’s American Civics web portal gives students, teachers, and citizens-in-the-making a clear understanding of our nation’s founding principles and history.

Teaching American History

Curated resources for teaching American history through online historical exhibitions, lesson plans, document seminars, multi-media and homeschool resources.

The 400th Project

The 400th Project provides resources through media, guided tours, and seminars to promote the legacy of Pilgrim principles of freedom and liberty worldwide.

The Center for Education Reform

Resources, videos and lesson plans from CER's past in-person programs in Washington, D.C. covering various civics and history topics.

U.S. Capitol

Research project ideas, lesson plans, activity sheets and guides, essays, Capitol tours for Middle and High School students, virtual exhibits and maps, video tours, statue guides and games.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Toolkits and lesson plans, English literacy and civics education resources, curricula and professional development opportunities for teachers.

U.S. Courts

Realistic simulations and memorable, interactive approaches to court basics that include comparing federal and state courts.

U.S. Department of Defense

Multimedia storytelling, videos, photos, live events and quizzes.

United States Mint for Kids

A resource for kids to learn more about the United States Mint, including games, videos, and print-outs.

Victims of Communism

Short videos feature men and women who experienced life under communism and want to share their cautionary and inspiring stories. Lesson plans. Teacher professional development.

White House Historical Assn

Important stories of US history through the lens of the White House, live history episodes, virtual tours, and ready-to-use education materials for K-12 instruction.

Women’s Vote Centennial

A unique platform to explore the women’s suffrage story through online exhibits, webinars, historic performers, podcasts and an online library.

Why America? is a service of The Center for Education Reform.
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