High School Archives

Challenging Bill Clinton

Teaching Activity. By Gayle Olson-Raymer. 17 pages.
Questions and teaching ideas for Chapter 23 of Voices of a People's History of the United States on the Clinton presidency, as well as domestic opposition to his policies.

Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America

Book — Non-fiction. By Lerone Bennett Jr. 2016 (originally published in 1962). 736 pages.
A detailed history and analysis of African American history in the United States.

Caribbean Connections: The Dominican Republic

Book — Non-fiction and Fiction. Edited by Gallin, Glasser, Santana. 2005. 250 pages.
Reader-friendly overview of the history, politics, and culture of the fourth largest Latino community in the United States.

Regret to Inform

Film. By Barbara Sonneborn. 1998. 72 minutes. Teaching Guide by Bill Bigelow. Chapter from A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn. A profound documentary on the impact of war, with a teaching guide and the chapter of A People's History of the United States on the Vietnam War, "Impossible Victory."

Teaching Activity by Bill Bigelow

Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism

Book — Non-fiction. By James Loewen. 2018. 592 pages.
Documents the history of towns across the United States that exclude African Americans (and other racial/ethnic groups) after sundown.

Letters from Mississippi: Reports from Civil Rights Volunteers and Freedom School Poetry of the 1964 Freedom Summer

Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Elizabeth Sutherland Martinez. Introduction by Julian Bond. 2007.
Letters and poetry from Civil Rights Movement volunteers in the summer of 1964.

A People’s History of Sports in the United States

Book — Non-fiction. By Dave Zirin. 2009. 302 pages.
U.S. history through the lens of sports.

Teaching Activity by Dave Zirin

I’ve Got the Light of Freedom: The Organizing Tradition and the Mississippi Freedom Struggle

Book — Non-fiction. By Charles M. Payne. 1995. 506 pages.
A people's history of the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi.

Local People: The Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi

Book — Non-fiction. By John Dittmer. 1995. 560 pages.
A detailed, grassroots description of the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi.

500 Años del Pueblo Chicano – 500 Years of Chicano History in Pictures

Book — Non-fiction. By Elizabeth Martinez. 1991 (2nd Edition).
Chicano history as told through hundreds of pictures and bilingual text.

Conexiones Caribenas: La Republica Dominicana

Teaching Guide. By Anne Gallin, Ruth Glasser and Jocelyn Santana. 2005.
Selected readings in Spanish from "Caribbean Connections: Dominican Republic."

Caribbean Connections: Moving North

Teaching Guide. Edited by Catherine Sunshine and Keith Warner. 2005. 240 pages.
Literature and essays about Caribbean life in the United States.

Colonialism in the Americas: A Critical Look

Book — Non-fiction. By Susan Gage. 1991. 51 pages.
Graphic/comic book tackles history of colonialism in the Americas.

Colonialism in Asia: A Critical Look

Book — Non-fiction. By Susan Gage. 1993. 52 pages.
Comic book tackles the history of colonialism in India, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Book — Fiction. By Sherman Alexie. 2007. 288 pages.
Coming-of-age-tale set on Spokane Indian Reservation.

Earth and the American Dream

Film. By Bill Couturie. 1993. 90 minutes.
U.S. history from the standpoint of the earth.

History in the Present Tense: Engaging Students Through Inquiry and Action

Teaching Guide. By Douglas Selwyn and Jan Maher. 2003.
A guide to a different way of teaching history—start from today and keep asking questions.

Lessons from Freedom Summer: Ordinary People Building Extraordinary Movements

Teaching Guide. Edited by Kathy Emery, Linda Reid Gold and Sylvia Braselmann. Foreword by Howard Zinn. 2008. 456 pages.
Readings and lessons on the 1964 Mississippi Summer Project.

Matewan

Film. Written and directed by John Sayles. 1987. 132 minutes.
A feature ﬁlm depicting a strike in a mining town in Appalachia and the struggle for solidarity across racial lines.

Putting the Movement Back into Civil Rights Teaching

Teaching Guide and Website. Edited by Deborah Menkart, Alana D. Murray, and Jenice L. View. 2024. 390 pages.
This second edition provides lessons and articles for K–12 educators on how to go beyond a heroes approach to the Civil Rights Movement, with a focus on education, economics, labor, youth, women, and culture.

Teaching Activity by Deborah Menkart