Democracy & Citizenship Archives

collage of six Black abolitionists in the United States.

‘If There Is No Struggle…’: Teaching a People’s History of the Abolition Movement

Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow. Rethinking Schools. 16 pages.
In this lesson, students explore many of the real challenges faced by abolitionists with a focus on the American Anti-Slavery Society.

Teaching Activity by Bill Bigelow

Learning About the Unfairgrounds: A 4th-Grade Teacher Introduces Her Students to Executive Order 9066

Teaching Activity. By Katie Baydo-Reed. Rethinking Schools. 10 pages.
Students hold a mixer and a mock trial in preparation for reading literature about internment.

Teaching the Hidden Story of Japanese Latin Americans During WWII

Teaching Activity. By Moé Yonamine. Rethinking Schools. 18 pages.
Poetry, photography, and text are used in this role play to teach about the seldom told history of Japanese Latin American internment during WWII.

Tracked in America

Digital collection. Explores the historical context and stories of individuals who have been targets of U.S. government surveillance during the 20th century.

The Times of Harvey Milk

Film. Directed by Rob Epstein. 1984. 90 minutes.
Documentary on the political career and assassination of Harvey Milk, San Francisco's first openly gay supervisor.

The Insular Empire: America in the Mariana Islands

Film. Directed by Vanessa Warheit. 2009. 60 minutes.
Documentary about U.S. colonies in the western Pacific.

Debating the Civil Rights Movement, 1945-1968

Book — Non-fiction. By Stephen Lawson and Charles Payne. 2006. 227 pages.
Introduces and examines the complex story of the modern Civil Rights Movement as it should be taught, providing key background information and analysis for teachers.

Remembering 1882: Fighting for Civil Rights in the Shadow of the Chinese Exclusion Act

Website. Primary documents, historical background, and more on the Chinese Exclusion Act and the history of Chinese American struggles for civil rights.

The Historic Unfulfilled Promise

Book — Non-fiction. By Howard Zinn. 2012. 184 pages.
Compilation of articles Zinn penned for The Progressive magazine from 1980 to 2009.

Plessy v. Ferguson: The Organizing History of the Case

Article. By Keith W. Medley.
The role of the Comité des Citoyens and The Crusader newspaper in the Plessy v. Ferguson case.

Understanding Central America: Global Forces, Rebellion, and Change; 5th Edition

Book — Non-fiction. By John Booth, Christine Wade, and Thomas Walker. 2014. 374 pages.
A primer on the history of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

The Sky’s the Limit: People v. Newton, The REAL Trial of the 20th Century?

Book — Non-fiction. By Lise Pearlman. 2012. 800 pages.
Brings to life 20th century court cases and protests that played a major role in U.S. history.

101 Changemakers: Rebels and Radicals Who Changed US History

Book — Non-fiction. By Michele Bollinger and Dao Tran. 2012.
A collection of 101 brief and accessible profiles of rebels, radicals, and fighters for social justice.

Medgar Evers

Profile. By Dernoral Davis.
Medgar Evers (July 2, 1925—June 12, 1963), Civil Rights Movement activist in Mississippi.

The Knotted Line

Website. Interactive timeline that connects moments in history related to the prison industrial complex.

James Baldwin

Profile. A brief biography of James Baldwin, writer and social critic.

Who Makes History?

Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow and Norm Diamond. 3 pages.
This lesson introduces students to Bertolt Brecht’s poem, A Worker Reads History. Students reflect on the creative role of workers in making history.

Teaching Activity by Norm Diamond

What Rights Do We Have?

Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow and Norm Diamond. 7 pages.
This lesson teaches some of the nuts and bolts of labor unions and then moves beyond to ask students to consider what rights they have at work, and to recognize that “rights” depend in large part on what people have fought for and won.

Teaching Activity by Norm Diamond

Rethinking What We Know About the Vietnam War

Teaching Activity. Zinn Education Project. 21 pages.
Two lessons to introduce key facts about the Vietnam War and the Pentagon Papers, documents that provide essential history that is often ignored by textbooks.