US History

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the Hot Corner business district in Athens, Georgia. In the early 1900s, the Hot Corner was one of the most prosperous Black business districts in the South in spite of legalized segregation and Jim Crow laws (Hot Corner). At the core of the district was the Morton Building built in 1910 by Mr. Monroe Bowers “Pink” Morton. Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Morton Building housed the offices of many prominent Black professionals, and its theater featured acclaimed performers such as Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Bessie Smith.

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This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the Hot Corner business district in Athens, Georgia. In the early 1900s, the Hot Corner was one of the most prosperous Black business districts in the South in spite of legalized segregation and Jim Crow laws (Hot Corner). At the core of the district was the Morton…

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the Jefferson Street business district in Nashville, Tennessee. Jefferson Street has been considered, “a lab for some of the most important historical, social and cultural events in the U.S. South” (Facing north: Jefferson street, Nashville). Dave Paulson described the district as being “Nashville’s prime thoroughfare for Black…

Year after year, Milwaukee lands at or near the top of the most segregated US city list. Individual activists, organizations, and media outlets in Milwaukee work tirelessly to call attention to and address the severely unjust disparities resulting from this racial divide. A call to greater action to repair the deep damage of segregation must…

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the life, achievements, and mystery of Amelia Earhart and her disappearance. The compelling question, “Where did you go, Amelia Earhart?” engages students in discovering the legacy of Amelia Earhart from her youth to her disappearance. Students will use the sources provided by this inquiry to gather information…

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of Ellis Island and its influence on migration to the United States between 1892 and 1954. During its peak in 1907 more than a million immigrants came through Ellis Island seeking a new home in America.

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the use of atomic weapons and lasting effects of the United States’ nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. By investigating the compelling question, students examine the reasons why the United States dropped the weapons. By completing this inquiry, students begin to understand the effects of nuclear weapons…

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the Women’s Suffrage Movement and the many ways the story has been told. By developing their own timeline and investigating varying sources, students will investigate differing views and perspectives surrounding the Women’s Suffrage Movement. They will use these sources to create a visual argument for Who tells…

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the Disney effect, and how it affects how we view the world, including prominent historical figures like Pocahontas. Students will investigate historic accounts of Pocahontas’s life from the point of view of both Natives and English as well as direct clips from the Disney movies one and…

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of how music was weaponized during the Cold War. By investigating the compelling question, students examine the U.S.’s policy of cultural containment through “Jazz Diplomacy”, American popular protest music and the messages of protest music, and the role of American popular music in the Soviet Union in the…

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of specific programs of the New Deal and the systemic inequities in the implementation of those programs. Further, students will start to develop an understanding on the changing role of the federal government and form a position on what that role ought to be. In addressing the compelling…