If a picture's worth a 1,000 words how much is a postcard worth?

"Look Grandma,
I put on my Sunday best and went to the lynching.
Wish you were here!"

We have all seen awful photos of lynchings, but this site sheds light on an even more despicable practice, the turning of those photos into postcards.

Really helps to show the role of lynchings in terrorizing and how flagrant and widespread the practice was. Especially helpful is that the example come from everywhere from California in the 1930s to the Deep South of the 1890s. Most are explained in depth.

I got problems

Problem based learning at it's finest. The Buck Institute puts together some good stuff. They have a great page of links, including a link to the University of Delaware PBL Clearinghouse. In addition, they have their own down loadable units that include everything from background material, student handouts, and rubrics.

The economics units provides a variety of units.

The well done government units include projects that explain the Supreme Court, Campaigns, interest groups, and other relevant topics.

Voting Rights and Wrongs

African Americans, 15th amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Women, 19th amendment. But when did Native Americans get the right to vote?

The ACLU has a detailed timeline of voting rights expansion.

The Cornhuskers are coming through with this Native American specific site.

I have a question

Essential questions, like witty small talk at a cocktail party, you have to have it but sometimes you just wish someone else would come up with it.

Here's a list essential question that pertain specifically to social studies, everything from geography to civic ideals. Also doubles as a handy themes barn.

Video killed the radio star

Sometimes you hear something on the radio that makes you want to go back to the days before moving pictures, which if you don't own a TV is really easy to do. I heard Campaign '68 a few days ago on NPR and after at end of the hour felt like I really knew the '68 election and the drama behind it. The show paints a detailed picture of the most pivotal election of a tumultuous decade.

The website has a useful timeline and extensive collection of links. Great pages dedicated to each candidate including a short biographic video and specific audio clips.

You probably can't, and shouldn't, play the show in it's entirety but the website and radio show are a great resource.

Ed McMahon's Star Search

Every time I use RubiStar I think back to Star Search, maybe it's the judging, maybe it's the bright pink. Regardless this is a good stop for Rubrics, Rubric ideas, and your dose of pink airbrushed writing on the web that's still school appropriate.

Something like a historian

Thinking Like a Historian is a little gem. Put out by those fine folks at the Wisconsin Historical Society this graphic organizer, historiography 95mb downloadable guide is phenomenal.
The guiding principles of historical thinking are divided into

-Cause and Effect
-Change and Continuity
-Turning Points
-Using the Past
-Through Their Eyes

The charts are a great starting point but scratch below the surface and you'll be richly rewarded.