Primary Source Analysis

Students explore and analyze artifacts in the Vietnam Traveling Trunk

Students will be analyzing two political cartoons featuring the United Nations (one from the Korean War-Truman administration and one from the War in the Persian Gulf-circa Bush 41 administration). After independent analysis, students will pair up or join small groups and share analysis and then discuss two questions about U.S. foreign policy decisions concerning the two events and the Presidential choices made about when and how to involve the U.S. in war. 

The students will read primary source documents related to the Iranian Hostage Crisis and, as advisors to President Carter, make recommendations about how he should respond.

Students are required to analyze the presidential diaries of Lyndon B. Johnson. Research is combined with analysis to identify people and groups mentioned in the diary.

Individual lesson that begins with an introduction to the Korean War. Students then listen to audio clips of President Truman and answer questions to the clips while they are listening.

Students will read the primary source document and then engage in a discussion answering the following questions: What type of document is it? When was it written? What was its purpose?

Students will analyze primary documents concerning Truman and MacArthur's professional relationship to help them discover appropriate aspects of relationships between employees and their bosses.

Students will study a U.S. President removing a high-ranking military officer from command by comparing Truman's firing of MacArthur with Obama accepting McChrystal's offer to resign.

Cooperative learning activity containing small classroom groups and ending with entire class, student-led discussion. Primary sources and maps will form basis for discussion of Korean War.

Students will explore the Rwandan Genocide and the Western response to the genocide