African American History Month evolved from the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass in the second week of February. Historian and author Dr. Carter G. Woodson framed the concept that became the first Negro History Week in February 1926. It developed into a monthlong commemoration of the struggles and triumphs of the African American community. On this page, learn the stories of Autherine Lucy Foster, the first African American student to attempt to integrate the University of Alabama; Frank M. Johnson, Jr., the federal judge who ruled in the Rosa Parks case; and Linda Brown, the 9-year-old who became the face of children caught in the crossfire of the fight for social change. The Pathways to the Bench video series features profiles of African American federal judges who offer perspectives on their experiences during the Civil Rights era.
Anishnabe/Ojibwe/Chippewa: Culture of an Indian Nation
This lesson provides information and activities about one American Indian Nation, the Anishinabe, called Ojibwe in Canada and Chippewa in the U.S., and engages students in research on its history, location, and past and present culture.
Cultural Encounters: Teaching Exploration and Encounter to Students
This essay details some of the methods that people indigenous to the Americas used to communicate with European explorers during some of their first encounters.
How the Framers Understood Impeachment- and How Party Politics Altered Their Intent
Dr. Jeremy D. Bailey, a political science professor, explains the presidential impeachment process from a constitutional and historical perspective.
Congress’ Power of Impeachment
The legislative branch’s power of impeachment provides a significant check over the Executive and Judicial Branches.
Impeachment and Conviction
This printable infographic explains how impeachment works, who’s involved, where those entities get their authority, and what it really takes to remove a federal official from office.
To Understand a Scandal: Watergate beyond Nixon
Even today, four decades after the events, Watergate still symbolizes all that is, and might be, wrong with the workings of the federal government, elected officials and, ultimately, with the political system itself.
Impeachment
This collection of readings makes it easy to find reliable sources and activities that unpack various aspects of the impeachment process.
Bill of Rights in Action: The Watergate Scandal
Nixon resigned because of “Watergate”—a scandal that began with a bungled burglary and ended with criminal charges against his closest aides and demands for his impeachment.
Federal Courts in History: United States v. Nixon
Dealing with the principle of separation of powers, this lesson focuses on the question of whether or not the Constitution’s separation of powers intended to create an absolute executive privilege.