U.S. History Inquiry Kits
Explore this collection of inquiry kits that allows students to select a research topic of interest and evaluate themed primary sources from the Library of Congress. From life in the early American colonies to the modern-day role of the United States, the inquiry kits examine social studies themes and align to Maryland curriculum units.
Select a unit below to find related topics as well as primary and secondary sources to develop a classroom research project.
Early America
(1400-1763)
What was life like for Native Americans, settlers, and even pirates in the early American colonies?
Democracy: Political System of the People (1763-1783)
What were different groups fighting for in the American Revolution?
Challenges of a New Century (1898-1929)
What did Americans do about the war, immigrants, and changes in industry?
- Topic 1: Yellow Journalism and the Spanish American War
- Topic 2: Childhood in the Early 20th Century
- Topic 3: Conservationism and the Creation of Our National Parks
- Topic 4: Difficulties of Urban Life: The Great Baltimore Fire
- Topic 5: Buying America: The Birth of Consumer Culture
- Topic 6: William Hoy, Deaf Major League Baseball Player
The United States in a Time of Crisis (1929-1945)
What was life like for Americans during the Great Depression and World War II?
- Topic 1: Pearl Harbor
- Topic 2: WWII European Front
- Topic 3: American Life in the Great Depression
- Topic 4: Japanese Internment Camps
- Topic 5: The Golden Age of Radio
- Topic 6: Teenagers in World War II: The Victory Corp
Challenges of the Post War World (1946-1968)
What happened in the United States at the end of World War II? What did people do to make things change?
- Topic 1: Civil Rights in Post-War America: The Era of Visible Resistance
- Topic 2: We Shall Overcome: The Evoution of A Song
- Topic 3: The Marshall Plan
- Topic 4: Cesar Chavez and The Delano Grape Strike
- Topic 5: Television!
Democracy Challenged (1968-1980)
What did Americans do during the big changes in the United States and around the world?
- Topic 1: Equal Rights Amendment
- Topic 2: Vietnam War
- Topic 3: President Nixon and Watergate
- Topic 4: Youth Rebellion
- Topic 5: Oil Crisis
Modern America (1981-Present)
Why is the United States important to the whole world?
- Topic 1: Activism to Fight AIDS
- Topic 2: The Fall of the Berlin Wall
- Topic 3: Persian Gulf War: Female Veterans' Voices
- Topic 4: Modern Immigration Stories
- Topic 5: September 11th