This is a series of primary source readings on imperialism for a World History course at the high school or university survey course level. The four primary source readings include 7-15 questions at the end of each reading that combine reading comprehension, links to current government issues and Document-Based-Questions (marked with a "►"). Contents include: 1. The Indian Thuggee Cult in British India and Efforts to Exterminate It: WIlliam Henry Sleeman 2. The Opium Wars of China: Lin Zexu, Treaty of Nanjing 3. The Casement Report on the Belgian Congo: Roger Casement 4. The Philippine Insurrection and Empire: Rudyard Kipling's "The White Man's Burden," American Anti-Imperialist League, Mark Twain, Houston Post 5. Unit vocabulary and concept list with a practice test worksheet The readings can be used for in-class lessons, sub-plans or homework assignments. They're ideal for a World History AP course, though I use them for my standard-level students as well.

Teaching students to evaluate the reliability and bias of information sources is one of the most important skills a Social Studies or English teacher can impart upon a student. The ability to assess the reliability of sources on the fly has become an increasingly vital skill in the age of the Internet, with the multiplication of sources available and the creation of click-bait “fake news” sources that deliberately package falsehoods as “news.” This packet contains the following: * A source evaluation Google Form (with answer sheet) for students to evaluate seven different news stories of varied quality. (takes ~45 min.) * A source evaluation paper (including a rubric) that uses peer review to have students analyze sources used in a prior class project: 1. Whether their classmates used a primary or secondary source, 2. Who the author is 3. Who the publisher is 4. Assess sources of bias, and 5. Assess special credentials such as education or experience * A primary source reading/webquest on the U.S. Supreme Court's "Citizens United" decision in 2010, followed by 18 questions that link the decision to source reliability, current events and media bias. (Takes about 2-3 hours, can be a sub-plan or homework assignment.) * Eight hyperlinks to graphics that I print and put up in my classroom, and a video I like to use.

Joyeux Noel is one of the greatest movies ever made, and I like to show it just before introducing a U.S. History segment on World War One. My wife, a French teacher, also shows it in her French classes. This worksheet has a variety of content-based questions requiring 1-3 sentence answers, along with a few that require outside research on the topics of international law and other issues. The questions are designed for a U.S. history class, but can be adapted for the cultural aspects of a French or German language class. Questions preceded with a “►” can be used as DBQs for longer 5x5 essays. – Thomas R. Eddlem

This grouping of 11 primary source U.S. history readings relate to issues President Trump raised during the beginning years of his presidency. Three use President Trump’s remarks directly; the WTO, Sanctuary Cities and the Immigration Ban use President Trump’s remarks. But most are historical background on the issues he’s raised: international trade, multilateral trade agreements, sanctuary cities, infrastructure spending, immigration, and warrantless surveillance. Immigration and Sanctuary Cities Alien Acts of 1798: Rep. Samuel Sewall, Rep. Albert Gallatin, Madison’s Report of 1800, Maine Gov. John Baldacci’s “sanctuary” declaration in 2005 Know-Nothing era immigration issues: Samuel Morse, Congressman John Smith Chipman 3. Immigration in the 1920s: Congressmen Percy Quin and William “Bourke” Cockran, Summary of Johnson-Reed Act Sanctuary Cities in the Trump Era: Rep. Bob Goodlatte, Rep. John Conyers, Rep. Steve Chabot, Pres. Donald Trump, Rep. Justin Amash, National Fraternal Order of Police The Trump Travel Ban of 2017-18: Executive Order 13769, Pres. Donald Trump, Rep. Justin Amash, U.S. Supreme Court (U.S. v. Hawaii) Government spending 6. Infrastructure spending and the economy: John Maynard Keynes’ “General Theory,” Frederick Bastiat’s “What is Seen and What Is Unseen” International Trade 7. International Trade: David Ricardo’s Theory of Comparative Advantage from "On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation" 8. The Smoot-Hawley Bill and the Protective Tariff: Sen. Reed Smoot, Sen. John William “Elmer” Thomas 9. NAFTA Agreement: H. Ross Perot, Vice President Al Gore, President George H.W. Bush, Rep. David Dreier, Rep. Richard Gephardt, Rep. Helen Bentley 10. World Trade Agreement: Pres. Donald Trump, the World Trade Organization. Rep. Ron Paul, Rep. Peter DeFazio Surveillance 11. Intelligence and Privacy after 9/11: Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, President Barack Obama, Rep. Justin Amash, Sen. Tom Cotton, Sen. Dianne Feinstein These readings are a great way to teach U.S. history and link it to current events or teach current events in a deeper and more historical way! They can be used as homework assignments, emergency sub-plans or classroom work. Each reading has 8-18 document-based questions at the end, which are combination of reading comprehension and DBQ-style questions that help with an AP class (though I give them to my standard level students as well). 74 pages total.

Following are primary source readings on economics issues, with relevant questions at the end of the readings. These excerpts from classic texts are designed to be understandable to high school students, and make handy homework assignments or substitute plans in an economics or history class. 1. Adam Smith on the Industrial Revolution and the division of labor (1 1/2 pages) from "The Wealth of Nations." -- 4 questions 2. Economics of the Great Depression (7 pages) John Maynard Keynes' story of burying jars full of cash from "The General Theory" and Frederick Bastiat's broken window story from "That Which Is Seen and That Which Is Unseen." -- 16 questions 3. David Ricardo and the Theory of Comparative Advantage from "On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation" (3 1/2 pages) -- 10 questions 4. Child Labor in Britain: Sadler Commission Report (4 pages) -- 6 questions 5. Child Labor in Britain: Parliament debate on the Sadler bill (4 pages) -- 9 questions 6. Reaganomics: Economic Success or Failure? (7 pages) Excerpts from the Reagan Library, speech of Senator Joe Biden and column by economist Murray Rothbard. -- 8 questions

Purpose: To demonstrate the impact of inflation on prices, and Gresham's law. Length: 30-40 minutes (or longer, if vigorous conversation) Materials needed: 2-5 lb. Bag of M&M candies (or Skittles, etc.) Box of small ziplock baggies, putting five M&Ms in each bag, with five baggies for each student Printouts of “M&M Bucks,” five coupons for each student (attached below is a sheet with 6 on each page) plus the same number (as the whole class) more for “government.”