U.S. History Reading Passages

Franklin Pierce (1804-1869) might be our most forgotten president. His father became the governor of New Hampshire. Franklin became a […]

Greenwood was an African American oasis in the midst of Jim Crow. It was nicknamed “the Black Wall Street.” Problems

Prohibition in the 1920s was the result of a temperance campaign in which women played a central role. Mabel Walker

The Supreme Court in the Civil Rights Cases (1883) held that Congress unconstitutionally required racial equality in public accommodations. The

A criminal defendant is only found guilty in the United States if a unanimous jury, every single juror, agrees. If

Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister and socialist, wrote the Pledge of Allegiance in 1892. He saw it as a way

Abigail Adams hoped that her husband would protect women’s interests since no women had the opportunity to serve as legislators

The Constitution did not say “slavery” out loud until it was abolished nationwide via the Thirteenth Amendment. Congress had earlier

General Robert E. Lee’s surrender to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox on April 9, 1865, is often cited as

We didn’t know in 1918 that it would be “World War I.” President Wilson saw the peace process as an

Hawaii’s transformation from an independent Polynesian kingdom to a U.S. state is a story of cultural change, political struggle, and

Columbus Day is no longer merely a day for parades, sales, and days off. It is filled with controversy. Some

Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which President Lincoln supposedly said was the cause of the Civil War.

A major robbery near Boston in April 1920, resulting in two deaths, became a trial of the century. Sacco and

Courts practice judicial review, sometimes declaring the governmental actions unconstitutional. Judicial review is based on principles of limited government, a

Thanksgiving was an ancient harvest celebration. It is usually linked to the celebration by the Pilgrims in 1621 of their

Secretary of State William Seward negotiated with Russia to acquire Alaska in 1867 for $ 7.2 million. Some ridiculed the