America's Historical Documents

The web site of the National Archives provides access to records of our federal government. Instructors can draw student's attention to many well-known and some forgotten pieces of U.S. history. Lesson plans are available and are often broken down into specific decades. Here's a small listing of what's available:

Emancipation Proclamation, January 1, 1863;

Joint Resolution of Congress proposing a constitutional amendment extending the right of suffrage to women, May 19, 1919;

Apollo 11 Flight Plan;

Page one of Elvis Presley’s handwritten letter to President Nixon;

List of Purchases made by Meriwether Lewis in preparation for the Expedition to the West, ca. 1803;

Cancelled check in the amount of $7.2 million, for the purchase of Alaska, issued August 1, 1868 (photo shown above);

Thomas Edison's patent drawing for an improvement in electric lamps, patented January 27, 1880;