Conflict Resolution and United States History

Conflict Resolution and United States History is the culmination of a ten-year Ford-Foundation funded project that involved 30 of the nation's most prominent historians working with more than 250 teachers. It provides rich historical roleplaying activities that motivate and engage students and enable them to understand multiple perspectives and primary sources, develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills, and appreciate that history is not an inevitable flow of events but rather the result and consequences of decisions made by individuals and groups.

A curriculum guide with 20 case studies from the colonial period through the 1990s is available for teachers to use to make the study of history real and relevant. This comprehensive supplement for U.S. history teachers provides a motivating methodology for teaching American history. Students use conflict resolution and problem-solving skills to role-play historical figures and, in the process, gain important life skills and a rich understanding of history.

The Curriculum Materials

All of the lessons will soon be available for free online. However, if you would like to purchase copies of the printed materials, please complete this order form and mail it with a check for $20 for each book for postage and handling.

Teaching conflict resolution skills

Volume One: The Colonial Period through Reconstruction

• Native Americans and European Colonists: contrasting the Puritans and Quakers
• Could the American Revolution have been avoided?
  
  • The American Revolution Documents
  • The American Revolution Powerpoint
  • The American Revolution Handouts
• Slavery and the Constitutional Convention
  
  • The Federal Convention 1787 Documents
  • The Federal Convention 1787 Powerpoint
  • The Federal Convention 1787 Handouts
• Cherokee Indian Removal
  
  • Cherokee Removal Documents
  • Cherokee Removal Powerpoint
  • Cherokee Removal Handouts
• The War between Mexico and the United States
• The Compromise of 1850
• Women’s Rights in the 19th Century
  
  • Women’s Rights Documents
  • Women’s Rights Powerpoint
  • Women’s Rights Handouts
• Post-Civil War Reconstruction

Volume Two: The Gilded Age through the 20th Century

• Labor Relations during the Industrial Era: The Pullman Strike of 1894; The Paterson Silk Strike of 1913
  • Labor Relations Documents
  • Labor Relations Powerpoint
  • Labor Relations Handouts
• Imperialism, Insurrection and Intervention in 1898
• U.S. Entry into World War I
• Immigration Restrictions and the National Origins Act of 1924
• Rosie the Riveter vs. G.I. Joe
  • Rosie the Riveter Documents
  • Rosie the Riveter Powerpoint
  • Rosie the Riveter Handouts
• The Montgomery Bus Boycott
  • Montgomery Bus Boycott Documents
  • Montgomery Bus Boycott Powerpoint
  • Montgomery Bus Boycott Handouts
• The Cuban Missile Crisis
• The U.S. and the War in Vietnam
• The 1992 Los Angeles Riots

What Teachers Say About The Materials:

Teachers and students using the Conflict Resolution and United States History curriculum materials report the following advantages over traditional lecture-style history classes:

• Increased student motivation
• Greater mastery of history
• Richer understanding of historical developments
• Improved critical thinking and problem solving skills
• Improved conflict resolution skills
• Better classroom management skills for teachers.

Full Program Evaluation