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History Odyssey: Modern Times Level 2 Study Guide
The following books must be obtained apart from the History Odyssey Modern Level 2 Study Guide. You may use any version, eBook, or print edition of these books. This list includes both the required books and also alternate options (see the note **).
Disclosure: This list contains affiliate links. If you purchase after clicking one of the links, Pandia Press receives a small commission at no cost to you.
Main Reference Spine: The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia (1999 or newer edition)
Optional Additional Reference Spine: The Story of Mankind * by Hendrik Willem Van Loon (optional) There is a free eBook edition of TSOM available at: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/754.
The History Odyssey Timeline from Pandia Press (or a homemade timeline)
Other Required and Alternate/Additional Books:
Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
Things Fall Apart by China Achebe
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
The Red Baron by Manfred Van Richtofen
Alternate/Additional: Stay Where You Are and Then Leave by John Browne. The story of a boy who finds his father shell-shocked during World War I.
Alternate/Additional: The War Horse by Michael Morpurgo. This story follows the adventures of Joey, a farm horse who is sold to the arm and must survive during World War I.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Alternate/Additional: In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse by Joseph Marshall III. This is a Native-authored book that tells the story of the famous Lakota warrior during a road trip taken by a modern-day Lakota grandfather and his grandson.
Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith or The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
Alternate/Additional: Behind Rebel Lines by Seymour Reit
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Alternate/Additional: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Alternate/Additional: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Alternate/Additional: It's Trevor Noah: Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood (Adapted forYoung Readers) by Trevor Noah. The true biography of the famous comedian as he grew up in South Africa Apartheid.
Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah
No Promises in the Wind by Irene Hunt
Alternate/Additional: Instead of this book, your student could do a research project on Dorothea Lange, an American photographer and photojournalist. Some of her most famous and powerful work was her documentation of the Great Depression.
Additional books that could be added to Modern Times Level 2:
Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac. An incredible story from World War II that highlights Native American culture and achievement.
The Night Diary by Veela Hiranandani. A tale written in diary form about the Partition of India in 1947.
I am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World (Young Readers Edition) by Malala Yousafzai. This book connects readers with Middle Eastern current events through a young person's perspective who was greatly impacted by the cultural and political climate of the region.
A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story by Linda Sue Park. Focuses on two kids in the Sudan and how their lives intersect, tackling issues of refugees and the importance of clean, available water.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba. A story about the ingenuity of one young man who helped his Malawian village by bringing electricity to combat drought and famine.
Click here for a link to the Alternative/Additional list as well as suggested schedule to implement the alternative/additional books in with History Odyssey Modern Level 2: https://www.pandiapress.com/wp-content/uploads/MT-2-Alternative-Booklist.pdf
**A note from Samantha Matalone Cook, who has created our alternate/additional book list for History Odyssey: Modern Level 2:
As the world changes, so does historiography. The approaches and methods used to tell the story of history are rapidly evolving to reflect a more inclusive, holistic view of world history. There are new resources, materials, and research that, even in just the past few years, have revealed how history as a subject has missed, marginalized, or distorted the past for many people and communities.
As I work on writing a new History Odyssey series, my goal is to present middle and high school students with a history education that embodies an intersectional, balanced, global experience that connects them with concepts and skills while underlining the impact the past has had on current events.
In the meantime, I’ve created a list of some alternative books to use with the current History Odyssey Level Two series that are more aligned with the goals mentioned above but still fit within the framework of the existing curriculum.
Thanks for choosing History Odyssey,
Samantha Matalone Cook, MAT
*The Story of Mankind: Due to the polarizing nature of The Story of Mankind by Hendrick Van Loon, it is optional reading in this level two course. It should be considered a possible resource for gathering information. If students choose not to read TSOM, they might need to seek out other resources on the Internet or at a library in order to complete some of the lessons.
Includes a map of the travels in Around the World in 80 Days: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Around_the_World_in_Eighty_Days
Free ebook of Around the World in 80 Days through Project Gutenburg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/103
Public domain version of the audio book: https://librivox.org/search?title=Around+The+World+In+Eighty+Days&author=Verne&reader=&keywords=&genre_id=0&status=all&project_type=either&recorded_language=&sort_order=catalog_date&search_page=1&search_form=advanced
The BBC program of Michael Palin's Around the World in 80 Days is very good if you are able to locate it. It is a documentary from 1989 where Mr. Palin follows the path, roughly, from the book. You can read the text from his accompanying book here: https://www.palinstravels.co.uk/static-7
Free audio of the poem If by Rudyard Kipling: https://www.learnoutloud.com/Free-Audio-Video/Literature/-/If/15422
Helpful site for summarizing the Treaty of Vereeniging - https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Peace_of_Vereeniging
Timeline of the Zulu War: https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Timeline-of-the-AngloZulu-War/
The Boer Wars: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/boer_wars_01.shtml
https://www.thoughtco.com/the-boer-war-1779180
The Great Trek: https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/great-trek-1835-1846
Suez Canal - http://www.touregypt.net/suezcanal.htm
Events leading to the Scramble for Africa: https://www.thoughtco.com/what-caused-the-scramble-for-africa-43730
More information about Things Fall Apart: https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/things/
http://www.indiaforum.org/india/about-india.htm
http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/india/about_india.htm
https://www.thoughtco.com/the-british-raj-in-india-195275
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zf7fr82/revision/1
Timeline of the British Empire: https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Timeline-Of-The-British-Empire/
Queen Victoria: https://www.history.com/topics/british-history/queen-victoria
https://www.thoughtco.com/queen-victoria-biography-3530656
Queen Victoria’s Children and Grandchildren: https://www.thoughtco.com/queen-victorias-children-and-grandchildren-3530653
https://www.australianexplorer.com/australian_history.htm
History of Australia: https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/History/Australia-history.htm
https://www.australias.guide/australia-history/
Interactive map with photos of various regions of Australia: https://www.australias.guide/maps/
Australian Timeline: https://www.ducksters.com/geography/country/australia_history_timeline.php
The Potato Famine: https://www.history.com/topics/immigration/irish-potato-famine
https://www.britannica.com/event/Great-Famine-Irish-history
Short video about the Irish Potato Famine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAnT21xGdSk&feature=emb_logo
Song of the Famine: https://unionsong.com/u806.html
Interesting site from the town of Skibbereen, an Irish town that was devastated by the Great Famine: https://skibbheritage.com/home/skibbereen-history/
BBC Ireland Independence: Why Jan 1919 is an important date https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/46480953
Video about the Irish War of Independence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31lilUvmXUA&feature=emb_logo
Tips on giving an oral presentation: https://www.brighthubeducation.com/study-and-learning-tips/46133-oral-presentation-tips/
Imperialism in Central and Southeast Asia: https://worldhistorycaussey.weebly.com/imperialism-in-central-and-southeast-asia.html
The Act of Union from 1840: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/act-of-union
Papineau: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/louis-joseph-papineau
William Lyon Mckenzie: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/mackenzie-william-lyon
Canada: https://www.royal.uk/canada
Brief overview of Canadian History: https://www.thoughtco.com/quick-geography-facts-about-canada-1434345
History of Canada timeline: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Canadian_history
The Commonwealth: http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/find_out/guides/world/commonwealth/
http://www.youngcommonwealth.org
https://www.royal.uk/commonwealth-and-overseas
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1899-1913/portsmouth-treaty
Short video about Meiji Japan: Reforming a Nation Through Western Development: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPhi7mZmsSY
https://biography.yourdictionary.com/mutsuhito
http://www.smplanet.com/teaching/imperialism/#boxer
Guomindang or Chinese Nationalist Party: https://alphahistory.com/chineserevolution/guomindang/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nosq94oCl_M&feature=emb_logo
https://www.history.com/topics/middle-east/ottoman-empire
Why the Ottoman Empire Rose and Fell: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/reference/modern-history/why-ottoman-empire-rose-fell/
This site is practically helpful in determining the causes of the war: http://www.victorianweb.org/history/crimea/index.html
You can listen to Tennyson reading his poem, recorded on an Edison wax cylinder in 1890. Follow along with the written poem; the recording is hard to hear. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LightBrigade-Tennyson.ogg
Florence Nightingale: https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/florence-nightingale-1
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-first-balkan-war-ends
https://schoolhistory.co.uk/notes/the-balkans/
The Treaty of London: https://www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/treatyoflondon.htm
https://www.britannica.com/event/Risorgimento
A timeline of the events of the Risorgimento: https://www.theflorentine.net/2011/03/10/the-italian-risorgimento-a-timeline/
This short video has an overview of Italian and German unification (also has good information for lesson 37): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSjDe9_jZk8&feature=emb_logo
https://history.state.gov/countries/issues/german-unification
Otto von Bismarck: https://www.history.com/topics/germany/otto-von-bismarck
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/bismarck_otto_von.shtml
Napoleon III: https://www.biography.com/political-figure/napoleon-iii
Complete text of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer from the Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/74/74-h/74-h.htm
This cave system is located in Mark Twain’s hometown of Hannibal, Missouri and has many of the locations that are mentioned in the book: https://www.marktwaincave.com
The Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum in Hannibal, Missouri has lots of great information about Mark Twain: https://marktwainmuseum.org
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifest_destiny
https://www.history.com/topics/westward-expansion/manifest-destiny
Khan Academy lesson on Manifest Destiny: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/the-early-republic/age-of-jackson/a/manifest-destiny
https://www.ushistory.org/us/29.asp
https://www.history.com/topics/westward-expansion/westward-expansion
Crash Course video about Western Expansion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q16OZkgSXfM&feature=emb_logo
Homestead Act of 1862 including photos of primary documents: https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/homestead-act
Transcontinental Railroad: https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/transcontinental-railroad
https://www.american-rails.com/trnscntl.html
Plain Wars: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/the-gilded-age/american-west/a/indian-wars
General George Custer: https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/george-armstrong-custer
Sitting Bull: https://www.nps.gov/libi/learn/historyculture/sitting-bull.htm
Information about the Battle of Little Bighorn from the National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov/libi/index.htm
Rutherford B. Hayes: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/rutherford-b-hayes/
https://www.biography.com/us-president/rutherford-b-hayes
The Massacre at Wounded Knee: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/u-s-army-massacres-indians-at-wounded-knee
Eyewitness account of the Massacre at Wounded Knee: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/knee.htm
Short video about Wounded Knee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ-cUsUg_J0&feature=emb_logo
Primary sources about slavery in the US: https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/slavery-in-the-united-states-primary-sources-and-the-historical-record/#students
African-American resources including narratives from slaves:http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/aohome.html
Conditions of antebellum slavery from PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2956.html
History of Transportation on the Mississippi River: https://cgee.hamline.edu/rivers/Resources/Voices/transportation1.htm
Video lessons about life in America right before the Civil War: https://study.com/academy/topic/life-in-antebellum-america-1807-1861.html
The Pre-Civil War Era: https://www.sparknotes.com/history/american/precivilwar/context/
History of Public Schools in America: https://people.howstuffworks.com/public-schools1.htm
Article about foreshadowing and how to use it in your own writing if you are a writer: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-foreshadowing-foreshadowing-literary-device-tips-and-examples#5-foreshadowing-examples-and-techniques
Video lesson about symbolism in literature: https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-symbolism-in-literature-definition-types-examples.html
The full text and also study help for The Red Badge of Courage: https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/redbadge/
https://americancivilwar.com/kids_zone/causes.html
https://mrnussbaum.com/history/civil-war-causes
Library of Congress Civil War collection: https://www.loc.gov/search/?in=&q=civil+war&new=true&st=
The Gettysburg Address performed/read by various actors/singers/political figures: https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/gettysburgaddress.htm
https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/american-civil-war-history
https://www.historynet.com/civil-war
https://www.thoughtco.com/american-civil-war-a-short-history-2360921
The Ken Burns film The Civil War is very good (possibly available on streaming services or at some libraries). This PBS site also includes a whole section for teachers with lesson plans and activities associated with the film but many are great even without the film.: http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/civil-war/
Crash Course Civil War: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY9zHNOjGrs&feature=emb_logo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzTrKccmj_I&feature=emb_logo
https://www.dkfindout.com/us/history/american-civil-war/
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war
https://www.biographyonline.net/people-american-civil-war/
Harriet Tubman Historical Society: http://www.harriet-tubman.org
Abraham Lincoln: https://www.thoughtco.com/abraham-lincoln-16th-president-united-states-104273
https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/abraham-lincoln/
http://www.abraham-lincoln-history.org/category/biography/
Ulysses S. Grant: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/ulysses-s-grant/
https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/ulysses-s-grant-1
Robert E. Lee: https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/robert-e-lee
https://www.nps.gov/arho/learn/historyculture/robert-lee.htm
Some great maps that show parts of the world before WWI and situations leading up to WWI: https://www.vox.com/a/world-war-i-maps
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/manfred-baron-von-richthofen
https://www.thoughtco.com/the-red-baron-1779208
The full text of The Red Battle Flyer by Captain Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/41159/41159-h/41159-h.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manfred_von_Richthofen
Maps of several areas leading up to and through WWI: https://www.vox.com/a/world-war-i-maps
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/outbreak-of-world-war-i
https://www.thoughtco.com/causes-that-led-to-world-war-i-105515
Video - How a Wrong Turn Started World War I: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JsFvcSr7BA
Lots of great resources at the Imperial War Museums website: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/how-the-world-went-to-war-in-1914
https://www.iwm.org.uk/search/stories?query=WW1&pageSize=15
Short video of life in a trench: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_G4ZY66BG38&feature=emb_logo
More about the trenches: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgykKEhfEok&feature=emb_logo
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/world-war-i-history
WWI Timeline: https://www.thoughtco.com/world-war-i-timeline-from-1914-to-1918-4148287
https://www.thoughtco.com/world-war-i-p2-1779985
This is an interesting website to explore, this is the National Archives section on WWI: https://www.archives.gov/topics/wwi
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zqhyb9q/articles/zkb86v4
Treaty of Versailles: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/treaty-of-versailles-1
https://www.thoughtco.com/the-versailles-treaty-1779983
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/world-war-i-ends
https://www.ducksters.com/history/world_war_i/end_of_ww1_post_war.php
Adolf Hitler during WWI: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/adolf-hitler-and-world-war-i-1913-1919
Interesting museum exhibit of the sound recreated of when the guns fell silent at the end of WWI: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/listen-moment-guns-fell-silent-ending-world-war-i-180970772/
Newspapers from around the world about the end of WWI: https://www.newspapers.com/topics/world-war1/end-of-world-war-i/
https://www.historynet.com/weapons-of-world-war-i.htm
https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/technology-weapons-ww1/
https://www.military-history.org/articles/german-zeppelins-of-wwi.htm
https://www.thoughtco.com/animal-farm-themes-symbols-4587867
https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/animalfarm/
George Orwell: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Orwell
http://www.johndclare.net/Russ_Rev_Emsleyand%20Englander.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Revolution
Timeline of the Russian Revolution: https://www.bl.uk/russian-revolution/articles/timeline-of-the-russian-revolution
Czar Nicholas II: https://www.thoughtco.com/nicholas-ii-1779830
Bloody Sunday: https://www.thoughtco.com/prelude-to-the-russian-revolution-1779472
Rasputin: https://www.biography.com/political-figure/rasputin
https://www.thoughtco.com/murder-of-rasputin-1779627
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/murder-rasputin-100-years-later-180961572/
Lenin: https://www.history.com/topics/russia/vladimir-lenin
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/lenin-mausoleum-moscow/index.html
BBC News discussion about the body of Lenin on display 100 years after the revolution: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPmlX4kWgjs&feature=emb_logo
Bolsheviks: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/bolsheviks-revolt-in-russia
https://www.thoughtco.com/who-were-the-mensheviks-and-bolsheviks-1221813
An article about some American Troops who got caught up in the Russian Civil War with the White Russians: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/forgotten-doughboys-who-died-fighting-russian-civil-war-180971470/
Trotsky: https://www.thoughtco.com/leon-trotsky-1779899
Stalin: https://www.history.com/topics/russia/joseph-stalin
https://www.thoughtco.com/joseph-stalin-1779902
Photos of Stalin throughout his life: https://www.bygonely.com/young-joseph-stalin/
Full text of the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels: https://www.fulltextarchive.com/page/The-Communist-Manifesto/
Summary and full text of the Communist Manifesto: https://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/communist/summary/
Communism: https://www.factmonster.com/encyclopedia/social-science/government/concepts/communism
http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/co/Communism
Timeline of Communism: https://www.history.com/topics/russia/communism-timeline
https://people.howstuffworks.com/communism1.htm
Karl Marx: https://www.history.com/topics/germany/karl-marx
https://www.thoughtco.com/karl-marx-biography-3026494
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/marx/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR3igiwaeyc&feature=emb_logo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16IMc5mhbZk&feature=emb_logo
Friedrich Engels: https://www.famousphilosophers.org/friedrich-engels/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/fascism
Benito Mussolini: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/benito-mussolini
https://www.biography.com/dictator/benito-mussolini
Francisco Franco: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/francisco-franco
https://www.thoughtco.com/francisco-franco-biography-1221852
Adolf Hitler: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/adolf-hitler
https://www.thoughtco.com/facts-about-hitler-1779642
Short video about Hitler’s life: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/adolf-hitler-video
Nazi Party: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/nazi-party
If you have the PBS passport, this PBS program is good- Rise of the Nazis: https://www.pbs.org/show/rise-nazis/
Falange Party: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Falange
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/spanish-civil-war
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/spanish-civil-war-breaks-out
https://www.worldhistoryedu.com/major-facts-spanish-civil-war/
This is the first episode of a several part documentary about the Spanish Civil War: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu5f9hp0IP4&feature=emb_logo
Difference between Communism and Socialism: https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/100214/what-difference-between-communism-and-socialism.asp
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism
https://www.marxists.org/glossary/terms/s/o.htm#socialism
Pablo Picasso: https://www.pablopicasso.org
Guernica by Pablo Picasso: https://www.pablopicasso.org/guernica.jsp
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_satire
Totalitarianism in contrast to Authoritarianism and Fascism: https://www.thoughtco.com/totalitarianism-authoritarianism-fascism-4147699
Woodrow Wilson: https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/woodrow-wilson
An article from Smithsonian Magazine about Woodrow Wilson contracting the 1918 flu while in office (includes a short video): https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-happened-when-woodrow-wilson-came-down-1918-flu-180975972/
https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/woodrow-wilson/
Charles Lindbergh: https://www.biography.com/historical-figure/charles-lindbergh
Al Capone: https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/al-capone
https://www.thoughtco.com/al-capone-1779788
Warren G. Harding: https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/warren-g-harding
https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/warren-g-harding/
Franklin Roosevelt: https://www.thoughtco.com/franklin-d-roosevelt-1779848
https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/franklin-d-roosevelt/
The Ken Burns film- The Roosevelts is very good (This documentary series focuses on Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Eleanor Roosevelt). Available on some streaming services: https://kenburns.com/films/roosevelts/
Eleanor Roosevelt: https://www.thoughtco.com/eleanor-roosevelt-1779802
https://www.history.com/topics/first-ladies/eleanor-roosevelt
Constitutional Amendments: https://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#Amends
The Jazz Age: https://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/modern-world-history-1918-to-1980/america-1918-1939/the-jazz-age/
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/monkeytrial-jazz-age/
https://historylearning.com/modern-world-history/america-1918/1920s-america/
Art Deco: https://www.theartstory.org/movement/art-deco/
https://www.history.com/topics/art-history/history-of-art-noveau-and-art-deco
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression
Video about the Great Depression around the world: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqjHHhPWDw8
For fun, this is a 1937 film that was intended to boost the spirit of Great Depression-weary Americans about new technical and scientific advances. (Some of these might make you smile, like cars getting 300 miles to the gallon): https://archive.org/details/Frontier1937
Several topics concerning the Great Depression: https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression
https://www.thoughtco.com/the-great-depression-1779289
The Ken Burns documentary series The Dust Bowl is very good. There is a lot of extra information on this website that goes along with the topic. Available on some streaming services: https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/dustbowl/
Causes of the Great Depression: https://www.thoughtco.com/causes-of-the-great-depression-104686
The Great Depression in the UK: https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Great-Depression/
Recipes from the Great Depression era: https://www.thespruceeats.com/depression-era-recipes-1388459
Recipes from the Great Depression: https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/depression-era-recipes/
The Long March: https://www.thoughtco.com/what-was-the-long-march-195155
https://www.history.com/topics/china/long-march
Mao Zedong: https://www.thoughtco.com/timeline-of-mao-zedongs-life-195741
Chinese Civil War: https://study.com/academy/lesson/chinese-civil-war-summary-facts-timeline.html
Chiang Kai-shek: https://www.thoughtco.com/chiang-kai-shek-4588488
https://www.history.com/topics/china/chiang-kai-shek
Emperor Hirohito: https://www.thoughtco.com/emperor-hirohito-of-japan-195661
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/hirohito-1
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Second_Sino-Japanese_War
The Anne Frank house museum has some great information: https://www.annefrank.org/en/anne-frank/who-was-anne-frank/
This page from the Anne Frank Museum has a tour of the Secret Annex: https://www.annefrank.org/en/anne-frank/secret-annex/
Timeline of Adolf Hitler’s life: https://worldhistoryproject.org/topics/adolf-hitler
http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/adolf-hitler
Colorized film footage of Hitler in Paris: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K57x2Bkddg
Film footage of a Nazi congress (1936), Hitler giving a speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMbd-UYyEd0&feature=emb_logo
Munich Agreement: https://www.ushmm.org/learn/timeline-of-events/1933-1938/munich-agreement
Treaty of Versailles including the separation of Germany and Austria: https://www.history.com/news/treaty-of-versailles-provisions
http://www.historyguide.org/europe/lecture10.html
Mussolini: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/benito-mussolini
Stalin: https://www.thoughtco.com/joseph-stalin-1779902
https://www.thoughtco.com/totalitarianism-authoritarianism-fascism-4147699
https://www.iwm.org.uk/search/stories?query=Second+World+War&pageSize=15
Newspaper clippings from WWII: https://www.newspapers.com/topics/world-war2/
Information and photos of Lyudmila Pavlichenko, a very successful female sniper who fought for the Soviet Red Army and later toured North America and Britain: https://www.bygonely.com/lyudmila-pavlichenko/
War in the Pacific Timeline: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/pacific-war-pacific-1944-1945/
Ken Burns documentary The War follows Americans from different small towns through their WWII experience. This PBS website has supplementary information that goes with the material. Available on some streaming services: https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-war/
Winston Churchill: https://www.biography.com/political-figure/winston-churchill
Franklin D. Roosevelt: https://www.thoughtco.com/franklin-d-roosevelt-1779848
Erwin Rommel: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/erwin-rommel
Dwight D. Eisenhower: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/dwight-d-eisenhower/
Charles de Gaulle: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/gaulle_charles_de.shtml
Yamamoto: https://www.thoughtco.com/admiral-isoroku-yamamoto-2361141
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-2q-QMUIgY&list=PL8dPuuaLjXtNjasccl-WajpONGX3zoY4M&index=21
https://www.thoughtco.com/when-did-world-war-2-end-3878473
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has a large collection on the Holocaust: https://www.ushmm.org
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/united-nations
Eleanor Roosevelt and the United Nations: https://www.nps.gov/elro/learn/historyculture/udhr.htm
Mao Zedong: https://www.thoughtco.com/timeline-of-mao-zedongs-life-195741
Speech by Mao: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/1949mao.asp
https://www.thoughtco.com/peoples-republic-of-china-facts-history-195233
Greek Civil War: https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/greek-civil-war-1944-1949
Conflict over Kashmir: https://www.thoughtco.com/kashmir-history-and-background-2353435
Collapse of the Soviet Union: https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/fall-of-soviet-union
https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/cold-war-history
https://www.archives.gov/research/foreign-policy/cold-war/symposium/cleveland.html
https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/jfk-in-history/the-cold-war
https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/education/presidential-inquiries/marshall-plan-and-cold-war
https://www.sparknotes.com/history/american/coldwar/context/
https://europe.unc.edu/the-end-of-wwii-and-the-division-of-europe/
Ghana: https://www.thoughtco.com/brief-history-of-ghana-3996070
Slovakia: https://www.slovakia.com/facts/history/
Czech Republic: https://www.britannica.com/place/Czechoslovakia
The former Yugoslavia: https://www.thoughtco.com/the-former-yugoslavia-1435415
Post Soviet States: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-countries-made-up-the-former-soviet-union-ussr.html
Korean War
https://www.thoughtco.com/the-korean-war-an-overview-2360860
https://history.army.mil/reference/Korea/kw-chrono.htm
https://www.history.com/topics/korea/korean-war
Newsreel footage from the Korean War (1950): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF_Ts_6oSi8&feature=emb_logo
U.S. involvement: https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/korean-conflict
Korean War FAQs from China’s perspective: http://centurychina.com/history/krwarfaq.html
Photos from the Korean War: https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/korean-war-rare-pictures-1951-1953/
The Korean War Memorial in Washington D.C.: https://www.abmc.gov/about-us/history/korean-war-memorial
Vietnam War
The Ken Burns documentary The Vietnam War is vey good, though it has some very disturbing sections especially for younger viewers. There is a broadcast version as well as a full version. This section of the PBS website has a lot of extras about the film as well as just general information about the war under the “classroom” tab. The documentary is available on some streaming services: https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-vietnam-war/
Part of the above PBS website, this section has stories and photos collected from viewers of the film: https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-vietnam-war/stories/
Ho Chi Minh: https://www.thoughtco.com/ho-chi-minh-195778
Viet Cong: https://www.thoughtco.com/the-viet-cong-the-vietnam-war-195432
https://www.pbs.org/battlefieldvietnam/guerrilla/index.html
https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-history
John F. Kennedy: https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/life-of-john-f-kennedy
Richard Nixon: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/richard-m-nixon/
Khmer Rouge: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-10684399
https://www.thoughtco.com/what-was-the-khmer-rouge-195375
Pol Pot: https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/pol-pot
http://www.mideastweb.org/nutshell.htm
https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/israeli-palestinian-conflict
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wo2TLlMhiw&feature=emb_logo
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGAL9TcH76MBKR5hywFZ4CA
PLO: https://www.history.com/topics/middle-east/plo
Hamas: https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/hamas
Israeli Point of View: https://www.beyondimages.site
https://www.science.co.il/Arab-Israeli-conflict/
Palestinian Point of View: https://ifamericansknew.org/history/
https://www.angelfire.com/pro/canthos/Background.html
https://www.cfr.org/timeline/iraq-war
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/war-in-iraq-begins
Ayatollah Khomeini: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/khomeini_ayatollah.shtml
https://www.notablebiographies.com/Jo-Ki/Khomeini-Ayatollah.html
Saddam Hussein: https://www.thoughtco.com/saddam-hussein-history-1779934
https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/short-history/firstgulf
https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/war-on-terror-timeline
https://mepc.org/commentary/what-exactly-war-terror
Osama Bin Laden: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/who/bio.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/world/timeline-life-of-osama-bin-laden/
https://www.cnn.com/2013/08/30/world/osama-bin-laden-fast-facts/index.html
Al Qaeda: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/network/alqaeda/indictment.html
https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/al-qaeda
George W. Bush: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/george-w-bush/
Nation Master is an excellent site for statistical information on any country, including terrorist information, geography, economics, and religion: https://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/profiles
https://www.state.gov/state-sponsors-of-terrorism/
https://www.state.gov/reports/country-reports-on-terrorism-2019/
https://www.canada.ca/en/security-intelligence-service.html
https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/mocking/
https://www.civilrightsmovement.com
http://www.unitedhumanrights.org
https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-movement
https://www.thoughtco.com/civil-rights-movement-timeline-45361
https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-act
https://www.thoughtco.com/men-of-the-civil-rights-movement-45371
http://www.pbs.org/black-culture/explore/civil-rights-leaders/
https://www.goodnet.org/articles/15-black-women-civil-rights-leaders-you-may-have-heard
https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/jfk-in-history/civil-rights-movement
https://www.infoplease.com/history/black-history/heroes-of-the-civil-rights-movement
Emmaline Pankhurst: https://www.thoughtco.com/emmeline-pankhurst-1779832
Lucretia Mott: https://www.nps.gov/wori/learn/historyculture/lucretia-mott.htm
https://www.thoughtco.com/lucretia-mott-biography-3530523
Elizabeth Cady Stanton: https://www.nps.gov/wori/learn/historyculture/elizabeth-cady-stanton.htm
https://www.thoughtco.com/elizabeth-cady-stanton-biography-3530443
Available on some streaming services, American Experience’s The Vote, is an excellent, in-depth look at the women’s suffrage movement in the US: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/vote/
Klu Klux Klan: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/flood-klan/
https://www.thoughtco.com/the-ku-klux-klan-history-721444
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: https://www.si.edu/spotlight/mlk
https://americanwritersmuseum.org/martin-luther-king-jr-quotes-and-speeches/
https://www.learnoutloud.com/content/blog/archives/2017/04/35_speeches_by_MLK.php
Nelson Mandela: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1993/mandela/biographical/
OPEC: https://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/
APEC: https://www.apec.org
ASEAN: https://asean.org
NAFTA: https://www.cbp.gov/trade/nafta
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/nafta-comes-into-effect-us-mexico-canada-trade
EU: https://europa.eu/european-union/index_en
History of OPEC: https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/OPEC_(brief_history)
Renewable Energy: https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/renewable-sources/
https://www.energy.gov/science-innovation/clean-energy
https://ourworldindata.org/renewable-energy
Environmental Disasters: https://www.history.com/news/7-deadly-environmental-disasters
The EPA website has a lot of information on environmental topics: https://www.epa.gov/environmental-topics
https://www.thoughtco.com/20th-century-timeline-1992486
http://www.datesandevents.org/events-timelines/12-technology-timeline.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_transportation_technology
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDEmHQhGkBg
Recommended Resources
Imperialism and British Control
Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850 by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
History of Australia by Manning Clark (Out of print, check your local library)
The Penguin Historical Atlas of the British Empire by Nigel Dalziel
South Africa: 1880 to the Present: Imperialism, Nationalism, and Apartheid by Bruce Fish
Far West: The Story of British Columbia by Daniel Francis
Ireland: A History by Robert Kee
The Penguin Atlas of African History by Colin McEvedy
Imperialism: A History in Documents by Bonnie Smith. Part of the Pages from History series, collection of primary source documents.
Nationalism and Unification Prior to WWI
The Crimean War by Deborah Bachrach. An account of the war for young readers.
The Age of Nationalism and Reform, 1850-1890 by Norman Rich. High School level
North America Prior to WWI
A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich. Historic fiction. The moving account of American frontier settler Abbie Deal, who crossed the prairie to settle in Nebraska during the mid-1800s.
Bull Run by Paul Fleischman. Historic fiction. Diary accounts of 16 characters from each side fo the American Civil War.
Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt. Historic fiction. The story of the effects on family life and community on both sides of the American Civil War.
Fields of Fury: The American Civil War by James M. McPherson. A concise account of the Civil War for young people, including details on every major battle, maps, photographs, and illustrations.
The Boy’s War: Confederate and Union Soldiers Talk About the Civil War by Jim Murphy. Diaries, journals, memoirs, and letters of boys who served in the Union and Confederate armies during the American Civil War.
Wild West: DK Eyewitness by Stuart Murray.
Co. Aytch: A Confederate Memoir of the Civil War by Sam R. Watkins. Civil War primary source. The humorous and tragic personal narrative of a soldier fighting for the South in the American Civil War.
WWI
World War I: DK Eyewitness by Simon Adams
Eyes Like Willy’s by Juanita Havill. Part of the American War series. Middle school/high school level. Tells the true story of World War I. Contains photos and maps.
Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo. Historic fiction. Story of Thomas Peaceful, 15-year-old soldier fighting in France in the trenches during World War I.
Gay-Neck, The Story of a Pigeon by Dhan Mukerji. Historic fiction. The story of the training and care of a carrier pigeon during World War I.
After the Dancing Days by Margaret I. Rostkowski. Historic fiction. The story of a young American girl and a wounded veteran right after World War I has ended.
Kipling’s Choice by Geert Spillebeen, translated by Terese Edelstein. The fictionalized biography that follows the true story of John Kipling, Rudyard Kipling’s son, during World War I on the Western Front.
Between the Wars
Six Days in October, The Stock Market Crash of 1929 by Karen Blumenthal. Detailed story of the event that many believed started the Great Depression in America. Contains many primary sources and photographs.
The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler by James Cross Giblin. Detailed biography with many photos for young readers.
The Depression and the New Deal: A History in Documents by Robert S. McElvaine. Part of the Pages From History series. Collection of primary source documents.
We Had Everything But Money by Deborah Mulvey (editor). Personal accounts and anecdotes that offer insight into life during the Great Depression. Describes such events as the closing of banks, looking for a job, braving the Dust Bowl, and discovering homemade fun. (Out of print. Check your local library.)
The House of Sixty Fathers by Maurice Sendak. Historic fiction. Story of Tien Pao, a young boy trapped in China and and separated from his parents during the Japanese invasion in the 1930s.
WWII
World War II: DK Eyewitness by Simon Adams
Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler. Historic fiction. Brutal account of Stalin’s Russia and tyrannical dictatorship at the brink of World War II. (High school level)
World War II by Loyd E. Lee. Concise account of the war including weaponry, rise of Hitler, and long-term impacts of the war. (High school level)
World War II for Kids. A History with 21 Activities by Richard Panchyk. Full of history and hands-on actives for ages 10 and up.
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Translated by H.T. Willetts. Historic fiction. The haunting tale of a typical brutal day in a Stalinist labor camp in Siberia.
Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two by Joseph Bruchac. This young adult book tells of the Navajo men in the U.S. Marine Corp during WWII through the fictionalized tale of Ned Begay, a sixteen-year-old Navajo boy who becomes a code talker.
Shores Beyond Shores: From Holocaust to Hope, My True Story by Irene Hasenberg Butter. Irene tells the story of her childhood living through the Holocaust with her family. (Irene is still alive as of 2021, and you can find interviews with her discussing her life experiences on Youtube. She routinely talks to middle school and high school students about her life and the Holocaust.) This book is appropriate for middle school and up.
Unbroken: An Olympian’s Journey from Airman to Castaway to Captive by Laura Hillenbrand. This books tells the story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic athlete who competed in the Berlin Olympics and then became an airman in WWII and his harrowing journey after being shot down over the ocean. (There is the original as well as a young adult version of this book.)
World War II: A Student Companion by William L. O’Neill. Encyclopedia-style, readable, concise, and informative book. (High school level)
The World Post WWII
Living Through the Cold War- Living Under the Threat of Nuclear War by Derek Maus.
The Cold War: A History in Documents by Allen Winkler. Part of the Pages From History series. Collection of primary source documents.
The Vietnam War: A History in Documents by Marilyn B. Young, et.al. Part of the Pages From History series. Collection of primary source documents.
The Middle East
The Handbook of the Middle East by Michael Sort
The Middle East (Kingfisher Knowledge) by Miranda Smith
The Haj by Leon Uris. Historic fiction. Story of a Palestinian-Arab family before and after the 1948 war for Israeli independence. (High school level)
Civil Rights, The Environment, and the Economy
The Encyclopedia of the Environment edited by Stephen Kellert. Out of print. Check your local library.
Freedom’s Children: Young Civil Rights Activists Tell Their Own Stories by Ellen Levine. The stories of children and teenagers who contributed to the civil rights movement in the United States.
The Civil Rights Movement for Kids: A History with 21 Activities by Mary C. Turck. Full of history and hands-on activities for ages 10 and up.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley by Malcolm X and Alex Haley.
The Civil Rights Movement: A Photographic History, 1954-68 by Steven Kasher
General and Other
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