These resources contain a variety materials, including lesson plans and primary sources, useful for k-12 and undergraduate level education. Many of these resources were developed for or by AAS K-12 Teacher Institutes.
Historic Children's Voices: For Educators
The writings of nineteenth-century children reveal lively imaginations and inquisitive minds. AAS has digitized and made publicly available hundreds of texts authored by American children that are in its collection. Themes addressed by educator resources are African American trailblazers in amatuerdom, how to read a manuscript newspaper, and how to read a manuscript diary. Transcriptions, lesson plans, audio files, questions and activities for students are available.
The News Media and the Making of America, 1730-1865
The history of America has always been intimately entwined with the history of communications media—and that has always been changing. This exhibition broadly explores the interconnectedness of American news media, in all its formats, with changes in technology, business, politics, society, and community from 1730 to 1865.
Beyond Midnight: Paul Revere Educational Resources
These videos and lesson plans explore the art, artifacts, and themes of Beyond Midnight: Paul Revere, an exhibition curated by AAS staff members. "Revere’s Readers’ Theater" is designed for grades 3-5 and "Curious Curator" is adaptable for elementary, middle, and high school levels.
Humanities in Class Digital Library
The Humanities in Class Digital Library, sponsored by the National Humanities Center, provides access to the best instructional resources and scholarly materials in support of humanities education. Resources are tagged by subject matter, topics and material type, making it easy to discover and combine content you need from institutions you trust, including the American Antiquarian Society. Register for a free membership to access the resources.
Fake News and the Massachusetts Spy, 1775
A facsimile copy of the May 3, 1775 issue of The Massachusetts Spy, or American Oracle of Liberty is accompanied by a worksheet. This issue contains the breaking news account of the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
Photographs of Tuskegee Institute: An AAS Illustrated Inventory
The American Antiquarian Society holds a small collection of fifty-six photographs depicting life in and around Tuskegee Institute, in Tuskegee, Alabama, ca. 1890-1915, taken by an unknown photographer. The campus, now known as Tuskegee University, of the school is depicted here during the tenure of the school’s first president Booker T. Washington. Here, African-American students, both male and female, are seen in the various schools on campus learning practical skills including nursing, dairy, sewing, teaching, farming (cotton and sugar cane), mattress making, blacksmithing, printing and laundering. The collection also includes group portraits of students and teachers. There are also images of the other buildings on and near the school's campus, including former slave quarters and a plantation house.
The Letters of Abigail Adams: An AAS Illustrated Inventory
The American Antiquarian Society (AAS) holds a collection of over 200 letters written by Abigail Adams. The letters in this collection are addressed almost exclusively to Abigail’s sister Mary and Mary’s daughter, Lucy Cranch Greenleaf (1767-1846). The text of many letters has been unavailable online until now. This illustrated inventory also marks the first time digital images of these letters have appeared online.