DC History Center

Best for: 3rd-8th grade students

Please check back for periodic additions and additional formats.

Activities

Teachable Moments

“Teachable Moment” essays start with a document, map, or image, that invites close analysis to understand its deeper lessons. The features are also windows into how their historian/authors analyze and interpret primary sources to discover layers of context and meaning. Click on the linked title to download a PDF of the following “Teachable Moment” essay:

• Smith, Kathryn Schneider. “For Real Hometown Understanding, Start with Real Estate Maps.” Washington History 27, no. 1 (2015): 15-18.

Access and download a historic real estate map or plat book of your school’s neighborhood through the Library of Congress or the DC Public Library!

Published material

These Washington History articles would be great context for the oldest students in this grade span and the adults guiding them. For younger students, while the text of  the articles may be best suited for the adults who are guiding them, many of the articles make extensive use of historical photographs and artifacts. Click on the linked titles to download PDFs of Washington History articles relating to these topics:

D.C. government structure and responsibilities

• Haskins, Faye P. “The Art of D.C. Politics: Broadsides, Banners, and Bumper Stickers.” Washington History 12, no. 2 (2000): 46-63.

• Hartman, Curtis J. “Talking Trash: Solid Waste Policy in the District of Columbia, 1877-1922.” Washington History 24, no. 2 (2012): 85-99.

• Mergen, Bernard. “Slush Funds: A History of D.C. Snow Management.” Washington History 8, no. 1 (1996): 4-15.

• Van Zandt Cox, William. “Matthew Gault Emery, the Last Mayor of Washington, 1870-1871.” Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington, D.C. 20 (1917): 19-59.

• Wells, Donna M. “Walter Edward Washington (1915-2003): A Photo Tribute.” Washington History 16, no. 1 (2004): 4-15.

Neighborhood development and transportation innovations

• Amsler, Sarah S. “Washington in Mid-Century: Wymer’s Photo Survey, 1948-1952.” Washington History 9, no. 1 (1997): 42-51.

• Williams, Kim Prothro. “The Surviving Cultural Landscape of Washington’s Alleys.” Washington History 27, no. 2 (2015): 40-52.

• Shepherd, William John, and Mary Beth Corrigan. “Becoming a Capital City: The Photographs of Terence Vincent Powderly.” Washington History 24, no. 2 (2012): 116-35.

• DeFerrari, John. “Picturing Metro: A Look Back at the Photographs of Phil Portlock.” Washington History 28, no. 2 (2016): 16-31.

Civil rights and civil activists

• Caplan, Marvin. “Eat Anywhere!” Washington History 1, no. 1 (1989): 24-39.

• Pacifico, Michele F. “”Don’t Buy Where You Can’t Work”: The New Negro Alliance of Washington.” Washington History 6, no. 1 (1994): 66-88.

• Carey, Miya. “Becoming “a Force for Desegregation”: The Girl Scouts and Civil Rights in the Nation’s Capital.” Washington History 29, no. 2 (2017): 52-60.

• Crooms, Lisa A. “Race, Education and the District of Columbia: The Meaning and Legacy of Bolling v. Sharpe.” Washington History 16, no. 2 (2004): 14-22.

• Pearlman, Lauren. “More than a March: The Poor People’s Campaign in the District.” Washington History 26, no. 2 (2014): 24-41.

• Gray, Derek. “”Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution”: Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy of Activism in Washington, D.C.” Washington History 30, no. 2 (2018): 10-19.

• Schaffer, Dana Lanier. “The 1968 Washington Riots in History and Memory.” Washington History 15, no. 2 (2003): 4-33.

Washington History magazine

The number one resource for issues relating to local life in the District of Columbia is Washington History, which the Historical Society has published since 1989. Washington History is filled with scholarly articles, reviews, and a rich array of images. It is written and edited by distinguished historians and journalists. The full runs of Washington History (1989-present) and its predecessor publication the Records of the Columbia Historical Society (1897-1988) are available through JSTOR, an online archive to which many institutions subscribe. It’s also easy to set up a personal JSTOR account, which allows for online reading of 6 articles per month for free per account, join at the Membership Plus level for unlimited free access. In addition, there are links above to access full-text downloads for selected topics.