Here's a quick simple video about the history of voting in America. Make sure to spread the word about registering and voting in the upcoming election. You saw what happened in 2008!

http://constitutioncenter.org/constitution-day/constitution-day-resources/the-history-of-voting-by-rock-the-vote1/

Martha Dandridge Custis Washington, the first "First Lady"

Here's an interesting website about the life of the most forgotten woman in history. There's lots of links to her biography and even some information about the slaves at Mount Vernon.

http://www.marthawashington.us/

Fun songs to help you along! (Presidents and geography)

Here are some links to YouTube clips that help to illuminate some of history's most difficult things to remember:

The Presidents by Jonathan Coulton. Funny pictures to associate with the various presidents.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdUUywIsIGI&playnext=1&list=PL1A0D12E23C3F9753&feature=results_video

Animanics: The Presidents. Cartoon version of the Presidential roll call.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vvy0wRLD5s8

Animanics: States and Capitols. He runs through them pretty quickly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSvJ9SN8THE&feature=related

Hip-hop TeacherTube video. This was put together by a middle school in New York and has some crazy dance moves while it explains early America. Anyone want to create something similar?? (points if you know the original song used as an instrumental.)
http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=116779&title=U_S__History_Review_Part_1

Slavery in VA & NC

Here are three links I've found that are related to slavery in our part of the country.

This link takes you to the world of Thomas Jefferson, our 3rd president, and a slave owner from Virginia. There has been much research and even DNA testing to prove that Jefferson not only owned slaves, but fathered some as well. Pay particular attention to the way the slaves talk about life at his home of Monticello.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/jefferson/slaves/


I also found a database from the University of Virginia that is amazing. You can look through every census record from the beginning (1790). You can search for many different categories, but it is most useful for organizing information about slaves and slave owners. The website will even make a map for you! For example, I found out that the 5 counties in NC with the most slaves in 1790 were Granville, Wake, Warren, Halifax and Edgecombe (in order from most to least). 
http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/

Finally, there was a PBS special that premiered Sept. 15, 1998 entitled "Family Name". The documentary followed Macky Alston as he dug up his family history to understand why he, as a white male, had the same last name as many of his black classmates. This one is deep with local ties, as we have MANY Alstons in North Carolina and especially in the Triangle area. I have not seen the special, but would love to...
http://www.pbs.org/pov/familyname/

Enjoy!