A Guide to Primary Resources for U.S. History : Executive Order 9981 Truman Presidential Museum and Library: "Multimedia Digital Archives" On July 26, 1948, President Truman issued Executive Order 9981 establishing equality of treatment and opportunity in the Armed Services. This project website, produced for the 50th anniversary of the Executive Order, presents the historic document as well as interesting background materials organized in an interactive format. This resource enables students to explore an important outcome of African American military service in World War II. The students can read the order and jot down ideas about how people might have responded to Truman's words (for example, from the perspective of an African-American WWII veteran, an American general, a NAACP lawyer, a white farmer, and a Soviet leader). This could be the beginning of a discussion on how the ideologies of the Cold War played out in the daily lives of Americans. Students can write a reactionary historical journal entry from the perspective of a former WWII African-American soldier (perhaps a Tuskegee Airman) to Truman's order. The teacher can prompt students to think about the emotions of an African-American who fought for a country in which his place is marginalized in society, especially when he was supposedly fighting to promote democracy. In the context of the increasingly threatening Cold War, what might such a person question about his country? The teacher should be sure to return to this document when the class begins to discuss the roots of the Civil Rights Movement.

(c) describing the conflict over ratification, including the Bill of Rights and the arguments of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists;

Federalist Paper #1
Yale University Law School: The Avalon Project

Anti-Federalist Paper #1
constitution.org

Description: The Federalist Papers support the ratification of the new Constitution while the Anti-Federalist Papers oppose the ratification. There are many different objections raised in this series of open letters. Basically, Federalists were in favor of a stronger central government while the Anti-Federalists were wary of giving such authority to a reigning entity. These documents are the first of the series and provide an introduction to the positions of the two groups.

Teaching Tips:

"Do Now" Suggestion

Define the terms Federalist and Anti-Federalist. Discuss the historical context underlying the fears of the Anti-Federalists.

Suggestion for Using this Resource as Part of a Lesson

Use this as a secondary introduction to the Federalist and Anti-Federalist debates. Using the documents, have students identify main points of opposition. Then have students highlight the main points supporting and opposing the positions. Create a large visual summarizing the arguments for both sides to keep posted for ready reference.