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Election of 1800 (Decision-Making lesson): Will you accept defeat and allow for the first peaceful transfer of power after an election?
Will you support the Sedition Act of 1798? (Decision-Making lesson)
Thinking Like a Detective: Document analysis of the 1798 Sedition Act
Rise of the Nazis: Evaluating cause-and-effect
Night Riders: Evaluating Sources
Free Lesson! Why do democracies sometimes fall to autocracies? A survey of 14 countries. Evaluating cause-and-effect.
Why did democracy develop in British colonial America? Evaluating causes by analyzing Spanish, French and British island colonies.
Teaching Students to Think Critically About . . . Autocracy versus Democracy!
Many people today are concerned about the state of democracy in the United States. The lessons in this section help prepare students to think critically about democracy vs. autocracy, considering questions like:
What is a democracy and what is an autocracy?
When in U.S. History has the struggle between autocracy and democracy been especially acute?
What has been the experience in other democratic countries with autocracy?
The lessons are focused on particular events in history, such as the Sedition Act of 1798 or the Night Riders in the 1860s. Like the other lessons on this website, they put students in the position of making decisions, evaluating the reliability of sources, or analyzing cause-and-effect. But in the process of exercising their critical thinking skills, students will also be gaining insight into the elements necessary for democracy to flourish.
*I have begun writing these lessons in 2025 and more will be forthcoming! If you have lesson ideas you’d like to see written, please don’t hesitate to drop me a line at criticalthinkinginhistory@gmail.com