Educator Resources

Find historic documents, maps, newspapers, illustrations, and other primary sources to use in your classroom.

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Document Bank of Virginia

Document Bank of Virginia (DBVa) is filled with images of primary historical sources ready for use in your classroom. Each items is keyed to Virginia Standards of Learning and provides historical context as well as suggested questions or activities for students.

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Virginia Changemakers

Virginia Changemakers is filled with short biographies of men and women who have changed Virginia's history. It brings together the remarkable lives of Virginians who have made a difference in their community, state, and nation and have been honored through the Library of Virginia's signature programs Strong Men and Women in Virginia History (celebrating Black History Month), Virginia Women in History (celebrating Women's History Month), and New Virginians (celebrating the state's diverse immigration history).

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Shaping the Constitution

Shaping the Constitution features important primary source documents and paintings from the Library of Virginia and the Library of Congress related to America's Founding era and the U.S. Constitution. It serves as an educational resource for teachers and students exploring the beginnings of the U.S. government and Virginia's connections to those events, as well as amendments to the original document that have continued to shape the course of our national history.

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Union or Secession: Virginians Decide

Union or Secession uses letters, newspapers, official documents, and maps to understand Virginia's secession crisis as it unfolded between the 1860 presidential campaign and the First Battle of Manassas in July 1861. By using the words of Virginians in approximately 200 documents, Union or Secession allows Virginians to speak for themselves as they experienced the crisis.

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