Issues & Controversies in History

Issues & Controversies in History

ALL PRODUCTS

K-12 SCHOOLS & DISTRICTS

UNIVERSITIES & COLLEGES

PUBLIC LIBRARIES

CORPORATIONS

<< BACK

Issues & Controversies in History

Be at the center of great debates in U.S. and world history!

K-12 Schools & Districts

Public Libraries

Universities & Colleges

About This Product

Issues & Controversies in History places students at the center of the great debates and conflicts in U.S. and world history, exploring the issues as the key players saw them, or, in some cases, as historians have interpreted them. Covering every region of the globe from antiquity to the present, this comprehensive reference database features hundreds of in-depth pro/con articles—all written by professional historians and experts—each based on a broad range of primary sources. It delivers dynamic, concise, and balanced articles on every major historical topic, from slavery, empire, and revolution to race, gender, and economics. Many articles feature “what if” questions, speculating on how history might have turned out differently had people made different decisions.

Carefully indexed and easy to navigate, Issues & Controversies in History is an ideal resource for helping students answer document-based questions, prepare for debates, and write research papers.

Take a FREE TRIAL of Issues & Controversies in History today!

FACT SHEET (PDF)

  • Focused Presentation: Articles in Issues & Controversies in History are divided into four sections—American History Eras, World History Eras, History Regions, and History Subjects:

American History Eras:

    • Beginnings to 1606: Three Worlds Meet
    • 1607–1760: Colonization and Settlement
    • 1761–1812: Revolution and New Nation
    • 1813–1855: Expansion and Reform
    • 1856–1869: Civil War and Reconstruction
    • 1870–1899: Industrialization and the Gilded Age
    • 1900–1928: Progressivism and the Emergence of Modern America
    • 1929–1945: The Great Depression and World War II
    • 1946–1971: Postwar and Civil Rights Era
    • 1972–Present: Contemporary Era.

World History Eras:

    • Prehistory–500 CE: The Ancient World
    • 501–1450: The Medieval World
    • 1451–1750: Global Expansion and Encounter
    • 1751–1900: Age of Revolutions
    • 1901–1945: Crisis and Achievement
    • 1946–Present: Promises and Paradoxes

History Regions:

    • Africa
    • Americas/United States
    • Asia and Oceania
    • Europe
    • Middle East

History Subjects:

    • Business, Labor, and Industry
    • Civil Liberties, Civil Rights, and Human Rights
    • Courts and Crime
    • Diplomacy and Foreign Relations
    • Disease and Health
    • Economy and Trade
    • Education
    • Empires and Civilizations
    • Environment and Natural Resources
    • Exploration, Colonialism, and Imperialism
    • Federalism and States’ Rights
    • Indigenous Peoples and Native Americans
    • Migration, Immigration, and Diaspora
    • Politics, Government, and Law
    • Race, Ethnicity, and Nationality
    • Rebellions and Revolutions
    • Religion and Cosmology
    • Science and Technology
    • Slavery
    • Society, Culture, and Social Issues
    • War and Military
    • Westward Expansion
    • Women and Gender
  • Balanced Articles: The objective, unbiased articles in Issues & Controversies in History provide clear pro and con arguments on hundreds of controversies in U.S. and world history. Each article is centered on original documents, with the goal of teaching students how to interpret primary sources, assess point of view, improve critical-thinking skills, and understand the forces that have shaped U.S. and world history.
  • Authoritative Content: All articles in Issues & Controversies in History are written by historians and experts, based on current scholarship.
  • Specially Created Educator Resources and Enhanced Lessons: Issues & Controversies in Historyfeatures an array of valuable educator resources and critical-thinking assets to enhance any lesson or debate prep. Selected articles in Issues & Controversies in History are introduced by an original, three-minute tablet/mobile-friendly video, with additional instructor support materials that feature lesson plans and printable handouts. These are clearly called out on the Educator Resources page.
    • Original overview videos that introduce key issues in a clear and dynamic fashion and are perfect discussion starters;
    • Printable handouts that can be downloaded as PDFs and include collaborative projects;
    • “Extend the Lesson” sections that pose counterfactual “What If?” questions, challenging students to think about the issues beyond the scope of the article and to lead in-class debates;
    • Discussion questions and self-assessments with answer keys that promote critical thinking and inspire further exploration of the topic;
    • Plus, valuable learning objectives, procedures, and resources.
  • Rich Related Resources: Issues & Controversies in History includes more than 2,400 primary source documents, timelines, background articles, biographies, editorial cartoons, and more.
  • Video Resources: Issues & Controversies in History features proprietary tablet/mobile-friendly videos on selected controversies in history, perfect for introducing these topics in a succinct and entertaining manner.
  • Primary Sources: Issues & Controversies in History includes an enormous range of historical documents with introductory paragraphs that provide context and background to the sources—perfect for strengthening critical-thinking skills and essential to understanding the past. Original documents include speeches, editorials, newspaper articles, letters, and diaries, but also graphic works and physical objects, such as editorial cartoons, paintings, coins, statues, pottery, and ancient monuments.
  • Editorial Cartoons: Issues & Controversies in History’s editorial cartoons can help students better understand, visually, what is going on in the world. The cartoons illustrate events from throughout history, complete with questions that may be useful in helping students interpret the cartoon’s message.
  • Timelines: Issues & Controversies in History includes a list of topic-specific timelines—filterable by era, region, and subject—that can help users follow the major historical events and trends of a topic chronologically.
  • U.S. Presidential Elections Section: Issues & Controversies in History’s “U.S. Presidential Elections” section provides background and results of every U.S. presidential election since 1789, including voting statistics and biographies. Students can get valuable context, insight, and understanding of this year’s election by reviewing the stories behind those of years past.
  • Great for Distance Learning: Issues & Controversies in History is easy to access on or off-site, can be used for individual research or homework help, and has a variety of features—such as Enhanced Lessons for selected hot-button issues and exclusive Educator Resources—that make it a great source for virtual instruction or at-home learning.

  • Fully responsive design for mobile and other platforms
  • Bibliographies and websites
  • Background Encyclopedia content
  • Searchable images, maps, graphs, tables, charts, and chronologies
  • Counterfactual “What if?” sections for selected articles exploring what might have happened had people made different choices
  • Search by Common Core, state, national, C3 Framework for Social Studies, and International Baccalaureate Organization standards
  • Google Translate for 100+ languages
  • Ability to download text articles as PDFs
  • Read Aloud tool
  • Embed code feature—easily add content to any HTML page or learning management system
  • Save content directly to Google Drive so students can complete assignments at home
  • Single sign-on with Google or Microsoft
  • Persistent record links
  • Dynamic citations in APA, MLA, Chicago, and Harvard formats, with EasyBib and NoodleTools export functionality
  • An accessible interface, including VPAT, to ensure a comfortable research experience for all users
  • Searchable Support Center with valuable help materials, how-to tips, tutorials, and live help chat.

History Subjects:

    • Business, Labor, and Industry
    • Civil Liberties, Civil Rights, and Human Rights
    • Courts and Crime
    • Diplomacy and Foreign Relations
    • Disease and Health
    • Economy and Trade
    • Education
    • Empires and Civilizations
    • Environment and Natural Resources
    • Exploration, Colonialism, and Imperialism
    • Federalism and States’ Rights
    • Indigenous Peoples and Native Americans
    • Migration, Immigration, and Diaspora
    • Politics, Government, and Law
    • Race, Ethnicity, and Nationality
    • Rebellions and Revolutions
    • Religion and Cosmology
    • Science and Technology
    • Slavery
    • Society, Culture, and Social Issues
    • War and Military
    • Westward Expansion
    • Women and Gender

American History Eras:

    • Beginnings to 1606: Three Worlds Meet
    • 1607–1760: Colonization and Settlement
    • 1761–1812: Revolution and New Nation
    • 1813–1855: Expansion and Reform
    • 1856–1869: Civil War and Reconstruction
    • 1870–1899: Industrialization and the Gilded Age
    • 1900–1928: Progressivism and the Emergence of Modern America
    • 1929–1945: The Great Depression and World War II
    • 1946–1971: Postwar and Civil Rights Era
    • 1972–Present: Contemporary Era.

World History Eras:

    • Prehistory–500 CE: The Ancient World
    • 501–1450: The Medieval World
    • 1451–1750: Global Expansion and Encounter
    • 1751–1900: Age of Revolutions
    • 1901–1945: Crisis and Achievement
    • 1946–Present: Promises and Paradoxes

Issues & Controversies in History Has Arrived!

Infobase is delighted to announce that the relaunched Issues & Controversies in History database is here! Formerly known as Issues & Controversies in American History, this redesigned, revamped, reimagined new database offers users significantly greater curricular value, with expanded cover…read more →

Coming Soon: Relaunch of Issues & Controversies in American History—Name Change, New World History Content & Much More

At the end of this summer, Issues & Controversies in American History will be relaunched with a completely new design, powerful new functionality, and a name change that reflects the extensive new world history content being added to the database: Issues & Controversies in History. The redes…read more →

Issues & Controversies in American History: This Month in History, May 2020—Standard Oil

Featured in Issues & Controversies in American History: Should the Government Break Up the Company? Founded in 1870, the Standard Oil Company would soon become one of the largest and most powerful companies in the United States. Standard Oil prospered by absorbing its rivals or forcing them out…read more →

Issues & Controversies in American History: This Month in History, April 2020—Love Canal

Featured in Issues & Controversies in American History: Who Should Pay for the Cost of Cleaning Up Hazardous Waste Sites? In 1978, New York State health commissioner Robert Whalen declared a public health emergency revolving around Love Canal, an abandoned chemical waste site buried beneath a s…read more →

Issues & Controversies in American History: This Month in History, March 2020—Boston “Massacre”

Featured in Issues & Controversies in American History: Were British Soldiers or American Colonists to Blame? On the snowy evening of March 5, 1770, during a period of escalating tension between American colonists and British soldiers, a crowd of people gathered in front of the Customs House in…read more →

Issues & Controversies in American History: This Month in History, February 2020—Slave Reparations

Featured in Issues & Controversies in American History: Should African Americans Receive Reparations for Slavery? Since the United States abolished slavery in 1865, former slaves and their descendants have raised the issue of whether they should receive compensation and redress in some form for…read more →

Issues & Controversies in American History: This Month in History, January 2020—League of Nations

Featured in Issues & Controversies in American History: The Pros and Cons of U.S. Membership After World War I ended in 1918, the victorious powers negotiated a treaty that established the League of Nations, a global peacekeeping organization. More than 40 countries would soon join the new orga…read more →

Issues & Controversies in American History: This Month in History, December 2019—The Monroe Doctrine

Featured in Issues & Controversies in American History: The U.S. Closes the Western Hemisphere to European Influence In the early 1820s, U.S. leaders feared that Spain might try to reclaim its former colonies in the Western Hemisphere that had recently gained their independence. Great Britain o…read more →

Issues & Controversies in American History: This Month in History, November 2019—The Iroquois Influence Thesis

Featured in Issues & Controversies in American History: Did the Iroquois Confederacy Influence the Drafting of the Constitution of the United States? When the framers of the U.S. Constitution gathered in Philadelphia in 1787 to create a new form of government for the United States, they examine…read more →

Issues & Controversies in American History: This Month in History, October 2019—USA Patriot Act

Featured in Issues & Controversies in American History: USA Patriot Act: Defense Against Terrorism or Restriction of Liberties? On September 11, 2001, the United States suffered a devastating series of attacks when terrorists crashed three airplanes into the World Trade Center in New York City …read more →

“…provides a wealth of information and will bring U.S. history to life for many students.”

American Reference Books Annual

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

You’ll get timely information, news, product offers and updates, access to resources, and more. All delivered straight to your inbox.

By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive Infobase newsletter emails. You can revoke your consent to receive emails by using the unsubscribe link found at the bottom of every email.