Meet the politicians, reformers, inventors, authors, soldiers, and others who shaped the course of American history from the Colonial Era through the Civil War. Students will analyze portraits to learn about the diverse and significant contributions to American society made by individuals in the National Portrait Gallery’s collection.

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Objectives: After completing this lesson, students will be better able to:

•  Identify important Americans and analyze their contributions to U.S. History
• Identify key components of a portrait and discuss what we can learn about the sitter through these components

Keywords: Colonies, Revolutionary War, Westward Expansion, Civil War, Abolition, Suffrage