This publication was originally written by Elaine Wrisley Reed of the National Council for History Education and edited by Jacquelyn Zimmermann of the U.S. Department of Education. Revisions for the current edition were completed by Elaine Reed and Fran Lehr. Illustrations were done by Adjoa Burrows and Joe Matos.

This booklet has been made possible with the help of many people within the Department of Education and external organizations, including, most notably, the Office of Lynne V. Cheney and Libby O'Connell of the History Channel, who reviewed drafts, and provided materials and suggestions. The History Channel also committed financial support towards the production of this booklet. In addition, a special thanks to Todd May in the Office of Intergovernmental and Interagency Affairs and Jacquelyn Zimmermann in the Office of Public Affairs for their help in the design, development, editing, production and distribution of this booklet.