Signatures, notations, scribbles, messy handwriting and top-secret and declassified stamps can make students wonder about the lives of documents and curious to learn more. These can be great hooks in the classroom. So too can be a letter written with enough emotion to make the reader bubble with anger about events that happened 50 years ago. Or a statement from a teenager about a troubling situation that makes the reader swell with pride at the author’s eloquence. Or an official government document that matter-of-factly classifies people based solely upon their ethnicity and induces bewilderment about how living in the past must have been. Primary sources can evoke emotion and empathy in students, making them perfect teaching tools for sensitive subjects. This session will explore the capacity of primary sources to address difficult-to-teach topics. Participants will also be introduced to DocsTeach.org, where they can search for primary sources to use in the classroom.