Education Program

250 Years of Defending American Ideals

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 17:43:00 GMT

Students will review the American ideals contained in the Declaration of Independence and examine how those ideals have been defended by individuals buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Working in small groups, they will analyze primary sources, create a poster exhibit that links those individuals to one specific American ideal, and reflect on how that ideal shapes their own lives.

Materials

Lesson Plan (High School)
Teacher PowerPoint (High School)
Student Source Packet (High School)

Lesson Plan: Applying the Principles of the Declaration of Independence at ANC

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 18:25:00 GMT

Students review the Declaration of Independence, learn about five people buried at Arlington National Cemetery though primary and secondary sources, and then discuss how those individuals’ actions connect to quotes from the Declaration.

Materials

Lesson Plan (Middle School)
Teacher PowerPoint (Middle School)
Student Source Packet (Middle School)

Walking Tour: African American Military Heroes

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 18:15:28 GMT

Learn about the lives of Tuskegee Airmen, members of the 369th Infantry Infantry Regiment (the “Harlem Hellfighters”), Medal of Honor recipients and more.

Throughout U.S. history, African Americans have fought bravely for the United States and distinguished themselves in combat. This walking tour includes gravesites and memorials that honor the service of these heroic individuals.

Length: 5 miles
Starting point: Section 40 (0.4 miles from Welcome Center)
Because this walking tour is quite long, we recommend completing it in smaller sections.

Materials

Walking Tour

Lifelong Learners: Nurses in the Spanish-American War

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 18:13:42 GMT

Through historical photographs and written accounts, learn about the role of female nurses during the Spanish-American War. Materials also examine how nursing expanded opportunities for women in the military.

Materials

Nurses in the Spanish-American War (PDF)

Lifelong Learners: Personal Accounts of the Spanish-American War

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 18:13:09 GMT

Explore photographs and personal accounts that tell firsthand stories about the Spanish-American War. Learners of all ages can use these primary sources in order to understand how Americans experienced the war in different ways.

Materials

Personal Accounts of the Spanish-American War (PDF)

Walking Tour: Segregation and Civil Rights

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 18:12:40 GMT

Explore Arlington’s past as a plantation, learn about the Freedman's Village built on this property during the Civil War, and meet some trailblazers of the civil rights movement.

The history of African Americans at Arlington National Cemetery parallels and reflects the history of African Americans in the United States. This walking tour includes sites related to slavery, Reconstruction, segregation, the civil rights movement, and the continuing contributions of African Americans to the U.S. military and society.

Length: 5 miles
Starting point: Section 36 (0.2 miles from Welcome Center)
Because this walking tour is quite long, we recommend completing it in smaller sections.

Materials

Walking Tour

Walking Tour: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 19:01:00 GMT

Visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the gravesites of individuals related to the Tomb's history.

On November 11, 1921, an unknown American soldier who died in World War I was laid to rest at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. On this walking tour, you will visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the gravesites of several individuals who took part in the Unknown’s 1921 burial ceremony. You will also explore other sites in the cemetery that invite reflection on the sacrifices of those who gave not only their lives, but also their names and identities in the service of the United States.

Length: 2 miles
Starting point: Section 5 (.3 miles from Welcome Center)

Materials

Walking Tour: The Cold War

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 18:56:00 GMT

The history of the Cold War is imprinted onto the landscape of Arlington National Cemetery. Learn about the remarkable lives of thsoe who served in, and led, the Cold War—from service members who fought in Korea and Vietnam to key policymakers.

Distance: ~2 miles
Exertion Level: Moderate
Starting point: Section 31 (.3 miles from Welcome Center)

Materials

Walking Tour

Walking Tour: Memorial Arboretum

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 18:52:26 GMT

Arlington National Cemetery's 639 acres of rolling green hills, with nearly 9,000 trees, serve as a living tribute to the veterans and their family members laid to rest here. Our walking tours explore highlights of Memorial Arboretum.

In 2014, to commemorate its 150th anniversary, Arlington National Cemetery established this historic landscape as Memorial Arboretum. In 2018, Memorial Arboretum was accredited as a Level III Arboretum--one of only 24 institutions worldwide to maintain this prestigious accreditation. While strolling through these hallowed grounds, consider how the landscape contributes to Arlington's mission to honor and remember the service and sacrifice of individuals buried here.

Distance: 2.5 miles for regular walking tour; 2 miles for school group walking tour
Exertion Level: Moderate
Starting point: Section 31 (.2 miles from Welcome Center)

Materials

Walking Tour: Freedman's Village

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 18:50:47 GMT

The southern sections of Arlington National Cemetery contain the former site of Freedman’s Village — a community of formerly enslaved African Americans, established in 1863. Freedman’s Village evolved into a unique and thriving community, and it had a lasting legacy. Learn more and explore other nearby Civil War gravesites.

Distance: ~.6 miles
Exertion Level: Moderate
Starting point: Section 3 (1.5 miles from Welcome Center)

Materials

Walking Tour

Walking Tour: Arts and Culture

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 18:50:21 GMT

This walking tour honors a selection of artists buried at Arlington: writers, actors, photographers, musicians, and more. They created for different reasons, at different times, and with different backgrounds, but they all shared a need to create and express who they were and how they saw the world through their work.

Distance: ~3 miles
Exertion Level: Moderate
Starting point: Section 2 (.4 miles from Welcome Center)

Materials

Walking Tour

Walking Tour: The Spanish-American War

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 18:49:23 GMT

Arlington National Cemetery contains more monuments and burial sites related to the Spanish-American War than any other location in the continental United States.

Learn about the historical significance of the Spanish-American War by visiting the gravesites of individuals who played prominent roles in it, as well as the USS Maine Memorial, the Spanish-American War Memorial and other monuments.

Length: 1.2 miles
Starting point: Section 24 (1 mile from Welcome Center)

Materials

Walking Tours: World War II

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 18:45:00 GMT

These six walking tours share some of the diverse experiences and individual stories of those who fought abroad or worked on the home front during World War II. The main walking tour includes stops across the entire cemetery, while the four cluster tours only include stops in one of the four main sections of the cemetery. The school tour is an abridged version of the main tour.

Materials

Walking Tours: The Civil War

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 18:44:00 GMT

Thousands of Civil War service members are buried at Arlington National Cemetery — which itself originated during the Civil War. On this tour, you will explore some of their stories; learn why the U.S. Army first occupied the property in 1861; and discover the histories of enslavement and emancipation that this land also embodies.

Distance: ~5 miles (full tour); ~2.5 miles (student tour)
Exertion Level: High
Starting point: Section 27 (.5 miles from Welcome Center)

Materials

Walking Tour: Explorers

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 18:43:00 GMT

Throughout its history, the U.S. military has explored — first over the earth via land and sea, then into the skies, and finally into space. This legacy of exploration can be seen here at Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place of many people who expanded our understanding of the earth, air, and space.

Length: 3.5 miles
Starting point: Section 2 (0.4 miles from Welcome Center)
Exertion Level: High

Materials

Walking Tour: Explorers—Earth, Air, and Space

Walking Tour: Military Medicine

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 18:36:00 GMT

Explore the history of military medicine — from the Civil War to the present — through the stories of pioneering individuals buried at Arlington National Cemetery: physicians, nurses, inventors, and organizational leaders. The tour also examines the historical relationship between wars and medical innovations that advanced capabilities to save lives, both military and civilian.

Distance: ~4 miles. This tour is long. Consider completing it across two visits (Stops 1-7 and Stops 8-18) and/or taking the tram: click here for information.
Exertion level: High
Starting point: Section 2 (.5 miles from Welcome Center)

Materials

Walking Tour

Walking Tour: Women's Military Service

Wed, 26 Mar 2025 18:54:00 GMT

Women have played key roles in supporting the U.S. military, formally or informally, since the Revolutionary War. At ANC, gravesites and memorials mark numerous milestones in the history of women’s military service. As you explore the cemetery, consider how the stories of women in the military can deepen your understanding of well-known conflicts and societal progress, and think about how many more stories could still be told.

Distance: ~4 miles. Shorten your walk by taking the tram: click here for information.
Exertion level: High
Starting point: Section 35 (.7 miles from Welcome Center)

Materials

Lesson Plan: Fighting for the Vote

Tue, 25 Mar 2025 16:47:11 GMT

World War I marked the first time American women were allowed to enlist in the military and serve in roles outside of nursing. It also marked a turning point in the fight for women’s suffrage in the United States. In this lesson, high school students will learn about women’s military contributions in World War I and practice for the AP U.S. History exam Document-Based Question as they review primary-source documents.

Materials

Lesson Plan: Women on the Homefront

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 15:11:00 GMT

During World War II, women were not allowed to serve in combat roles in the American armed forces. However, the work done by women who served on the American homefront was a vital support to the success of the Allied forces abroad.

In this lesson, students will examine primary sources related to the experiences of two women, both buried at Arlington National Cemetery, who served on the homefront in different ways. While the focus of this lesson is on analyzing primary sources and creative writing, through the lives of the two women highlighted students will also learn about the broader meanings of service and sacrifice during World War II, both in the military and on the homefront.

One or two class periods, 90 minutes total

Teacher Materials

Lesson Plan—Elementary/Middle School (PDF)
PowerPoint—Elementary/Middle School (PPT)

Student Materials

Student Materials (PDF)

Lesson Plan: Nurses in the Spanish-American War

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 14:40:55 GMT

Students use primary source documents and other resources to learn about the role of female nurses during the Spanish-American War.

The lesson also explores the expansion of career opportunities for women in military medicine before and after the war, and it addresses the different experiences of white women and women of color. Resources include quotes, images and cards with profiles of individual nurses. Students complete a gallery walk or work in groups on a jigsaw of teacher-curated resources.

Elementary: One class period, 45-60 minutes total
Middle: 1-2 class periods, 60-75 minutes total
High: 1-2 class periods, 60-75 minutes total

Teacher Materials

Student Materials

Elementary School Student Materials (PDF)
Middle School Student Materials (PDF)
High School Student Materials (PPT)