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The following websites
are by no means a complete representation of all of the information on the
World-Wide-Web for each of the topics below. Instead, it is a limited
selection based on specific criteria. The material below is designed
to assist our Citrus County Social Studies teachers with additional
resources for classroom use. The criteria used for the website chosen
for this page are as follows:
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The website was
a highly informational site.
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The website was
one containing primary resources for use in the classroom in
conjunction with our 2007 Primary Resources training. These
resources could include documents, photographs, newspapers, letters,
etc.
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The website
contained appropriate lesson plans that could be adapted to meet the
needs of our classroom and Sunshine State Standards.
It is the teachers
responsibility to review any website prior to using it in class.
Click on the images
to go the the timeframe you desire.
If you have any
additional suggestions, broken links, etc., for this site please email it to
Michael Ballard at
ballardm@citrus.k12.fl.us |
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American History 2:
The Gilded Age through
Current America |
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General Resources |
Pre-Twentieth Century
(1877-1900) |
Progressive Era and War
(1900-1920) |
Boom and Bust in America (1919 -
1939) |
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World At War: WW II (1933 - 1945) |
Consumerism & Cold War (1945 -
1960) |
Vietnam and Beyond (1960-1975 |
A New Era (1975-2000) |
Challenges of the 21st Century (2000 -
current) |
Continuing Resources |
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General Resources
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Title |
Description |
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14 TO 42:
NEW YORK CITY SIGNS |
Travel through the streets of NYC to discover the many signs
that adorn the city. Featuring signs from past and present, this
site offers viewers a unique look into New York City. |
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2005: Kids
Count |
Data from the 2005 Kids Count Data Book are now available in and
easy-to-use, powerful online database, "State Level Data
Online", that allows you to generate custom graphs, maps, ranked
lists, and state-by-state profiles, or, download the entire data
set as delimited text files. |
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20th Century
Chronology |
Decade by decade review of the twentieth century, including
fabulous interactive quizzes. |
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American
Photography: A Century of Images |
Companion Web site to the PBS series capturing the images of a
century of change and the role the camera has played both in
creating and documenting it. |
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American
Rhetoric |
Are you looking for a particular speech like "I Have A Dream" or
the JFK Inaugural? You'll find it here among many other
categories of speech that has stood the test of time. |
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Children's
Museum of Indianapolis |
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis' site is chock full of
information easily accessible through drop-down tabs. Thanks to
the support of a local foundation, it has an extensive online
component to the museum's permanent gallery, Dinosphere. There
are virtual tours, teachers' guides, and lots of educational
materials, including dinosaur profiles. Similarly, check out the
art of glass blowing tied into the FireWorks of Glass exhibit.
Other thoughtful features: Games and Activities are categorized
by age group and the site is available in seven languages
including Russian and Japanese. |
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Digital
History: Trailers of Historically Significant Films |
Hollywood has shaped our most vivid images of the historical
past. This collection of film trailers allows users to see how
the film studios promoted the films that are most deeply
impressed in our collective imagination. This database contains
trailers of films for educational use. Digital History is an
educational and non-commercial site designed specifically for
history teachers and their students. |
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Field
Museum: Sue |
Who is Sue? "Sue is the largest, most complete, and best
preserved Tyrannosaurus rex. She was discovered by fossil hunter
Sue Hendrickson in 1990, in the badlands of South Dakota."
Following a long custody battle, Sue was sold at Sotheby's
auction house October 4, 1997. The Field Museum purchased Sue
for nearly $8.4 million – the most money ever paid for a fossil.
On May 17, 2000 , the museum revealed Sue. She stands thirteen
feet high at her hips and is forty-two feet long from head to
tail. |
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Inside the
White House |
"First day on the job! You got the nomination, you campaigned,
you won. Then you took the oath of office, made the first speech
of your administration, and danced the night away. But now it's
morning in America -- time to face the Oval Office. It's YOUR
chance to be President of the United States. Let's see how you
do." Other fun clicks include silly things White House children
have done (go to Kids) or the clickable map of the White House
neighborhood (choose Mapping.) Teachers will like the
grade-level classroom activities found under Learn More. |
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Library of
Congress: Today in History |
Today in History mines the American Memory historical
collections to discover what happened in American history
today…and every day. |
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Long Live
The Payphone - The Payphone Project |
Remember the old days before mobile phones, when you carried a
dime around in your pocket just in case you needed to stop and
use the payphone? The Payphone Project is an interesting site
that has photographs, news, stories, and actual phone numbers of
telephone booths and pay phones across the globe. |
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Obituaries
101 |
This site contains listings and links to all the obituary
notices supplied online by all the newspapers in the United
States. The states are arranged alphabetically with their
newspapers listed by name and city. The site also lists
prominent deaths for the date, as well as those reported in the
Associated Press. |
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Penny Postcards |
Take a look at the past through historical ‘penny postcards’.
This site has hundreds of these cards divided by state, then
subdivided by county and city/town. Interesting to look at.
Many have dates available. A look at the past as it was
portrayed on these post cards. |
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Presidential
Pet Museum |
Forget foreign policy. Dump domestic issues. Leaders of the free
world instinctively understand the strategic importance of ... a
fabulous first pet. Richard Nixon made political hay with
Checkers the cocker spaniel while he was Vice President, but
which of his dogs wagged for photo-ops after he made it to the
Oval office? Get a close up look at Miss Beazley, President
Bush's Scottish Terrier or find out which president let sheep
graze on the White House lawn and which kept a herd of elephants
given to him by the king of Siam. |
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Social
Studies tests |
New York state regency tests in 8th grade SS |
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The 20th
Century Year by Year |
Click on any year from 1900 to 1999 and a new page appears with
the events of the year, and often with links to further
explanation and information on that event. |
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The Commons:
The Library of Congress Photo Collection on Flickr
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The Library of Congress has put up two 1500+ photograph
collections on Flickr for both educational use and to have the
public add tags and comments to make the viewing experience
"richer" for others. |
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The Goofiest
Inventions Ever Patented |
Site with both historic and current inventions that are ‘out of
the norm’. |
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The L.A.
Library Online |
The L.A. library became one of the first in the nation to post
portions of its vast collection — mostly of historical L.A.
photos — online, able to be accessed and in many cases used for
free. Its website has become the central repository for
glimpses into L.A.'s past. It is where teachers find historical
photos of the city to post on bulletin boards, movie production
companies find inspiration for re-creating the Los Angeles of
bygone eras and banks buy photos of L.A. neighborhoods to
decorate new branch offices. For ordinary people, it's an easy
place to find an inexpensive, if not free, way to decorate
apartments and houses. |
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Time 100:
People of the 20th Century |
Time magazine chronicles the most important 100 people of the
20th century in five categories: Leaders & Revolutionaries,
Artists & Entertainment, Builders & Titans, Scientists &
Thinkers, and Heroes & Icons. Their picks culminate with the
'Person of the Century.' |
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Webcasts
from the Library of Congress |
For the past six years, the U.S. Library of Congress has
recorded several hundred talks, discussions, and conferences
that have occurred under its leadership. At this web page,
students, teachers, and other site visitors have access to all
300-plus recordings in their entirety. The recordings take the
form of webcasts that can be played using the RealPlayer
plug-in. Users can search for webcasts by keyword or topic area,
such as history, literature, science, or education. At press
time, the site's featured webcast was a 14-minute talk about the
evolution of "Rosie the Riveter" and the lives of real women
workers during World War II. The speaker is Sheridan Harvey,
women's studies specialist in the Library's Humanities and
Social Sciences Division, and her fascinating lecture is
accompanied by dozens of images and photographs from the 1940s.
Teachers of all subjects are likely to find something of
interest in their own classes at this site. |
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Women of Our
Time |
Navigate through this Smithsonian Institution Web site that
offers an interactive gallery and explore photographs of some of
twentieth-century America's famous and influential wormen. Also
Included are brief biographical information and a discussion of
photographic styles. |
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Women's
History Month: March 2006 |
In 1981, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution establishing
National Women’s History Week. The week was chosen to coincide
with International Women’s Day, March 8. In 1987, Congress
expanded the week to a month. Every year since, Congress has
passed a resolution for Women’s History Month, and the U.S.
president has issued a proclamation. |
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Pre-Twentieth Century America
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Settling the
American West |
The
Industrialization of America |
Changing Life
in America |
A Splendid
Little War & Imperialism |
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Settling the American West
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Title |
Description |
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About Billy
the Kid |
Webmistress Marcelle Brothers has been a Billy the Kid
afficionado for fifteen years. Her passion lead her to create
this website and co-find the Billy the Kid Historic Preservation
Society. Visit for several Billy the Kid biographies (short and
long versions), a filmography, maps, photos, and a lively
discussion board. The Fact vs. Myth section provides a good
overview of some of the "hogwash written about Billy the Kid."
History vs. Young Guns dissects the popular Emilio Estevez
movies, and explains which parts were not historically accurate. |
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American Progress |
This site has the image of John Gast’s famous 1872
American Progress
painting, and allegorical representing of the expansion of
America westward through our manifest destiny. A link takes the
viewer to a complete explaination of all of the aspects of this
painting. |
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Central Pacific
Railroad |
This online museum provides text and pictures to the history of
the Central Pacific Railroad as it was intertwined with the
expansion and settlement of the American West. |
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Drawing on
the Western Frontier |
From the Smithsonian Anthropological Archives: A professional
artist, James E. Taylor’s newspaper illustrations served to
popularize stereotypes of the Western frontier during the
post-Civil War years. Like other illustrators and writers of the
period, he depicted Indian-White relations in terms of savagery
versus civilization and encouraged Americans to visualize the
nation’s Westward expansion in heroic terms. |
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Educational
Programs: Illinois State Museum |
Provides many online resources designed for teachers, and using
the available resources of the Illinois State Museum web site. |
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Geronimo:
His Own Story |
A transcribed story from Geronimo on the history of the Apache
and his rememberences of an era. |
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Historical Photo Collection of the West |
This is an excellent website with well-documented pictures of
our American west in the late 19th
Century. |
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History of
the American West: 1860-1920 |
Over 30,000 photographs, drawn from the holdings of the Western
History and Genealogy Department at Denver Public Library,
illuminate many aspects of the history of the American West.
Most of the photographs were taken between 1860 and 1920. They
illustrate Colorado towns and landscape, document the place of
mining in the history of Colorado and the West, and show the
lives of Native Americans from more than forty tribes living
west of the Mississippi River. Also included are World War II
photographs of the 10th Mountain Division, ski troops based in
Colorado who saw action in Italy. |
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Manifest Destiny Chart |
This chart illustrates the difference in the reasons between
American expansion across the continent and American expansion
across the seas. |
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Native
Words, Native Warriors |
The Smithsonian Institute presents Native Words, Native Warriors
from the National Museum of the American Indian. During WWI and
WWII, hundreds of American Indians joined the US armed forces as
"code talkers," using their tribal languages to communicate
secret messages on the battlefield. |
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Newspaper Accounts of Track Laying |
Use the newpaper as a primary resource when studying the
Transcontinental Railroad and it’s joining at Promintory Point,
Utah. Several newspaper articles from the era are included,
painting a portrait of the entire process of building a
railroad. |
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The Little Big Horn |
This website is designed to be a portal of exploration for
groups and individuals who share an interest in the Battle of
the Little Bighorn. |
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The Oregon
Trail |
Learn more about the Oregon Trail: "This web site is brought to
you by teachers Mike Trinklein and Steve Boettcher, creators of
The Oregon Trail, the award-winning documentary film which aired
nationally on PBS." |
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The Wild
West |
Take a tour of the American Wild West with a wonderful array of
photos and original documents. |
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Turner’s The Significance of the Frontier on History |
The online edition of Frederick Jackson Turner’s controversial
booklet, The Significance of the Frontier on
History. Worthwhile reading and an
excellent primary resource for students to use. |
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Western
Indian Reservations: 1875 |
U.S. Office of Indian Affairs published this map in a report to
Congress in 1875. Excellent resource. |
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The Industrialization of America
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Title |
Description |
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Advertising
in America: 1850-1920 |
Browse the exhibits from this Duke University website, or search
for a specific term such as auto or soap. Find out more about
the products used in America's past. |
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Alexander
Graham Bell Family Papers |
The online version of the Alexander Graham Bell Family Papers at
the Library of Congress comprises a selection of 4,695 items
(totaling about 51,500 images). This presentation contains
correspondence, scientific notebooks, journals, blueprints,
articles, and photographs documenting Bell's invention of the
telephone and his involvement in the first telephone company,
his family life, his interest in the education of the deaf, and
his aeronautical and other scientific research. |
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American
Experience: The Telephone: More About Bell |
This PBS site tells the amazing story of Bell's prodigious
talents and the empire he created. At the age of fourteen, Bell
"was mesmerized by a demonstration of Sir Charles Wheatstone's
speaking machine" he saw in London. Upon their return to
Edinburgh, Bell and his older brother successfully created a
model of their own: a facsimile mouth, throat, nose,
maneuverable tongue, and bellow lungs that produced human-like
sounds. |
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AT&T
History: Inventing the Telephone |
From the corporate annals of AT&T, this page offers a brief
biography of Bell and a short history of his famous invention.
After the patent filing of February 14, 1876, Bell returned to
his labs in Boston and continued his work on the telephone. The
next summer, Bell and his backers created the Bell Telephone
Company (the predecessor of today's AT&T.) The very first
customers were typically businessmen who wanted a phone line to
connect their home and their office. |
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City Life in the Late 19th Century |
This Library of Congress site looks at original documents
describing life in the city. Photographs and text make up the
documents portraying American urban life during this era. |
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Early Office Museum |
An intriguing site showing a slice of life from the late 19th
– early 20th
century through pictures and text. |
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Imagined Uses of the Telephone, 1885 |
This site contains 4 drawings from Life
April 23, 1885, on imagined uses of
the new invention, the telephone. |
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Inside of an
American Factory: Westinghouse |
Twentyone videos from the early 1900’s illustrating factory work
at the turn of the century. Several video formats for viewing
the videos are available. Source: Library of Congress American
Memory Project. Interesting. |
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Interstate
Commerce Act |
View the original and transcribed version of the original
Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 in which railroads became the
first industry subjected to federal regulation. Powerful
primary resource for discussion and analysis |
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John D. Rockefeller
and the Standard Oil Company |
Pictures and text on the role of the Standard Oil Company in the
late 19th,
early 20th
centuries. |
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Robber Barons of the Gilded Age |
This site hosts a complete lesson plan for effectively teaching
about the Robber Barons of the Gilded Age. |
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Sears
Archives |
Once again, Sears has made history. For the first time, Sears
has opened the doors to its vast archival collection and invited
the public to peek inside. More than 100 years of stories,
product and brand histories, photographs, catalog images are now
available online. |
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The Industrial Age in America: Robber Barons and Captains of
Industry |
Though a century has passed since the heyday of the great
industrialists and financiers, debate continues: were these men
captains of industry, without whom this country could not have
taken its place as a great industrial power, or were they robber
barons, limiting healthy competition and robbing from the poor
to benefit the rich? Where do we draw the line between unfair
business practices and competition that leads to innovation,
investment, and improvement in the standard of living for
everyone? Would the industrial economy have succeeded without
entrepreneurs willing to take competition to its extremes?
Hosted by Edusite, this website contains the lesson plans and
resources necessary for successful completion of the unit. |
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The Industrial Age in America: Sweatshops, Steel Mills, and
Factories |
About a century has passed since the events at the center of
this lesson—the Haymarket Affair, the Homestead Strike, and the
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. For some people in our nation,
these incidents illustrated the unfair conditions faced by
workers as the United States assumed its position as the most
highly industrialized nation in the world. For others, they
demonstrated the difficulty of managing industries. Such
disagreements continue to this day. Where do we draw the line
between acceptable business practices and unacceptable working
conditions? Can an industrial—and indeed a
post-industrial—economy succeed without taking advantage of
those who do the work? Hosted by Edusite, this website
contains the lesson plans and resources necessary for successful
completion of the unit. |
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The Robber Barons |
The site hosts a full color print of a political cartoon showing
the power of the robber barons. Great for starting a class
discussion as well as comparisons to today’s world. |
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Thomas Nast
Portfolio |
A collection of political cartoons from the last half of the 19th
century. |
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Changing Life In America
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Title |
Description |
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19th
Century Sporting Scenes |
Harper's Weekly was a New York based newspaper in the last half
of the nineteenth and early twentieth century. In weekly issues,
Harper's presented a mixture of news stories, gossip, poetry,
and most notably, wood-engraved illustrations. These pictures
remain one of the best sources for lively, informative images of
nineteenth-century America. |
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American Baseball Cards |
The Library of Congress presents an exhibition of American
baseball cards from 1887 – 1914. Names that are heard in
connection with the game – such as Cy Young – have a baseball
card present. Searches can be made by teams, individuals,
leagues, or cities. An interesting look at the foundations of
the modern game. |
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American Impressionists of the Late 1800s and Early 1900s |
The National Gallery of Art presents an online exhibit of
American Impressionists. A worthwhile site to visit and use in
the classroom. |
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American
Memory: Inventing Entertainment |
A huge collections of film shorts from the late 19th
– early 20th
century. These can be downloaded and stored on the computer for
quicker play. |
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Around the
World in 72 Days |
This site is a companion to a Public Broadcasting Service
American Experience program about the 1889-1890 around-the-world
journey of pioneering woman journalist Nellie Bly. The site
includes a map of the journey, excerpts from her writings, and
biographical information. Also includes a transcript of the
program and a teacher's guide |
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Burdette's advice to young voters |
The Library of Congress American Memory project site has this
broadside of advise to young voters during the 1884 campaign.
It’s interesting that it’s addressed to “My Son” (no women
voters) and refers to events 20+ years before. |
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Coxey’s Army
Invades the Nation’s Capital |
History Matters presents: Although Coxey’s Army was only one of
more than forty different armies of the unemployed that headed
for Washington, D.C., in 1894 to seek relief from their plight,
it was by far the best known. Its leader was the colorful Jacob
S. Coxey, a wealthy Populist who owned a sand quarry, bred
horses, and wore hand-tailored suits. The publicity that
preceded the arrival of the “armies” apparently frightened
authorities. Fifteen hundred soldiers were stationed in
Washington to meet the army; thousands more were available in
Baltimore, Annapolis, and Philadelphia in anticipation of
further trouble. But the army that arrived on May 1, 1894,
numbered only 500. When Coxey tried to speak at the U.S.
Capitol, police arrested him for walking on the grass. |
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Daniel A.
P. Murray Pamphlet Collection |
From the site: “The Daniel A. P. Murray Pamphlet Collection
presents a panoramic and eclectic review of African-American
history and culture, spanning almost one hundred years from the
early nineteenth through the early twentieth centuries, with the
bulk of the material published between 1875 and 1900. Among the
authors represented are Frederick Douglass, Booker T.
Washington, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Benjamin W. Arnett, Alexander
Crummel, and Emanuel Love.” Click on “subject” or “author”
index to find specific resources to review. |
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Democratic Party Platform of 1896 |
Provides a good comparison when matched with the Populist and
Republican Party platforms for the election year of 1896. |
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Dime Novels |
Stanford's Dime Novel and Story Paper Collection consists of
over 8,000 individual items, and includes long runs of the major
dime novel series (Frank Leslie's Boys of America, Happy Days,
Beadle's New York Dime Library, etc.) and equally strong
holdings of story papers like the New York Ledger and Saturday
Night. Included is a discussion analyzing the cover on a dime
novel; samples of complete dime novels, and more. |
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Dressed to
the Nines |
This site explores the evolution of the baseball uniform, from
its humble New York City origins in 1849 to the sleek synthetic
outfits worn by the high-paid superstar athletes of today. |
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Election Results: 1896 |
This History Central website includes the conventions, popular
votes, electoral votes, and an election map showing the results
of the 1896 McKinley/Bryan election. |
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Ellis
Island |
Ellis Island is the symbol of American immigration and the
immigrant experience. Use our Free Search to find your immigrant
ancestors arriving through the Port of New York at Ellis Island
between 1892 and 1924. |
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Ellis
Island Citizenship Test |
From the site: As part of our effort to build our new Peopling
of America® Center on Ellis Island, The Statue of Liberty-Ellis
Island Foundation is celebrating the idea of being and becoming
American. In that spirit we invite you to take “The Ellis Island
Citizenship Test.” Questions on our test are some of the actual
questions used by the United States Citizenship and Immigration
Services. And come back often. New questions will appear with
each try! |
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Ellis Island
Passenger Arrivals |
More than 22 million passengers and members of ships' crews
entered the United States through Ellis Island and the Port of
New York between 1892 and 1924. Information about each person
was written down in ships' passenger lists, known as
"manifests." Manifests were used to examine immigrants upon
arrival in the United States. Now you can search these millions
of records for information on individual Ellis Island
passengers. |
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Free Coinage of Silver |
Speech of Hon. Galusha A. Grow, of Pennsylvania, in the House of
Representatives, Thursday, February 13, 1896 on the Free Coinage
of Silver. |
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Harper’s Bazar |
HARPER'S BAZAR, was an American weekly women's fashion magazine
that began publication in 1867 in the large newspaper format
design of Harper's Weekly. Harper’s Bazar, based in New York,
was intended for the women of the middle and upper
socio-economic classes of the second half of the 19th century,
and provided fashions from Paris and the German fashion
newspaper, Bazar. The focus of Harper's Bazar was on "....the
useful with the beautiful, and aiming to include every thing
that will be interesting to the family circle.... Being intended
largely for ladies, it will devote a considerable space to the
matters which fall particularly under their jurisdiction, such
as dress and household affairs." [Harper's Bazar, November 2,
1867] In 1901, Harper's Bazar became a monthly, and in 1929 its
title was changed to Harper's Bazaar, a magazine in publication
today. The site includes the complete première issue. |
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Harper's
Weekly: Explore History |
Since 1995, up to 12 indexers with advanced degrees have read
every word and studied every illustration and cartoon in
Harper's Weekly, and have carefully constructed user-friendly
indexes that will guide you in locating information quickly and
concisely. The information is presented in an easy-to-navigate,
alphabetical, multi-level structure familiar to scholars,
reference librarians and students alike. Descriptive sub-entries
will help you determine the relative value of the references by
giving you specific information about an entry prior to display. |
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Learn About Immigration |
Digital History hosts this web page lesson plan on immigration.
The lesson plan provides links to resources, a test, and more. |
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Legends of the Old Plantation |
Portions of the Uncle Remus tales by Joel Chandler Harris (first
published in 1881) are presented by the University of Virginia
Southern History Project. Included are analysis of the era,
pictures as well as text from the book, and contemporary reviews
of the work. From the site’s Editor Notes: “On July 20, 1879
an undersized thirty-year-old journalist from Atlanta known as
Joe Harris began a journey from relative obscurity to
interregional fame. On that day, the Atlanta Constitution
published the young copy editor's "Story of Mr. Rabbit and Mr.
Fox as told by Uncle Remus." Within months, magazines across the
country were reprinting his tales, and after more than 1,000
written requests for a collection, the first Uncle Remus book
was published in November, 1880. At the time, Harris said his
purpose was not ethnology, or folklore analysis, but simply
documentation. He doubted that his stories and character
sketches would have any lasting historical value. He was wrong.
Uncle Remus: Social Context and Ramifications is an attempt to
reintroduce Harris' tales, and his legendary narrator, while
placing them in a historical context. The primary sources and
commentaries we offer hopefully will shed light on Harris'
purpose in publishing his stories and the public response to
both his Remus tales and his other works. They will make
observations about post-Civil War black culture, and Southern
society in general, using the stories and the reactions they
engendered as points of reference.” |
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Legends of
Tuskegee: Booker T. Washington |
This slide show biography is my Booker T. Washington pick of the
day because of the terrific photographs, use of relevant quotes,
and excellent layout. |
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Library of
Congress: Panoramic Photographs |
The Panoramic Photograph Collection contains approximately four
thousand images featuring American cityscapes, landscapes, and
group portraits. These panoramas offer an overview of the
nation, its enterprises and its interests, with a focus on the
start of the twentieth century when the panoramic photo format
was at the height of its popularity. Subject strengths include:
agricultural life; beauty contests; disasters; engineering work
such as bridges, canals and dams; fairs and expositions;
military and naval activities, especially during World War I;
the oil industry; schools and college campuses, sports, and
transportation. The images date from 1851 to 1991 and depict
scenes in all fifty states and the District of Columbia. |
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Memorial Day |
Memorial Day originated in 1868, when Union General John A.
Logan designated a day in which the graves of Civil War soldiers
would be decorated. Known as Decoration Day, the holiday was
changed to Memorial Day within twenty years, becoming a holiday
dedicated to the memory of all war dead. It became a federal
holiday in 1971, and is now observed on the last Monday in May. |
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Motherly
Talks with Young Housekeepers |
Mrs. H. W. Beecher compliled a booklet in 1873 which now is a
valuable primary resource for looking at expectations and
practices for households in the 19th
century. Use the “Contents” button in the left column to see
the titles and the page number that each article starts on.
Then click “body” and type in the appropriate page. Especially
interesting is the article on teaching little boys to be
useful. |
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National
Park Service |
The official National Park Service provides a wide variety of
resources. Highlights include a park directory (from Abraham
Lincoln Birthplace to Zion National Park), a listing of all the
National Park kids and game pages (look for GoZone in
Interpretation and Education), the huge Nature & Science
section, and Links to the Past (in History & Culture.) Don't
miss the Civil War special section, or the multimedia slide
shows featured on the front page. The slide shows are huge (5
MB), but there are "dial-up versions" if you run out of
patience. |
|
Nellie
Bly: Pioneer Woman Investigative Journalist |
A summary of the story of Nelly Bly and her around the world
trip, as well as Victorian trading cards, a board game, and
more. |
|
Panoramic
Maps Collection |
The panoramic map was a popular cartographic form used to depict
U.S. and Canadian cities and towns during the late nineteenth
and early twentieth centuries. Known also as bird's-eye views,
perspective maps, and aero views, panoramic maps are
nonphotographic representations of cities portrayed as if viewed
from above at an oblique angle. Although not generally drawn to
scale, they show street patterns, individual buildings, and
major landscape features in perspective. Florida is one of the
states represented at the Library of Congress website.
Tallahassee in 1885 looks a little bit different than
Tallahassee today. |
|
People's Party Platform, 1896 |
The 1896 platform of the People’s (Populist) Party. |
|
Presidential Campaigns: 1896 |
An excellent website from Vassar College loaded with primary
resources on the election of 1896 and it’s emphasis on two
opposing views of money. Many contemporary news articles,
political/editorial cartoons, and more are to be found on this
website. |
|
Reasons why workingmen should vote for Blaine & Logan |
The Library of Congress American Memory project site has this
broadside of advise to working men voters during the 1884
campaign. |
|
Republican Party Platform of 1896 |
Provides a good comparison when matched with the Populist and
Democratic Party platforms for the election year of 1896. |
|
San
Francisco Historical Photograph Collection |
The San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection, located in
the San Francisco History Center, contains photographs and works
on paper of San Francisco and California views from 1850 to the
present. |
|
The Death
Of President Garfield, 1881 |
Eyewitness to History presents Garfield’s physician, Dr. Bliss,
and his comments on the wounding and death of the President. |
|
The Gentleman’s Page |
The Lively Arts History Association presents the Gentleman's
Page: a resource for those who wish to look and act like; or
perhaps better understand, the 19th Century American man. It is
intended to help costumers, theatrical performers, museum
docents, re-enactors and anyone with an interest in the life of
19th Century America. Many illustrations and contemporary
accounts. |
|
The Haymarket Affair |
This Library of Congress American Memory site has a collection
that showcases more than 3,800 images of original manuscripts,
broadsides, photographs, prints and artifacts relating to the
Haymarket Affair. The violent confrontation between Chicago
police and labor protesters in 1886 proved to be a pivotal
setback in the struggle for American workers' rights. |
|
The March
King: John Philip Sousa |
An online presentation of selected music manuscripts,
photographs, printed music, historical recordings of the Sousa
Band, copies of programs and press clippings, and more from the
Sousa Collection at the Library of Congress. |
|
The Nineteenth Century in Print |
This collection hosted by the Library of Congress presents
twenty-three popular periodicals digitized by Cornell University
Library and the Preservation Reformatting Division of the
Library of Congress. They include literary and political
magazines, as well as Scientific American, Manufacturer and
Builder, and Garden and Forest: A Journal of Horticulture,
Landscape Art, and Forestry. The longest run is for The North
American Review, 1815-1900. An excellent resource for the
social history of America. |
|
The Pledge
of Allegiance |
The history and wording of the Pledge of Allegiance which was
first published n 1892. |
|
The
Presidential Elections: 1860-1912 |
HarpWeek presents “The Presidential Elections: 1860-1912” as a
free, public service to provide an informative and entertaining
look at a central aspect of the American democratic system of
government: the quadrennial political contest for the nation’s
highest office. |
|
Touring Turn of the Century America |
This site is a Library of Congress collection of pictures
portrays America, 1880 – 1920. Many of the photes deal with
urban living and buildings. This is an excellent resource. |
|
William Jennings Bryan |
This site hosts a gallery of images and voice recordings of
William Jennings Bryan. Source: The Vincent Voice Library. It
includes a recording and rolling transcript of Bryan’s “Cross of
Gold” speech. |
Return to Top
A Splendid Little War &
Imperialism
|
Title |
Description |
|
American Imperialism Slideshow |
A slideshow of 57 slides providing images and text exploring
American overseas expansion from the 1890s through the early
twentieth century. |
|
American Soldiers
in the Philippines Write Home about the War |
This History Matters page provides reprints of letters home from
American soldiers in the Philippines at the turn of the
Twentieth Century. An excellent primary resource. |
|
Buffalo Soldiers at San Juan Hill |
The Center for Military History offers primary resource
materials in the form of After Action Reports on the roll of the
Buffalo Soldiers at San Juan Hill, Cuba, on July 1, 1898. |
|
Crucible of
Empire: the Spanish American War |
This PBS (Cosponsored by the National Endowment for the
Humanities) website contains a fascinating look at the Spanish
American War, it’s road to American Imperialism, and provides a
comparison for conflicts that the US has waged in the last few
decades. The site includes original resources, a quiz, and
much, much more. It is well worth exploring. |
|
Debate: Should
the U.S. Annex the Philippines? |
History Matters hosts this lesson plan on American Imperialism,
which provides primary resources, plans, and more for students
to become involved in the debate. |
|
Dewey at Manila Bay |
The front page of the New York World reporting that
Dewey Smashes Spanish Fleet. |
|
Documents Relating to American Foreign Policy |
A huge collection of documents relating to American foreign
policy between 1898 and 1914. Follow the path of imperialism
and expansion during this era on the part of the United States. |
|
Images of the Spanish American War |
This site contains a variety of pictures of the leaders,
weapons, etc., of the Spanish American war. |
|
Josiah Strong: Our Country |
Josiah Strong was a late nineteenth century apologist for
Imperialism. His writings advocate a militant Manifest Destiny
overseas for the burgeoning United States and Anglo-Saxon
peoples. Our Country
was written in 1885. Interesting reading for discussion and
debate. |
|
Poetry
Analysis—“The White Man’s Burden” |
This activity asks students to consider British novelist and
poet Rudyard Kipling’s 1899 poem “The White Man’s Burden”—which
urged the U. S. to take up the “burden” of empire, as had
Britain and other European nations—and several satirical and
critical responses to it. Designed for high school students,
this interdisciplinary activity will help students to examine
differing perspectives on imperialism at the turn of the century
and to understand the use of poetry as a vehicle for expression,
protest, and political satire. This website is provided by
History Matters. |
|
Soldiers in the Philippines Photo |
A single picture of American troops in the Philippines can open
discussion and analysis. |
|
Spanish American War: The Naval Perspective |
The Spanish-American War (April-July 1898) was a brief, intense
conflict that effectively ended Spain's worldwide empire and
gained the United States several new possessions in the
Caribbean and the Pacific. Preceded by a naval tragedy, the
destruction of USS Maine at Havana, Cuba, the Spanish-American
War featured two major naval battles, one in the Philippines and
the other off Cuba, plus several smaller naval clashes. This
site has large collections of photos and documents from the
era. It is hosted by the US Navy Historical Center. |
|
The
Acquisition of the Philippines |
This site reprints William McKinley’s public statement titled
The Acquisition of the Philippines,
dated 1898. |
|
The Army Nurse Corps in the War with Spain |
Using photographs and illustrations, the Center of Military
History has created a annotated timeline gallery of the story of
the Army Nurse Corps during the Spanish-American War, centered
at the Caribbean. Pictures include nurses both on land
hospitals and the hospital ship Relief.
|
|
The
Boxer Rebellion |
Small World Communications hosts this informational site on the
Boxer Rebellion. From the site: Throughout the nineteenth
century, China's emperors had watched as foreigners encroached
further and further upon their land. Time and again, foreigners
forced China to make humiliating concessions. Foreign regiments,
armed with modern weapons, consistently defeated entire imperial
armies. Now, as a new century was about to begin, Tsu Hsi,
empress dowager of the Ch'ing Dynasty, searched for a way to rid
her empire of foreign parasites. |
|
The
Debate Over Hawaii and an American Overseas Empire |
Revolutionaries easily overthrew the native Hawaiian monarchy in
1893. The United States then debated for five years whether to
annex the former kingdom and launch an American overseas
empire. This site provides information and resources for
enhancing the student’s understanding of this era. |
|
The Duties of American Citizenship |
The Duties of American Citizenship is a speech by Theodore
Roosevelt given in Buffalo NY on January 26, 1883. Something
perhaps all should read. |
|
The Independence of Hawaii |
This is a Library of Congress American Memory reprint of a 1885
editorial by the Pacific Commercial Advertiser. Images of the
original are also available. |
|
The
Motion Picture Camera Goes To War |
The Spanish America War in Motion Pictures contains
"actualities" filmed in the United States, Cuba, and the
Phillippines. The films show troops, ships, notable figures, and
parades, as well as reenactments of battles and other war-time
events. This website is hosted by the Library of Congress. |
|
The Spanish American War
Centennial Site |
The Spanish American War Centennial Website has a huge amount of
text and visual resources from the late nineteenth/early
twentieth century. Excellent resource. There is even an
article from Winston Churchill as a news correspondent. |
|
The
Spanish American War in Moving Pictures |
The Library of Congress hosts this site. From the site: This
presentation features 68 motion pictures produced between 1898
and 1901 of the Spanish-American War and the subsequent
Philippine Revolution. The Spanish-American War was the first
U.S. war in which the motion picture camera played a role. These
films were made by the Edison Manufacturing Company and the
American Mutoscope & Biograph Company and consist of actualities
filmed in the U.S., Cuba, and the Philippines, showing troops,
ships, notable figures, and parades, as well as reenactments of
battles and other war-time events. The Special Presentation
presents the motion pictures in chronological order together
with brief essays that provide a historical context for their
filming. |
|
The World of 1898 |
This Library of Congress presentation provides resources and
documents about the Spanish-American War, the period before the
war, and some of the fascinating people who participated in the
fighting or commented about it. Information about Cuba, Guam,
the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Spain, and the United States is
provided in chronologies, bibliographies, and a variety of
pictorial and textual material from bilingual sources,
supplemented by an overview essay about the war and the period. |
Return to Top |
|
|
|
Progressive Era and
The War To End All Wars
| |
 |
 |
|
| |
The Progressive Era |
The War to End All Wars |
|
The Progressive Era
|
Title |
Description |
|
A Typical East-Side Block, 1890 and 1902 |
A 3-D view of a typical East-Side Block exposes what tenements
were. |
|
American on
the Move: Car Collection, 1886 - Present |
This site by the National Museum of American History, part of
the Smithsonian Institution, presents data and photos for early
automobiles, including car details, photos, and a short history
of the car's manufacturer. |
|
American
Women |
The Library of Congress site provides information on women's
culture. You'll find specific manuscripts, recorded sounds,
photographs, and folklore collections. The site contains a
slightly expanded and fully searchable version of the print
publication American Women: A Library of Congress Guide for the
Study of Women's History and Culture in the United States
(Washington, D.C.: Lib. of Congress, 2001). The guide has been
redesigned for online use, with added illustrations and links to
existing digitized material located throughout the Library of
Congress Web site. |
|
Archive of
Vintage Technology |
...a great site which lets you choose the decade and explore the
toys, electronics, computers, gadgets, household items, and much
more from 1900-2000 |
|
Big Stick
Diplomacy Afloat: The Great White Fleet |
There are several pictures of the ships of the fleet at this
site. From the site: From 16 December 1907 to 22 February 1909
the US Atlantic Fleet steamed around the world on a mission of
"Gunboat Diplomacy". The ships, commonly known as the "Great
White Fleet" due to their white-painted hulls, called in ports
the world over, impressing foreign dignitaries with the
appearance of great power. The entire affair was designed to
impress, and everything was done to make sure the fleet's
appearance was perfect. |
|
Child Labor in
the United States |
A lesson plan from History Matters involving the students in
understanding the causes and ramifications of child labor in the
United States during the late 19th
and early 20th
centuries. |
|
Chronicling
America |
Welcome to Chronicling America, enhancing access to America's
historic newspapers. This site allows you to search and view
newspaper pages from 1897-1910 and find information about
American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling
America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the
Humanities and the Library of Congress as part of the National
Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP). Florida is one of the states
represented in the newspaper files. |
|
Crazy fads |
Read about popular fads from the past 100 years. |
|
Cylinder
Preservation Project |
There are hundreds of interesting recordings to be found here -
definitely worth a look just for the sake of it - or if your
students are doing any multimedia projects. |
|
Dens of Death |
A single picture from the Jacob A. Riis book The Battle With the
Slum illustrates the death-trap that tenements had become in New
York. The picture was originally published in 1902. |
|
Doing the
Pan |
This ‘guided tour’ of the major building and exhibits at the
1901 Pan American Exposition. It provides an interesting view
of turn-of-the-century America. |
|
Early
Films of New York, 1898-1906 |
This collection contains forty-five films of New York dating
from 1898 to 1906 from the Paper Print Collection of the Library
of Congress. Of these, twenty-five were made by the American
Mutoscope and Biograph Company, while the remaining twenty are
Edison Company productions. |
|
Ease History |
A group at Michigan State University have created a new website
called EASE History. It features over 600 videos and photographs
from 1900 to the present. EASE History is a rich learning
environment that supports the learning of US history, (but there
are global themes). It does so by connecting historical events,
campaign ads and core democratic values. |
|
Encyclopedia
Britannica: 1911 |
The LoveToKnow Free Online Encyclopedia is based on what many
consider to be the best encyclopedia ever written: the eleventh
edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, first published in
1911. |
|
Evolution of the Tenement |
Five diagrams of tenement floors showing the development of the
overcrowded tenements in NYC. |
|
Fun Facts
on the Era of TR |
A collection of events, births, deaths, and more, presented in a
yearly format, for the years of TR’s presidency. |
|
Historical
Advertisements |
Duke University’s Ad*Access is a pilot project that allows you
to research and study a large selection of historical
advertisements over the web. You can access more than 7,000 ads
from U.S. and Canadian publications from 1911 to 1955. |
|
Historical Literacy: Turn-of-the-Century Child |
The site contains an in-depth lesson on various aspects of life
in the early 20th
Century through the use of primary resources (photographs) and
analysis questions. |
|
History
Channel Exhibits: Woman's Suffrage |
This History Channel exhibit is divided into three sections:
History (a synopsis of 220 years of women's rights in America),
Timeline (important events from 1777 to 1997) and Firsts. I
particularly enjoyed Firsts, a timeline of women who were first
at some achievement. For example, in 1715 Ann Teresa Mathews
became the first women whose invention received a patent.
Unfortunately, the patent was granted to her husband! |
|
History,
Rationale, Laws and Dates |
Daylight Saving Time begins for most of the United States at 2
a.m. on the first Sunday of April. Time reverts to standard time
at 2 a.m. on the last Sunday of October. In the U.S., each time
zone switches at a different time. In the European Union, Summer
Time begins and ends at 1 am Universal Time (Greenwich Mean
Time). It starts the last Sunday in March, and ends the last
Sunday in October. In the EU, all time zones change at the same
moment. The main purpose of Daylight Saving Time (called "Summer
Time" many places in the world) is to make better use of
daylight. We change our clocks during the summer months to move
an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening. Countries
have different change dates. |
|
How
Not To Help Our Poorer Brother |
Theodore Roosevelt speech in reply to the Populist Party Vice
Presidential Candidate letter to Roosevelt, 1900. |
|
How the
Other Half Lives |
How the Other Half Lives by Jacob Riis is a
look at the plight of the immigrants in the New York tenement
buildings in 1890. This site hosts the text of the original
book, including the illustrations. Excellent primary resource
material for this era. |
|
How We Made the First Flight |
Orville Wright’s story of the first heavier-than-air flight. |
|
Make the Dirt Fly |
A Smithsonian Institute presentation on the building of the
Panama Canal, with images and text. |
|
Map of
cities having at least 2500 inhabitants, 1903 |
A wonderful map for comparison purposes. |
|
Mrs. Frederick
Teaches Women How to Wash the Dishes |
As the principles of scientific management came to play a more
significant role in the workplace, some reformers sought to
apply these principles to any aspects of daily life that might
be improved by standardization and routine. Perhaps no one
applied the principles of scientific management to the home with
as much passion as Christine Frederick, the household editor of
Ladies Home Journal as well as the National Secretary of the
Associated Clubs of Domestic Science. In 1912, she published a
four-part series in the Ladies Home Journal that promised less
housework. Each article opened with a box recounting Frederick
Taylor’s principles of scientific management. |
|
N.Y. Times
and the 19th Amendment |
A reprint of selected Times articles starting with the June 5,
1919 NY Times article reporting on the 19th
Amendment through an August 9, 1920 editorial. |
|
National
Women's History Museum: Woman Suffrage Cyber Exhibit
|
At the 1848 Seneca Falls convention, "the delegates adopted a
platform that called for a broad range of social, economic,
legal, and political reforms that would dramatically raise the
status of women in American life. To the surprise of most of us
today, the demand for women's right to vote (called woman
suffrage) was the most controversial reform proposed at the
convention." There are two exhibits to enjoy at this cyber
museum: the first is an illustrated narrative (called an
"in-depth tour"), and the second is an image gallery of
suffragette promotional items such as buttons, ribbons and
posters. |
|
Newspaper Cartoon Artists, 1898-1909 |
In the late 1890s and early 1900s, cartoons in American
newspapers were an evolving art form. Highly talented artists
were given generous page space on which to work their
experiments in composition and dialogue. Many of these
cartoonists were also painters, sculptors, and illustrators.
They inherited from traditions of caricature, fable, and satire,
and they reflected contemporary arts such as printing, book
illustration, billboard painting, vaudeville, and kinetoscope.
Their work contains innumerable references to politics,
entertainment, and fashion, as well as social and technological
change. They reflect the conditions of society at the time,
particularly urban society. |
|
Old Magazine
Articles |
A wonderful primary resource looking at America through the eyes
of the publishers during (mostly) the 20th
century. The articles are in pdf, and are printable for use in
the classroom. Excellent annotations on the articles so you can
narrow down your focus quickly. |
|
On
the Lower East Side: Observations of Life in Lower Manhattan at
the Turn of the Century |
This site provides a compilation of articles about life on the
lower East Side at the beginning of the twentieth century. |
|
On the Lower
East Side: Observations of Life in Lower Manhattan at the Turn
of the Century |
A huge selection of articles written in the late 19th
and early 20th
century on life in lower Manhattan. Excellent primary resource
for use with students. |
|
On the Trail of the Immigrant |
This photo album is based upon text and pictures from a book, On
the Trail of the Immigrant by Edward A. Steiner, published in
1906 by the Fleming H. Revell Company, NY. |
|
Package
Museum |
The purpose of the site is to preserve and display specimens of
American package design during the early decade of the 20th
century. |
|
Penny
Postcards |
How did your town look during the days of the penny postcard?
This site hosts a wide collection of penny postcards showing
American life in the early 20th
century. |
|
Shorpy |
History in the camera's eye. This photo blog features images of
American life as we lived it about 100 years ago. Not
staged—real shots from a century past. The buildings are
smaller, facial hair a bit poofier, but it's still just folks
selling oranges, catching rats, sunbathing on the weekend. |
|
Silent Movie
Stars |
Ladies of the silent screen, with portraits and information on
the origins of the American movie industry. |
|
Teaching
with Documents: Failure is Impossible |
The National Archives Teaching with Documents program produced
this web site with resources, a lesson plan, and more on the
womens suffrage movement in the United States. |
|
Telegram on Wright Flight |
The American Memory Project presents the telegram sent by
Orville Wright to Bishop Milton Wright concerning their
successful flight. |
|
Tenement
Museum |
The official site of the Lower East Side Tenement Museum
includes video of tenement rooms, and more. |
|
Tenement Room |
A picture of a tenement room taken in 1902 was subtitled "This
is one of the many thousand 'living' rooms in New York that have
no direct light or ventilation." The picture is from a book by
Ernest K. Coulter: The Children in the
Shadow which was printed in 1913. |
|
Tenement Street Scene |
A 1913 picture of a street scene in a NY tenement district. |
|
The 1906 San
Francisco Earthquake |
The San Francisco Museum presents a virtual tour of the story of
the famous 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. Original articles,
photographs, survivor accounts; the ‘shoot to kill’ looters
order, and more portray the American city’s experiences with the
earthquake. |
|
The Great
Quake: 1906-2006 |
San Francisco in 1906 was the largest city and most important
port on the Pacific Coast, the financial center of the West, the
ninth-largest city in the United States. The Palace was the
biggest hotel in the West. This commemorative by the San
Francisco Chronicle, honors the 100th anniversary of the Quake
in both text and pictures. |
|
The History
of Cars |
A multi-part feature on the history of automobiles starting with
the first steam, electrical, and gasoline-engine cars. Learn the
controversy behind discovering who was really first in car
history and understand the importance of the internal combustion
engine. The lives of many famous automotive makers are explored
in detail with special pages on the assembly line, the origins
of the name automobile, the patent disputes, and more. |
|
The Jungle
Lesson Plan |
This History Now site hosts a complete lesson plan for
effectively utilizing Upton Sinclair’s Progressive Era book:
The Jungle. |
|
The Most
Dangerous Woman in America |
This is the companion Web site to the NOVA program 'The Most
Dangerous Woman in America,' an exploration of the complex case
of Mary Mallon, aka 'Typhoid Mary,' a turn-of-the-20th-century
cook living in New York City who unwittingly infected more than
40 people with typhoid fever. |
|
The Strenuous Life |
This speech was spoken before the Hamilton Club, Chicago, April
10, 1899 by Theodore Roosevelt. |
|
The Wright
Brothers |
On December 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the Wright
Flyer became the first powered, heavier-than-air machine to
achieve controlled, sustained flight with a pilot aboard. This
National Air & Space Museum exhibit includes music from the
times (really cool), classroom activities, and more. |
|
Theodore
Roosevelt Audio Recordings |
Michigan State University hosts a site that contains audio
recordings of TR starting in 1898. His announcing various types
of bugle calls for the military is great. Excellent audio
resource. |
|
Theodore
Roosevelt: Icon of the American Century |
The National Portrait Gallery (NPG), along with the Smithsonian
and the Theodore Roosevelt Association has produced a text and
picture gallery of Theodore Roosevelt. Excellent resource. |
|
Things to do in Panama when you Have Yellow Fever |
An interesting view on the battle against Yellow Fever and the
reasons for the building of the Panama Canal. |
|
Touring Turn of the Century America |
From the Library of Congress: This collection of photographs
from the Detroit Publishing Company Collection includes more
than 25,000 glass negatives and transparencies as well as about
300 color photolithograph prints, mostly of the eastern United
States. |
|
Triangle
Factory Fire |
This content-rich site includes primary and secondary source
materials dealing with the Triangle Waist Co. fire of 1911. |
|
Votes for
Women’s Suffrage |
The Library of Congress American Memory project hosts 36
pictures from the women’s suffrage movement. |
|
What is the
Value of a Child? Child Labor in the 19th and 20th Centuries |
Numerous print and picture resources are available on this site
hosted as part of the OCP (Open Collections Program). |
|
Why the Ward Boss Rules |
Jane Addams wrote an expose’ titled "Why the Ward Boss Rules"
in Outlook LVIII
(April 2, 1898). |
|
Women
Working, 1800 – 1930 |
This site is part of the Fogg Art Museum , Social Museum
Collection, and offers a huge compliation of resources
concerning the world women and the world of work in the 19th
and early 20th
century. There is an abundance of photos for use in the
classroom. |
|
Woodrow
Wilson Repudiation of Dollar Diplomacy |
This site contains the text of a speech by Woodrow Wilson in
which he explains, then denies the use of, a form of diplomacy
started by President Taft called Dollar Diplomacy. |
|
Working
Hours of Women in Factories |
An article by Mary Van Kleeck (Charities and
Commons) was written in 1906-1907. |
|
World’s First Crossword Puzzle |
The World's first crossword was devised as recently as 1913.
Arthur Wynne created it for the weekly puzzle page in Fun (the
eight-page comic section of the New York World). This site even
includes the answers! |
Return to Top
The War to End All Wars
|
Title |
Description |
|
“This Is How It
Was”: An American Nurse in France During World War I |
Ellen N. La Motte was one of the first American nurses to serve
in a French field hospital during World War I.The Backwash of
War, a series of fourteen vignettes of a French field hospital,
recounting her 1915 service in Belgium, was first published in
fall 1916, before American entry into the world war. |
|
Aeroplanes of World War I |
Six pages transposed from The Chicago Daily
News War Book for American Soldiers, Sailors and Marines
(1918) which provides hand-drawn
illustrations of the major aircraft of the Allies and German
powers during World War I. |
|
American Leaders Speak |
The Nation's Forum Collection consists of fifty-nine sound
recordings of speeches by American leaders from 1918-1920. The
speeches focus on issues and events surrounding the First World
War and the subsequent presidential election of 1920. Speakers
include: Warren G. Harding, James Cox, Calvin Coolidge, Franklin
D. Roosevelt, Samuel Gompers, Henry Cabot Lodge, and John J.
Pershing. Speeches range from one to five minutes. Especially
interesting are comments on the League of Nations debate. |
|
American Protest Over the Sinking of the Lusitania |
William Jennings Bryan’s note to the Germans about the sinking
of the Lusitania in 1915 |
|
America's Army and its Part in the Great War |
Page by page copies of a booklet prepared by W.C. Both which
have excellent maps, accounts of the Argonne, and a breakdown of
American forces in Europe during WW I. |
|
Best War Time Recipes |
A collection of 47+ recipes that saved eggs, butter, milk, and
wheat flour for our allies in Europe who were staving in some
instances. Wheat flour was not to be used, if possible, because
we shipped the wheat in sacks to Europe. Corn flour and other
coarse (barley, buckwheat, graham, oat, or rye) flours were to
be used. When wheat flour was used corn meal, cereals, hominy,
peanuts, potatoes, and coarse flours were also used to reduced
the total amount of wheat flour used. Printed in 1918. |
|
Cartooning for
Victory: World War I Instructions to Artists |
The Bureau of Cartoons, headed by George Hecht, exhorted
cartoonists to use their popular medium to support the war
effort. Like other CPI pamphlets that urged Americans to
integrate the war effort into their home and work lives, this
excerpt from the CPI’s Bulletin for Cartoonists provided a
mixture of suggestions, practical advice, and inspirational
prose. |
|
Fighting the
Flying Circus |
This on-line edition of Eddie Rickenbacker's World War One
memoirs dates from the original version published by Stokes in
1919. Captain Rickenbacker, originally from Ohio, was best known
as one of the Commanders of the 94th "Hat-in-the-Ring" Squadron,
a crack unit of pilots which included many former members of the
famed Lafayette Escadrille. The 94th ended the war in France
with the highest number of air victories of any American
squadron. |
|
Flags of World War I |
From the 1920 edition of The People's War
Book and Atlas, this site provides a
page illustrating the flags of the allied nations during the
First World War. |
|
Geography of World War I |
The display of the 1919 Geography of World
War I booklet contains valuable
information on Europe during the war. Maps, charts, photos, and
text contribute to a unique view of the First World War through
the eyes of those who lived during the times. |
|
I Did My Bit for Democracy |
From the Library of Congress: Andrew Johnson was an
African-American veteran interviewed by a WPA worker in 1938. In
the excerpt below, from American Life Histories, 1936-1940, he
describes some of his experiences serving in the military. How
did the draft system work? Does it seem to be a fair system to
you? Why or why not? What surprises you about Johnson's
experiences as a soldier? How could you find out whether his
experiences are typical of many soldiers? |
|
I Didn’t Raise
My Boy to Be a Soldier |
By 1915, Americans began debating the need for military and
economic preparations for war. Strong opposition to
“preparedness” came from isolationists, socialists, pacifists,
many Protestant ministers, German Americans, and Irish Americans
(who were hostile to Britain). One of the hit songs of 1915, “I
Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier,” by lyricist Alfred Bryan
and composer Al Piantadosi, captured widespread American
skepticism about joining in the European war. Includes an audio
of the song. |
|
Interview with Walter Hare, British Infantry |
Great interview with a WW I veteran on the Western Front.
Wonderful primary resource. |
|
Letters
Home From War |
This site contains a collection of letters are from Lloyd
Maywood Staley to his sweetheart Mary Beatrice Gray during World
War I |
|
Life in the
Trenches of World War One |
Soldiers who thought that joining up for the good of their
country was all guns and glamour were to be proved horribly,
horribly wrong. Instead of dashing about on horses, or fighting
in the beautiful fields of Europe (and meeting lots of nice
French girls to boot), the soldiers found themselves facing
their enemies from inside a big hole in the ground. The trenches
soon became extremely inhospitable and terrible places and aside
from the fact that some bloke a few yards away was trying to
kill you in a variety of ingenious ways, there were many other
things to contend with. This BBC webpage describes the ‘other
things to contend with’. |
|
Lusitania Online |
This site hosts information about the ship, the cargo, and the
events of 1915. |
|
Outfitting a World War I Soldier - Teaching US History with
Primary Sources |
This is a complete lesson plan from the University of North
Carolina. |
|
Photos of the
Great War |
This site provides an easy to use navigation system to thousands
of photos from World War I. |
|
Poison Gas in World War One |
A huge article with illustrations on the use of poison gas
during World War I. A good tie-in to chemical warfare concerns
in the 21st
century. |
|
Prudential Army-Navy Booklet |
A complete reproduction of the Prudential Army-Navy Booklet,
published in 1917, which contains resources on the state and
units of the American military during World War I. |
|
The Doughboy
Center |
This site provides the story of the American Expeditionary Force
in a variety of multi-media formats. |
|
The First World
War |
This incredible site has links to photographs, documents, and
articles on all aspects of World War I. |
|
The
Great War and Popular Culture |
This site provides resources for teaching about the Great War
through primary resources and more. |
|
The Great
War in Pictures: World War I Photo Archive |
Great War Pictures shows this war in all its gruesomeness.
Please remember that reality can never be resembled more
effectively than in these photos. This reality is really beyond
any description. Some photos are truly hair-raising, but are
shown nevertheless without reserve because they represent the
Great War – any war. |
|
The
Influenza Epidemic of 1918 |
It is an oddity of history that the influenza epidemic of 1918
has been overlooked in the teaching of American history.
Documentation of the disease is ample, as shown in the records
selected from the holdings of the National Archives regional
archives. Exhibiting these documents helps the epidemic take its
rightful place as a major disaster in world history. |
|
U-boat
Attack, 1916 |
Adolf K.G.E. von Spiegel commanded a German U-boat during the
First World War. He published his memoirs in 1919. Here he
describes the attack on a cargo vessel in April 1916. |
|
Victory on the
Menu |
Good Housekeeping printed menus, offering housewives directions
for preparing tasty meals that met conservation standards.
Contributed by readers, this “month’s worth of recipes” printed
in August 1917 demonstrated conservation in action, as well as
women’s ingenuity in redesigning menus to observe rationing
guidelines. |
|
War Garden Victorious |
An Internet reprint of a book published in 1919 describing the
growth of Victory Gardens in World War I. |
|
Wars and
Atrocities in the First Quarter of the Twentieth Century |
A map that provides a graphic representation of the deaths
involved between 1900 – 1925. |
|
Weapons of World War I |
Copies of pages from the 1918 publication,
The Chicago Daily News War Book for American Soldiers, Sailors
and Marines, which illustrate the
major weapons of the warring powers. |
|
Wheatless Wednesday |
U.S. Food Administration poster reminding Americans about
sacrificing food at home for the troops overseas. |
|
World War I Album |
A large collection of photographs from WWI showing the American
Army camp life and activities. |
|
World War I
Document Archives |
Contains documents from Europe and America pertaining to World
War I. |
|
WW I GI
Newspaper |
Stars and Stripes from WW I online. |
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Boom and Bust in America
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The Roaring
Twenties |
The Great
Depression |
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The Roaring Twenties
|
Title |
Description |
|
1920s
Movie Timeline |
What were the hits at the theaters in the 1920s? This site
provides the answers with a year-by-year listing. |
|
Aimee Semple McPherson |
She's been written out of many history books, but Aimee Semple
McPherson was one of the most famous female evangelists in the
world. Described as "dynamic, irrepressible, and complex," she's
been called the "most tragic figure in America." |
|
Clash of Cultures, 1910 – 1930 |
This site looks at cultural tensions that surfaced and
influenced the 1920s and beyond. Topics include
Anti-Immigration and the KKK, the New Woman, The Scopes Trial,
and Prohibition. Lots of resources available on this site. |
|
FBI History:
Famous Cases |
Since its founding in 1908, the FBI has been involved in many
famous cases. Inasmuch as inquiries often are received about
them, the Office of Public and Congressional Affairs (OPCA) has
prepared monographs on some of the most frequently requested,
closed investigations. The monographs listed have been made
available for your use. You may download them for any
noncommercial use without obtaining permission from the FBI. |
|
Film
making in 1920 |
Actress Lillian Gish describes making the movie
Way Down East
with director D.W. Griffith. Interesting comments on the times. |
|
Food
Prices in the 1920s |
A listing of the price of various items of food during the
1920s. Entries are dated by year and location. Bread: 9 cents
a pound! |
|
Images of Prohibition |
A large collection of photos and drawings on the era of
prohibition. |
|
Images
of the Red Scare |
A collection of images – from editorial cartoons/comment to
photographs – of the perceptions and events of the Red Scare,
1918-1921. |
|
Look At Me |
This collection of "found photos" contains 572 snapshots (and
growing) dating back to the 1920s. The people may be strangers,
but the ubiquitous nature of human experience gives these images
a life-affirming power that will brighten your day. |
|
Music Clips
from the 1920s |
Al Jolson to Billy Murray: The singers of the 1920s. This
website had audio recordings from the popular hits of the 1920s. |
|
Only Yesterday |
The full text of Frederick Lewis Allen’s classic work on the
1920s. An interesting read essential to understanding the
informal history of the decade. |
|
Prosperity and Thrift: The Coolidge Era and the Consumer Economy |
Prosperity and Thrift: The Coolidge Era and the Consumer
Economy, 1921-1929 assembles a wide array of Library of Congress
source materials from the 1920s that document the widespread
prosperity of the Coolidge years, the nation's transition to a
mass consumer economy, and the role of government in this
transition. A Library of Congress compilation. |
|
The 1920s Economy: A Statistical Portrait |
Statistical information on the 1920’s economic picture. Topics
include: Industry; Agriculture; Electric Power; Economic
Concentration; Business Failures; Distribution of Wealth;
Advertising; and Consumer Credit. |
|
The
Case Against The Reds |
A. Mitchell Palmer’s article justifying the attack of the US
government on suspected Communists in 1920. |
|
The Crash of 1929 |
The Crash of 1929 offers insights into topics in American
history including market mechanics, the history of Wall Street,
economic forecasting, the zeitgeist of the 1920s, morality and
the market, the effect of economic cycles on political trends,
the lifestyles of the American elite, and more. Use the film or
this Web site to learn more, either in a classroom or on your
own. A PBS production. |
|
The Red Scare |
Contains information on the Red Scare; images from the era; and
subject headings. |
|
The
Survey Graphic Harlem Edition |
Survey Graphic was a social work magazine of the 1920's. This
site includes the entire edition of the magazine for March, 1925
which was focused on what is now termed the Harlem Renaissance.
An outstanding source for primary materials. |
|
Welcome to the 1920s PowerPoint |
A PowerPoint illustrating the various aspects that made the era
of the 1920s unique. |
|
Zora Neale
Hurston |
The Florida Memory Project from the Florida Archives posted this
lesson plan and teaching resources on Zora Neale Hurston. This
lesson involves reading a Hurston article “Turpentine” and meets
the Sunshine State Standards. |
Return to Top
The Great Depression
|
Title |
Description |
|
Amelia
Earhart |
This official site is excellent in content, design, and
navigation. Of course there is an Earhart biography, but don't
stop there. Other highlights include a nice collection of quotes
("Courage is the price that Life exacts for granting peace."), a
photo gallery, and screensavers and wallpaper (listed under
Downloads). |
|
America from Depression to WW II |
The Library of Congress Special Presentation: The
black-and-white photographs of the Farm Security
Administration-Office of War Information Collection are a
landmark in the history of documentary photography. The images
show Americans at home, at work, and at play, with an emphasis
on rural and small-town life and the adverse effects of the
Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and increasing farm
mechanization. |
|
America from
the Great Depression to WWII: Color Photographs |
The color photographs of the Farm Security Administration-Office
of War Information Collection include scenes of rural and
small-town life, migrant labor, and the effects of the Great
Depression. A significant number of the color photographs
concern the mobilization effort for World War II and portray
aircraft manufacturing, military training, and the nation's
railroads. The 1,600 color photographs produced by the FSA and
OWI photographers are less well known and far less extensive |
|
America
in the 1930s |
From the American Studies Program at the University of Virginia,
America in the 1930's is a compendium of the decade's visual
arts: film, print, radio, murals, paintings, posters and
architecture. Don't miss the multimedia timeline, which
color-codes events into four categories: Politics and Society,
Science and Technology, Arts and Culture, and World Events. Many
of the items are linked to additional audio or video media, and
each year is summarized with a Year in Review video. |
|
American Life Histories: The Federal Writers Project |
These life histories were compiled and transcribed by the staff
of the Folklore Project of the Federal Writers' Project for the
U.S. Works Progress (later Work Projects) Administration (WPA)
from 1936-1940. The Library of Congress collection includes
2,900 documents representing the work of over 300 writers from
24 states. Typically 2,000-15,000 words in length, the documents
consist of drafts and revisions, varying in form from narrative
to dialogue to report to case history. The histories describe
the informant's family education, income, occupation, political
views, religion and mores, medical needs, diet and miscellaneous
observations. Pseudonyms are often substituted for individuals
and places named in the narrative texts. |
|
Anthology of the 1930s Prose |
A fabulous collection of writings from the 1930s. This
collection has crime fiction, some real event reportage, strikes
and riots as well as humor. Click on ‘index’ for a list of the
articles. |
|
Bank Failures: 1929 – 1933 |
A graph depicting the number of bank failures from 1929 through
1933. |
|
Blues and
Gospel |
Click on the Audio Title link and enjoy the music recorded by
the WPA between 1938 – 1943 at this American Memory website.
Save the song and use in class. |
|
Brother Can You Spare A Dime |
The Library of Congress has provided this collection of
resources (and lesson plans) on the Great Depression. |
|
By the
People, For the People: Posters from the WPA, 1936-1943 |
"By the People, For the People: Posters from the WPA, 1936-1943"
is a collection of 900 boldly colored & graphically diverse
posters produced as part of FDR's New Deal. These striking
silkscreens, lithographs, & woodcuts were created to publicize
health & safety programs; cultural programs including art
exhibitions, theatrical, & musical performances; travel &
tourism; educational programs; & community activities. |
|
Children’s Letters to Mrs. Roosevelt: Analyzing the Letters |
This is a one- to two-day lesson plan using short letters from
children to Eleanor Roosevelt in the 1930s. Excellent use of
analysis and primary resources, plus an intriguing look at life
in the era. |
|
Comic Strips of the 1930s |
A collection of comic strips produced during the 1930s,
reflecting the thoughts and moods of the times. Dick Tracy,
Superman, Popeye, and more are produced for this site. |
|
Documenting the 1930s |
Documentary work by the Federal Writers Project, Dorothea Lange
and Paul Taylor, Malcolm Cowley, Richard Wright, James Agee and
Walker Evans, and Lewis Hine. A huge collection of visual and
textual resources. |
|
Drought
Devastates Farming in 1930s America |
Daily Life Online provides a lesson plan and resources on the
great drought that hit with the Great Depression. The lesson
includes visual resources, student questions, and more. |
|
Dust Bowl
Movie |
Making of America (MoA) is a digital library of primary sources
in American social history from the antebellum period through
reconstruction. The collection is particularly strong in the
subject areas of education, psychology, American history,
sociology, religion, and science and technology. Just click on
‘subject browsing’ and review hundreds of primary resources. |
|
Electrifying Housework |
This site contains two pictures, both centered on methods of
home laundry. The comparison illustrates the effect of
electrical appliances that were beginning to appear in American
homes during the 1930s. |
|
Farm
Security Administration photos of the Great Depression |
The black-and-white photographs of the Farm Security
Administration-Office of War Information Collection are a
landmark in the history of documentary photography. The images
show Americans at home, at work, and at play, with an emphasis
on rural and small-town life and the adverse effects of the
Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and increasing farm
mechanization. Some of the most famous images portray people who
were displaced from farms and migrated West or to industrial
cities in search of work. |
|
FDR Cartoon Archive |
A large collection of political cartoons from the era of the FDR
Presidency organized by topics. |
|
FDR Cartoon
Collection |
A collection of political cartoons – arranged by year published
– that provides comments and insight into the Presidency of
Franklin Roosevelt. |
|
FDR Cartoons |
This Niskayuna High School site hosts a collection of editorial
cartoons about FDR from election as president until his death. |
|
Flint Sitdown Strike, 1936-37 |
A selection of images taken during the sitdown strike. |
|
Frances
Perkins and the New Deal |
A short biography, picture, and primary resources dealing with
Frances Perkins, FDR’s Secretary of Labor. |
|
Herblock’s History: Political Cartoons of the 1930s |
Herblock’s History: Political Cartoons of the 1930s contains a
series of political cartoons – with background information –
from the 1930s. From the site: Herb Block published his first
editorial cartoon six months before the 1929 New York Stock
Exchange crash that plunged the country into the Great
Depression. His concern for the national physical environment
broadened into concern for the economic and international
environment. He also warned throughout the decade of the danger
represented by Fascist political gains in Europe and Adolf
Hitler's rise to power in Germany at the head of the Nazi Party. |
|
History of
Alcatraz |
Alcatraz History was designed to help introduce you to the rich
history of Alcatraz during the penitentiary years and many of
the inmates who called "the Rock" home. From the mid 1930's
until the mid 1960's, Alcatraz was America's premier
maximum-security prison, the final stop for the nation's most
incorrigible inmates. |
|
I Remember:
The Great Depression |
Everyone has a story to tell about the past. During the Great
Depression of the 1930s, some Michiganians bartered and traded
for food, clothes, shelter and services. Sharing and "making do"
became a way of life. People who lived during the Depression
have interesting stories to share about how they coped with hard
times. The following reminiscences were published in Michigan
History Magazine, January-February, 1982. Hosted by the
Michigan Historical Society. |
|
In Our Own
Backyard: Resisting Nazi Propaganda in Southern California,
1933-1945 |
A fascinating look at the philosophy and activities that led to
widespread Nazi influence and intolerance in California. Text
and images present a graphic picture of the spread of Nazism,
especially during the Great Depression. |
|
Loveless CCC |
Lyrics and audio of the song Loveless CCC,
a parody on the Civilian Conservation Corps. Other lyrics and
audios available from the site include
The Highway Hobo,
I Rode Southern,
and Stevensville Blues. |
|
Michigan Historical Museum: The Great Depression Gallery |
Photographs representing life during the 1930s. |
|
Music of the Depression Era |
A collection of lyrics of popular songs produced during the
Depression era. |
|
New Deal
Documents List |
Hosted by the New Deal Network, the documents list includes a
wide variety of primary resources on the New Deal, including the
transcripts of a variety of Fireside Chats; magazine articles by
a variety of individuals; and much more. An exceptional
resource for looking at the original thoughts of the makers of
the New Deal. |
|
New Deal
Network |
This site, hosted by the New Deal Network, has a variety of
categories for an in-depth view of the New Deal. Teacher
resources and lesson plans are included. |
|
Photographing the Representative American |
From the site: Travelling across the American South with writer
Erskine Caldwell (Tobacco Road) between 1935 and 1937, Margaret
Bourke-White photographed the people of the Depression. |
|
Photos
of the New Deal |
The FDR Library hosts a collection of photographs reflecting
the Great Depression and the New Deal. |
|
Posters from the WPA |
The By the People, For the People: Posters from the WPA,
1936-1943 collection consists of 908 boldly colored and
graphically diverse original posters produced from 1936 to 1943
as part of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal. |
|
Posters from the WPA |
This is a vintage poster collection from the Library of
Congress. "These examples demonstrate the breadth and depth of
the collection and the styles and content used by the WPA [Works
Progress Administration] to advertise varied programs and
campaigns." Because this collection features thumbnail graphics,
it is much easier to browse than the rest of the online exhibit.
The sample posters are organized into seven categories: Health
and Safety, Cultural Programs, Travel and Tourism, Educational
Programs, Community Activities, Federal Arts Programs, World War
II. |
|
Social
Security Public Information Posters: 1936 - 1999 |
This section contains images of posters, pamphlets, and other
materials that SSA has made available over the years as part of
its various public information campaigns. |
|
The Great Depression Business Cycle |
This site has two charts graphically illustrating the business
cycle and through those visual aids indicating the true depths
of the Great Depression. |
|
The
Great Depression on New York’s Lower East Site |
This site explores the restoration of a New York tenement from
the mid-1930s – and the story of the family that lived there
during the Great Depression. |
|
The
Hindenburg Crash |
This site has a sound recording of reporter Herbert Morrison’s
descriptions of the destruction of the dirigible Hindenburg, May
6, 1937. |
|
The Hoover Dam: Lonely Lands Made Fruitful |
A collection of information and pictures about the building and
influence of the Hoover Dam. |
|
The Living Newspaper |
The Living Newspaper: Understanding the 1930s through audio,
offers a unique opportunity to explore the culture of the 30s
via the Federal Theater Project. From the site: A Living
Newspaper is a theatrical genre conceived and created by the
Federal Theater Project in the 30s in order to dramatize current
and historical events. To generate an “authoritative dramatic
treatment,” Hallie Flanagan, head of the FTP, created a staff of
the Living Newspaper which “was set up like a large city daily,
with editor-in-chief, managing editor, city editor, reporters
and copyreaders.” |
|
The New Deal
Network |
The New Deal Network,sponsored by the Franklin and Eleanor
Roosevelt Institute and the Institute for Learning Technologies
at Teachers College/Columbia University, provides a number of
primary resources on the New Deal era. Classroom Resources,
including lesson plans, Web projects, and bibliographical
materials are available as well as Online Resources on FDR and
the Great Depression. This extensive site has over 4000 Images
available. |
|
The Papers of Franklin Roosevelt |
The Avalon Project hosts a collection of FDR papers including
all four inaugural addresses and various war papers. A small,
but interesting, collection. |
|
The Sinking of Panay |
This text document gives details on the sinking of the U.S.S.
Panay. From the
introduction: U.S.S. Panay
was one of five small, shoal-draft river gunboats that had been
built about ten years earlier, primarily for patrolling the
Yangtze in order to protect American commerce and American
nationals during the Chinese civil war.[12] They were used to
being fired upon (and seldom hit) by irresponsible guerrilla
bands of Chinese,[13] but what happened to Panay was
deliberately planned by responsible Japanese officers.
|
|
Time: Lessons from the Depression |
A Time Magazine article from January, 2009, about lessons we
should learn from the Great Depression. |
|
Unemployment: 1929 – 1942 |
This site hosts a chart showing the effects of the Great
Depression and War on unemployment. Included are significant
events that affected the unemployment rates. |
|
Voices from
the Dust Bowl |
The Library of Congress Learning Page has compiled an impressive
collection of primary resource documents, photos, and recorded
interviews of the Dust Bowl era. My favorite: the song
(includes a text copy as well as audio) of
Why We Came To Californy. |
|
Voices from the Dust Bowl |
Voices from the Dust Bowl: The Charles L. Todd and Robert Sonkin
Migrant Worker Collection is an online presentation of a
multi-format ethnographic field collection documenting the
everyday life of residents of Farm Security Administration (FSA)
migrant work camps in central California in 1940 and 1941. This
collection consists of audio recordings, photographs, manuscript
materials, publications, and ephemera generated during two
separate documentation trips supported by the Archive of
American Folk Song. |
|
Wars and
Atrocities in the Second Quarter of the Twentieth Century |
A graphic map representing the deaths through war and atrocities
between 1925 – 1950. |
|
With the
Civilian Conservation Corps |
An article on the CCC in the American Forestry magazine, July
1933. |
Return to Top |
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World at War: World War II
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Road to War
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War in Europe |
War in the Pacific |
American Homefront
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Road to War
|
Title |
Description |
|
African Americans In the U. S. Army - Early WWII |
Using photographs, the Center of Military History has created a
annotated timeline gallery of African Americans in the Army,
1941. Black and white photos provide the pictorial story. |
|
Battleship Row:
A Photographic History of Pearl Harbor |
Information and pictures on the ships in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7,
1941. |
|
Codes and
Ciphers in the Second World War |
Students can see the practical side, and how technology and
mathematics helped break codes during World War II. Take a
virtual tour of Bletchley House, where code-breaking operations
were housed, and learn about Enigma, the coding machine that was
so tough to break. |
|
Days of
Infamy: December 7 and 9/11 |
Within the living memory of Americans are two deadly surprise
attacks against the United States: Japan's assault on Pearl
Harbor on December 7, 1941, and the terrorist attacks of
September 11, 2001. Both times, the Library of Congress sent
people out to record the voices of ordinary Americans as they
reacted to a changed world. |
|
Eyewitness
to History: Attack at Pearl Harbor |
"The surprise was complete. The attacking planes came in two
waves; the first hit its target at 7:53 AM, the second at 8:55.
By 9:55 it was all over. By 1:00 PM the carriers that launched
the planes from 274 miles off the coast of Oahu were heading
back to Japan." This single page description of the Japanese
attack on Pearl Harbor includes quotes from eyewitnesses and
some amazing photographs. Links to related pages (The Japanese
View and The White House Reacts) are in the right-column, below
the ad. |
|
Maps of
WW II: Blitzkrieg 1939-1941 |
A collection of black and white maps focusing on different
events during the blitzkrieg, especially against France in 1940. |
|
MSNBC
Interactive: Pearl Harbor |
This interactive movie from MSNBC starts as soon as the page
loads, so have your speakers turned on. At first glance, this
looks like a regular "old-fashioned" video, but there are
interactive activities to explore in between each chapter. Start
by examining four clues to the impending Japanese air strike
that were mostly ignored, and then move through the chapters
using the Next button, or the direct navigation menu at the
bottom of the player. Peppered with first-person narratives,
this is an outstanding example of multimedia learning. |
|
National
Geographic: Remembering Pearl Harbor |
The National Geographic Pearl Harbor site is overflowing with
excellent features. The following are just two of my favorite
clicks. Beyond the Movie takes a look behind the scenes of the
2001 "Pearl Harbor" movie from Touchstone, and at characters
such as Dorie Miller, the real-life cook played by Cuba Gooding.
The Attack Map is a multimedia map and time line created with
photos, narratives, and footage that "bring the attack on Pearl
Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii, to life – moment by moment, target by
target." |
|
Pearl Harbor Raid |
A site hosted by the U.S. Navy provides the details – in print
and pictures – of December 7th
1941. |
|
Pearl Harbor
Remembered: The Day |
Propaganda posters began to appear in early 1942, as the country
prepared for war. One of the first, created soon after the Pearl
Harbor attack, declared "Remember Dec. 7th!" As the war
continued, the cry changed to "Remember Pearl Harbor." The
Oregonian (of Portland) is generally credited with this phrase
that became the rallying call of a nation at war. Explore the
rest of the Pearl Harbor Remembered site by following the link
to the Main Menu. |
|
Preparing for Battle |
Using photographs, the Center of Military History has created a
annotated timeline gallery of Americans in the Army, 1941 –
1943. Black and white photos provide the pictorial story of
training, the WACS, nurses, and more as the Army prepares to go
to war. |
|
Voices of
World War II: Pearl Harbor |
In partnership with the Truman Presidential Museum and Library,
The University of Missouri-Kansas City has published a
collection of World War II audio and video. The Pearl Harbor
page includes a dozen radio broadcasts ("It's no joke. It's a
real war."), film footage of the attack from aboard USS
Enterprise and USS Franklin, and nine popular songs ("Pardon me
boys, is that the. Chattanooga Choo Choo?") Best click, however,
is the audio recording and the typed draft of President Franklin
D. Roosevelt's "Day of Infamy" speech to a joint session of
Congress on December 8, 1941. |
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The
War in Europe
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Bastogne: The Story in Pictures |
Using photographs and illustrations, the Center of Military
History has created a annotated timeline gallery of the Battle
of the Bulge, centered at Bastogne. Black and white photos as
well as colored artistry provide the pictorial story of the
battle. |
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D-Day Museum:
Memories of D-Day |
"Four years in the preparation, Operation Overlord, the Allied
invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944, marked the beginning of the
end of World War II and the eventual liberation of Europe." The
D-Day Museum of Portsmouth, UK, has a large D-Day archive,
including articles, veterans' memoirs, and audio clips. Best
reasons to visit are the first person accounts sprinkled
throughout the site. In addition to features about preparing for
D-Day, and crossing the channel, the site has sections covering
the five Normandy beaches where American and British troops
landed. |
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D-Day
Remembrance |
As part of the Library of Congress' American Folklife Center,
the Veterans History Project has been compiling eyewitness
accounts of conflicts ranging from World War I through the first
Gulf War. Thecollection provides soldiers' stories in RealAudio
and RealVideo formats, along with photos albums, personal
correspondence and other memorabilia. |
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Encyclopedia
Britannica's Guide to Normandy 1944 |
Encyclopedia Britannica's multimedia guide is a terrific
starting point for a school research project. Highlights include
audio memories from D-Day veterans, interactive charts, and
Learning Activities. Change the Course of History (the first of
four Learning Activities) is a classroom role-playing game where
students take on the role of a real German commander, Field
Marshall Gerd von Rundstedt. What might have happened if he had
somehow learned how and when the Allies were to invade France?
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Experiencing
War: Stories from the Veterans History Project |
As a partner with filmmaker Ken Burns and PBS on The War, the
Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress, offers this
special Web site to enhance the viewing experience of this epic
yet intimate look at those who sacrificed so much to serve their
country during World War II. |
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G.I. Artist
Sketchpad |
In the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the declaration of
war, thousands of Americans enlisted in the U.S. armed forces.
Among them was twenty-year-old Bronx resident Ben Hurwitz. Like
many of the men and women who entered military service, Hurwitz
(who changed his name to Brown after the war) kept a record of
his experiences. But his "journal" was a sketchpad, and, during
his two years in North Africa and Italy, Corporal Hurwitz drew
and painted at every opportunity. Hurwitz's pictures are
accompanied by the artist's commentary transcribed by historian
Joshua Brown in November 1996. Sketches used with permission of
Eleanor A. Brown. |
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Losses in
the Second World War Map |
A graphic representation of the human losses incurred during
World War II. |
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Maps of WW II: Eastern Front-1941 |
A collection of black and white maps focusing on different
events during the German attack on Russia in 1941. |
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Maps
of WW II: Normandy-1944 |
A collection of black and white maps focusing on different
events during the Allied invasion of Normandy, 1944. |
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PBS: American
Experience: D-Day |
Notable clicks at this PBS site include the World War II
European timeline, and the Special Features. "Did You Know?"
answers the popular question: What does the "D" in D-Day stand
for? The short answer is that it probably stands for "Day," but
you'll need to read the article to get the whole story. "Hot Off
the Presses" is a look at newspaper reports of the time. For
teachers, there are seven classroom activities, covering four
subject areas: geography, economics, history and civics. |
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U.S. Army: D-Day |
Don't miss the eight-minute video (on the front page) featuring
the recollections of five D-Day veterans, and D-Day film
footage. If you have trouble understanding the voices, there is
a transcript that pops up in a separate window. Other great
clicks are Photos from the Front, and General Eisenhower's
message to the troops just prior to the invasion (in audio, as
well as a transcript.) "Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the
Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon a great
crusade, toward which we have striven these many months." |
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World
War II Diary of Robert T. Webber |
This site contains the diary of a WW II medic that was searched
for, discovered, transcribed, and commented on by his son after
the father’s death. Excellent look at the war through the eyes
of an enlisted man who participated in it. |
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World War II: The Early Years |
Using photographs, the Center of Military History has created a
annotated timeline gallery of American forces at war, 1942-1943,
in the Pacific; North Africa; and Iceland. Black and white
photos provide the pictorial story of the battles. |
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The War in the Pacific
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Dutch East Indies |
This site contains the history and memories of a woman who lost
her family during World War II. |
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Maps of WW II: Pacific Theater – 1944-1945 |
A collection of black and white maps focusing on the invasions
that lead to the eventual defeat of Japan in World War II. |
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Maps
of WW II: Pacific Theater-1941-1942 |
A collection of black and white – as well as color - maps
focusing on the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the events
that followed. |
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Oral
Histories - U.S. Navy Nurse in the Pacific Theater during World
War II |
From the site: Recollections of CAPT Ann Bernatitus, NC, USN,
(Ret.), recounting her, service in the Philippines including
Bataan, evacuation from Corregidor on USS Spearfish (SS-190);
and service on USS Relief (AH-1) during the Okinawa campaign and
the return of American prisoners of war from Japanese-occupied
China. |
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Rutgers Oral History Archives: Pacific Theater |
The Rutgers Oral History Archives houses a collection of
interviews on the personal experiences of former graduates in
the Pacific Theater of World War II. |
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Surrender of Japan |
The Museum of World War II presents text, pictures, and audio on
the Japanese surrender to the Allied forces, 1945. |
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The Perilous
Fight |
The Second World War was the first war to be recorded
extensively on color film, mostly by Americans. For years, much
of that color footage remained unknown and unseen – until now.
The Perilous Fight: America’s World War II in Color brings
America’s wartime experience, on the battlefield and at home,
vividly and intimately to life by combining original color film
footage with compelling passages from diaries and letters
written by people who were part of an unforgettable period of
history. A PBS Web site. |
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The American Homefront
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Dear Home:
Letter from World War II |
This History Channel site provides digital collections of
letters sent by U.S. servicemen and women during World War II.
Interesting primary resource for use in studying this era of
history. |
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Densho |
Densho, a non-profit organization around since 1996, chronicles
the incarceration (vs. internment) of more than 120,000 Japanese
Americans during World War II. The name comes from a Japanese
word meaning "to leave a legacy," and that's precisely what this
valuable collection of oral narratives, photographs, and
government documents does. Learn about the causes of
incarceration--a history of racism, economic motives and wartime
hysteria. Use of Web technology is impressive, from the dozens
of videotaped testimonies to handy pull-down menus and frames.
Don't miss the useful timeline and glossary. Dedicated
researchers can write to the company to obtain access to the
entire database. |
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Dr. Seuss
Went to War |
This site includes political cartoons from the noted childrens'
writer Theodore Seuss Geisel(1904-1991) Students can follow the
course of World War II through these series of cartoons that
first appeared in the New York newspaper PM. Subject matter
includes politics, battles, and life in the U.S. during the war. |
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Eleanor
Roosevelt |
"Eleanor Roosevelt" brings to life one of the century's most
influential women. This website includes a Roosevelt family
tree, newspaper columns written by Mrs. Roosevelt, a clip from a
TV appearance, a timeline that highlights events in her life &
in the nation, & more. A teacher's guide suggests discussion
topics & related activities. |
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Letter from Albert Einstein: Atomic Bomb |
This is the text of a letter from Albert Einstein to President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt about the possible construction of
nuclear bombs. |
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Little
Orphan Annie: The War Years, 1939-1945 |
Text and sample Little Orphan Annie comic strips from the War
years provides a look at the various means used on the home
front to encourage the people during the war years. |
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Loose
Lips Sink Ships |
Excerpts from a booklet provided by the US Army to recruits
informing them of the need for secrecy during World War II. |
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National
WWII Memorial |
The National World War II Memorial will be the first national
memorial dedicated to all who served during World War II. The
memorial, which will be established by the American Battle
Monuments Commission, will honor all military veterans of the
war, the citizens on the home front, the nation at large, and
the high moral purpose and idealism that motivated the nation's
call to arms. The Second World War will be the only 20th century
event commemorated on the Mall‚s central axis. |
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Radio News from WW II |
Go from the beaches of Iwo Jima to Edward R. Murrow reporting on
liberating the camp at Buchenwald; from the Munich Agreement to
D-Day, radio reported the news. This website provides audio
radio news reports from the World War II era that can be played
in the classroom. |
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Radio Resources for WW II era |
This site hosts an audio collection of short radio announcements
and news. Awesome. |
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Rationing in WW II |
This site provides an excellent explaination of the rationing
system used by the US during WW II. It includes numerous photos
of the elements that made up a fairly effective rationing
system. 4 gallons of gas a week? |
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The Larchmont Times in 1942 |
For Larchmont, 1942 was a year of transition from peacetime to
wartime, in support of the nation's defense. After the attack on
Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States declared war
on Germany, Japan and their allies, and Larchmont felt the
impact. Copies of articles from a review of 1942 cover topics
from rationing to why save tin cans; from use of the telephone
to draft announcements. An excellent home front view of World
War II. |
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The Race to
Build the Atomic Bomb |
An interesting website dealing with the various aspects involved
in the ‘race to build the atomic bomb’. |
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V-Mail |
The National Postal Museum website hosts a fascinating page
about V-Mail with samples and copies. |
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Consumerism & Cold War
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Korean War |
Consumerism |
The Cold War |
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Korean War
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“Police Action”: The Korean War, 1950-1953 |
This lesson from EdSite will introduce students to the Korean
conflict by having them read the most important administration
documents related to it. Specifically it will address four major
issues: 1) Truman's decision to send troops to Korea; 2) The
decision to cross the 38th Parallel into North Korea, at the
risk of a wider war with China; 3) Truman's decision to fire
MacArthur; and 4) the war's growing unpopularity in the United
States. |
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Korea: 1950 |
Using photographs, the Center of Military History has created a
annotated timeline gallery of Americans in the Army, during the
Korean War. Black and white photos provide the pictorial story
of fighting in 1950. |
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Korea: 1951 |
Using photographs, the Center of Military History has created a
annotated timeline gallery of Americans in the Army, during the
Korean War. Black and white photos provide the pictorial story
of fighting in 1951. |
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Korea: 1952 |
Using photographs, the Center of Military History has created a
annotated timeline gallery of Americans in the Army, during the
Korean War. Black and white photos provide the pictorial story
of fighting in 1952 |
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Korea:
1952-1953 |
A collection of approximately 250 pictures from the Korean War,
focusing on US Military. |
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Korea: The Land of the Morning Calm |
Korea: The Land of the Morning Calm offers articles, pictures,
and videos describing military service and involvement in Korea
both past and present. Articles give students a framework for
military service by U.S. soldiers in South Korea. Photographs
and videos pertain mainly to current operations in Korea,
notably the repatriation of U.S. soldiers whose remains were
found in North Korea. Easy-to-read maps of North Korea, South
Korea, and the DMZ are provided by the U.S. Central Intelligence
Agency (source: Organization of American Historians) |
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Korea: The Unfinished War |
Korea: The Unfinished War examines the "forgotten war" that
almost led to World War III. When communist troops of North
Korea crossed the 38th parallel on June 25, 1950, the U.S. and
later the U.N. joined forces with South Korea to stop the
invasion. The Soviet Union and China supported North Korea in
the three-year war, which claimed 54,246 American lives. This
website offers a radio documentary, interviews with veterans and
historians, and information about integrating the military.
(Minnesota Public Radio and American RadioWorks, National
Endowment for the Humanities). |
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Korean War 50th
Anniversary |
Designed by the United States Army, this page provides a history
of the Korean War, including biographies with pictures of key
figures in the war, maps, a chronology, and a comprehensive
glossary. The glossary is particularly helpful for those who are
not familiar with military terms. Fact sheets detail particular
aspects of the war, such as psychological warfare and
minorities' involvement in the military. The main page provides
links to an image gallery, a list of Medal of Honor recipients,
and the schedule of events commemorating the war for the next
several years (source: Organization of American Historians). |
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Korean War
Maps |
An exceptional collection of Korean War maps, available on PDF.
The story of the war is told through these maps from the Korean
War Project. |
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Korean War
Photos |
A collection of photos, largely dealing with American forces,
from the Korean War. |
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