Populism and the Election of 1896
Why did the Populist Party attract millions of supporters? (from Stanford History Education Group)
10: Industrializing Society
The Gilded Age | Stanford History Education Group
The Gilded Age unit brings awareness to the turbulant changes that characterized the end of the nineteenth century. Students investigate the rise and fall of the Populist movement, the textbook's account of the Battle of Little Bighorn, the lead-up to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and the historic labor clashes surrounding Homestead, Haymarket, and Pullman. Three lessons--Populism and the Election of 1896, the Homestead Strike, and the Pullman Strike--help students develop the skill of close reading as they carefully go rthough documents and interpret the author's rhetorical choices.
Immigration in the Gilded Age: Using Photographs as Primary Sources
How successful were photographs in demonstrating the conditions of immigrants during the Gilded Age? (from Gilder Lehrman)
Labor Unions and Working Conditions: United We Stand - (Library of Congress)
Think about your work environment...are you allowed to rest periodically? Do you earn a decent wage? Can you voice your concerns without losing your job? There was a time when workers in the United States did not have basic rights such as a minimum wage or time for a break.
Work with primary source documents from American Memory to study the working conditions of U.S. laborers at the turn of the century. Answer the question, "Was there a need for organized labor unions?"
The Immigrant Experience: Down the Rabbit Hole - (Library of Congress)
In this lesson, students will use class discussions of students' experiences, the first-hand accounts of immigrants, and other primary source documents and images from the collections of the Library of Congress to uncover the common themes of the immigrant experience.
America at the Centennial - (Library of Congress)
This lesson uses images and texts selected from the digital collections of the Library of Congress to engage students in studying the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876. Its central topic is the question of what items and images of the Exposition said about America. Students examine other images from the era to see the Exposition in the context of its time, and work as historians using primary source images and documents to construct museum exhibits on the issues of the Centennial Era.
Thomas Edison, Electricity, and America - (Library of Congress)
Using documents from the Library of Congress, students investigate electrification as both a technological and social process. A focus of the student's investigation is Thomas Edison.
The Industrial Age in America: Sweatshops, Steel Mills, and Factories | EDSITEment
The Haymarket Affair, Homestead Strike and Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire
Has Industrialization Produced More Benefits or More Problems for the Nation?
Four page homework assignment with background, directions, readings and questions. Excerpts from Carnegie's Gospel of Wealth compared with Henry George.
Ludlow: One hundred years of silence | The Colorado Independent
The personal side of the Ludlow massacre, best used by teachers as a way to tell of the impact of history on one family.
The Ludlow Massacre Still Matters : The New Yorker
New Yorker article explains the significance of the 1914 attack by the Colorado National Guard on striking mine workers and their families. More than two dozen (including women and children) were killed. Teachers wanted to touch on the ignored labor movement in American history can use this to expose the other side of capitalism.
A Company Town Faces Starvation during the Pullman Strike
When wage cuts prompted Pullman workers to strike in May 1894, out-of-work employees and their families faced starvation. This series of letters documents Pullman citizens' desperate appeals to the Governor of Illinois, John P. Altgeld, and Altgeld's unheeded request that Pullman himself help to alleviate the situation.
Thomas Nast, Milk Tickets for Babies, 1876
This could be used for a quick lesson intro or "do now". Michael O'Malley explains how Thomas Nast's 1876 political cartoon lampooning paper money provides an opportunity for students to explore public debate about economic transformations during the Gilded Age.
Irish Immigrant Stereotypes and American Racism
In this essay, Kevin Kenny examines a British political cartoon to raise questions about the transatlantic nature of anti-Irish prejudice and its relationship to the history of racism in America.
Two Photos, Many Stories
Historian William Friedheim uses before and after photographs of Lakota students taken at the Carlisle Indian School to raise issues about Native American identity and assimilation, and demonstrates how examining photographs as primary documents, combined with additional primary sources, shows students how use of evidence creates historical meaning.
10 Things People Once Complained Would Ruin The English Language
Helpful for any discussion related to language, but especially for the student who raise the threat to the English language. Well yes, this works in conversations with adults as well - but the information is linked and cited.
http://www.shsu.edu/his_rtc/2014_FALL/Wizard_of_Oz_Littlefield.pdf
Littlefield started the modern inquiry into the Wizard of Oz as a parable of populism with this article in 1964. Teachers considering the allegory as a vehicle to have students explore populism could consider this article or excerpts from it.
Wizard of Oz (populism allegory) Slide Presentation
Using this as the basis for instruction would be a crime. It would be much better for teachers to use this as source material themselves and allow students to find these correlations for themselves.
The Populists - Wizard of Oz lesson
Another take on the Parable of Populism Wizard of OZ lesson.
The synchronicity of 'The Wizard of Oz' and Pink Floyd's 'Dark side of the Moon' - YouTube
This video includes time markers and text details that explain many of the correlations that have been found between Pink Floyd's 1973 Album "Dark Side of the Moon" and the MGM's 1939 Wizard of Oz. Use clips from this videos to introduce student to the concept that The Wizard of Oz could mean more than we think. After they argue about the correlations for a minute or two - introduce the alternate interpretation that links the story to the Politics of the Gilded Age
Patent US266358 - Henry goebel - Google Patents
The teaching of inventors would be interesting if it weren't so sad - how many students lose points by not acknowledging Thomas Edison as the inventor of the light bulb. Look at this patent (the pdf version) and you'll see that Henry Goebel patented a light bulb in 1882. This patent was later purchased by Thomas Edison.
Topic: People, The Gilded and the Gritty: America, 1870-1912, Primary Resources in U.S. History and Literature, Toolbox Library, National Humanities Center
Topic Framing Questions • How was the American cultural mainstream defined at this time? • What messages and strategies of socialization did the government and other culture brokers extend to immigrants, African Americans, and Native Americans during this period? • What benefits and costs for these groups were associated with a strategy of assimilation? • How did the city function as a site of assimilation?
Topic: Progress, The Gilded and the Gritty: America, 1870-1912, Primary Resources in U.S. History and Literature, Toolbox Library, National Humanities Center
Topic Framing Questions • How did Americans of this period define progress? • What did progress mean to them?
Angel Island Immigrant Journeys Curriculum Guide
For Grades 3 through 12 - lessons, student worksheets, primary source documents from the National Archives, historical photographs, and list of resources to introduce students to the experience of immigrants on Angel Island.
Time travel - Isochronic Map shows travel time from London worldwide in 1914
Maps show much more than location - isochronic maps show travel times. This 1914 map can be compared to other isochronic maps to see how changes in transportation technology drive change in history.
Thomas Nast known for Boss Tweed & Santa
Mary Elizabeth Lease: Populist Reformer | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Short biography of Mary Lease for teachers who may consider her as vehicle for instruction. She provides some of the best language for populist opinion.
Proud To Be - YouTube
This two minute video from the National Congress of American Indians sends a powerful message about the use of ethnic slurs as professional sports team mascots. Teacher choosing to use this as a debate topic could introduce the topic to students with this video.
100 Years of Oz A Century of Classic Images From the Wizard of Oz Collection of Willard Carroll by John Fricke Photographed by Richard
This article in Public Relations Quarterly explains how the Wizard of Oz can be seen as political allegory, conceptualizing the Scarecrow as farmers, the Tin Man as industrial workers, the Lion as William Jennings Bryan and Dorothy as the American people. Quotes from the book explained in this articles can be shared with students - see if they can see the allegory.
The Stalking of the President | History | Smithsonian
A concise article describing the assassination of James Garfield, a narrative almost exclusively ignored by US History survey courses, textbooks and curricula.