This lecture, created by the Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project, traces the economic development of Illinois from the beginning of the 19th century to the mid-1800s. It focuses particularly on the development of infrastructure, from steamboat lines to canals to railroads.
Smithsonian National Museum of American History curators share secrets of how they develop the individual stories presented in exhibitions such as "America on the Move." They then help students who are creating their own family stories by analyzing objects, documents, and other resources. This presentation continues from the presentation "America on the Move, Part One: Migrations, Immigrations, and How We Got Here."
To view this electronic field trip, select "America on the Move, Part Two: Creating Stories" under the heading "Electronic Field Trips."
Michael F. Holt of the University of Virginia looks at the development of a second two-party political system in antebellum U.S. and the role the system played in balancing and unifying the nation. Holt also looks at the dissolution of this second system through loss of public faith in the Democratic and Whig parties as they stood and in the development of the Republican and Know Nothing parties in response to new social forces (such as immigration and the rise of Roman Catholicism).
To view this clip, select "The Second Party System in American Politics" under "Political Development Video."
Kathryn Kish Sklar of SUNY-Binghamton discusses the immigration of Germans and Irish to the U.S. during the antebellum period, to serve as members of the working class. Sklar considers immigrant labor as supporting the development of the new middle class, and also looks at the changing role of women in immigrant families.
To view this clip, select "Women's Changing Roles in Immigrant Families" under "Economic Development and Labor Video."
Professor Jon Gjerde looks at how the concepts of democracy and citizenship have changed over the course of U.S. history. He focuses particularly on how these concepts have affected and reacted to immigrants and immigration throughout that history.
The Holland Museum features permanent exhibits on Holland's history "from settlement to city" and over 400 years of Dutch history in its Dutch Galleries. The Archives and Research Library, in the same building, houses the museum's collection of books, papers, and photographs related to Holland's history. Four Dutch art galleries exhibit a collection of 17th- to 19th-century paintings and decorative arts.
The museum offers educational tours for all grade levels, teaching resources for rent, research library access, and occasional recreational and educational events.
The museum shares the experience of Americans of Japanese ancestry. Through its comprehensive collection of Japanese American objects, images, and documents, as well as multifaceted exhibitions, educational programs, documentaries, and publications, the National Museum shares the Japanese American story with a national and international audience.
The museum offers exhibits, tours, research library access, educational programs, and recreational and educational events.
The Sam Azeez Museum of Woodbine Heritage was created to remember and record Woodbine's past while also actively collecting the materials to preserve its continuing heritage. It is a destination for visitors and a local resource for the entire Woodbine community so that they may continue to use the Woodbine Brotherhood Synagogue building as a place to come together. Built by the early Woodbine colonists, the synagogue is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The sanctuary has been restored and is available for special worship services. The lower level, Brotherhood Hall, houses the museum's permanent and temporary exhibitions. Also included is a community sculpture, the Collective Memory Wall, where the Woodbine community has contributed personal memories of Woodbine.
The museum offers exhibits and occasional recreational and educational events.
A Chinese shrimp-fishing village thrived on this site in the 1880s. Nearly 500 people, originally from Canton, China, lived in the village. In its heyday, there were three general stores, a marine supply store, and a barber shop. Fisherman by trade in their native country, they gravitated to the work they knew best. Over 90% of the shrimp they netted were dried and shipped to China or Chinese communities throughout the U.S. Visitors can see China Camp Village and walk through the house museum describing early Chinese settlement.
The park offers exhibits, tours, and occasional recreational and educational events.
In the middle of San Francisco Bay sits Angel Island State Park. Three thousand years ago, the island was a fishing and hunting site for Coastal Miwok Indians. It was later a haven for Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala, a cattle ranch, and a U.S. Army post. From 1910 to 1940, the island processed hundreds of thousands of immigrants, the majority from China. During World War II, Japanese and German POWs were held on the island, which was also used as a jumping-off point for American soldiers returning from the Pacific. In the '50s and '60s, the island was home to a Nike missile base.
The site offers tours, exhibits, and educational and recreational programs and events, and works in coordination with the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, listed above, for educational programs focusing on the immigration history of the island.