Incorporating 20th Century US Environmental History in the 6-12 Classroom
This guide consists of curated primary and secondary sources to help students connect environmental history to broader themes in twentieth century US history.
Immigration from Asia Post-1970: A Guide for Pre-Service Teachers
Help students understand recent immigration history by exploring photographs of Asian immigrant communities in the U.S.
Statistics in Schools
Analyze data from the U.S. Census Bureau in the social studies classroom.
100 Years of Parcels, Packages, and Packets, Oh My!
In the age of Amazon, take students back to a time when delivery in the U.S. was still developing.
Prohibition: A Film by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick
What did the effects of the 18th Amendment look like? Explore 1921 through 1933 through images and film.
The Montgomery Bus Boycott: They Changed the World
How was the 1955–1956 Montgomery Bus Boycott covered in Montgomery? Take a look with this archive from a Montgomery newspaper!
Children's Lives at Colonial London Town
Invite young students into colonial history with the stories of children from three very different families.
Transportation: Past, Present and Future
What pushes and pulls people into new ways of life? In this lesson, students use artifacts, documents, and photographs to help them answer this question.
Clio Visualizing History
This site offers a grab bag of digital history exhibits. Definitely worth perusal.
Digital Resource Guide for the Labor Archives of Washington State
Making labor history access less of a chore.
Guampedia
Guam is often left out of discussions of U.S. history. Remedy the situation!
e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia
There’s far more to West Virginia than stereotypes suggest. Why not take some time to explore the state?
Puerto Rico Encyclopedia/Enciclopedia de Puerto Rico
Connect with your ELL students with this bilingual Puerto Rico Encyclopedia!
Slave Badges
Slave badges were used in Charleston to keep track of slaves. Can you build a lesson for 4th graders around them?
Film Review: The Aviator
Historical films like The Aviator sacrifice historical context to create character portraits, says historian David Courtwright.
Gilded Age Plains City
Delve into Great Plains urban development c. 1900 by way of a compelling, unsolved murder mystery.
Bland County History Archives
Looking for proof that students can handle extensive local history projects? You’ve found it.
Texas Archive of the Moving Image
Watch some Texas history, submit your own, or learn to make local documentaries.
William Steinway Diary, 1861-1896
Daily life in 19th-century New York City, music history, and Civil War commentary all in one place.
An Ear for the Past: The National Jukebox
Catchy primary sources? You bet! With the Library of Congress’s National Jukebox, get your students humming history.
Tax Rates of the Mid-20th Century
Is it April 15 already? Discussing the recent past in context.
Innovation and Technology in the 19th Century
Of all the discoveries and developments that occurred in the 19th century, two proved to be the main force behind the development of the New Age.
The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself
What we know and what we don’t about the origin of the famous line in Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address.
Taxation to Revolution
It was reasoned that no colonists could fear an act that made them drink cheaper tea.
Intertwined Development: Railroads and Political Parties
The influence of the booming rail system on the growth and development of three political parties in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Trade Routes and Emerging Colonial Economies
The direct and indirect impacts of various trade routes during the 16th through 19th centuries.
Mystery Strategy for Elementary Students
Using the premise of a mystery, elementary students act as history detectives as they explore a historical question and formulate and test hypotheses.
Fine Line Between Thief and Entrepreneur
Explore the fine line between Captains of Industry and Robber Barons and how the terms has evolved over time.
Paradise in a Breakfast Bowl
A morning meditation on flakes: Do your morals and values help you decide which cereal to eat in the morning?
Back to the Future . . .
In the year 1900, what did Americans think the next century would bring?
The Ice Cream Wars
Was there conflict in the past over one of our favorite summer treats?
The Cost of Industrialization
Use the Triangle Shirtwaist fire to examine the benefits and costs of industrialization.
Fashion Maven
Do you have your mother’s—and her mother’s—fashion sense?
United We Stand: Industry and Famous Strikes
Stand up (or sit down) for better working conditions! Test your knowledge of strikes in U.S. history.
Yo, Ho, Ho and a . . . Bushel of Oysters?
Shellfish pirates stole from the rich to feed themselves—and make a little money on the side.
Stumbling Down the Road to Health
It seemed like a good idea at the time . . . which “healthful” ingredients and inventions that had unintended consequences?
When Whales Lit the World
Up to the 20th century, whalers provided oil for the industrial revolution. How much do you know about these iron men and wooden ships?
The Auto Industry Goes to War
Domestic automotive manufacturing took a back seat to military transport needs in World War II.
Building the Erie Canal
Cutting through New York from the ocean to the Great Lakes, the Erie Canal changed lives.
The Progressive Era
Explore the ins and outs of turn-of-the-century labor law, business, housing, and immigration.
Tips to Trappers
What do Sears Roebuck, farming, advertising, furs, and rural America have in common?
Bubbles, Panics, and Crashes: A Century of Financial Crises, 1830s-1930s
Do your students think the Great Depression was the only previous slump in the U.S. economy?
Missouri Digital Heritage
Missouri teachers looking for primary sources, look no further. Explore this portal for resources from libraries, universities, archives, and heritage sites throughout the state.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Is your grandfather more likely to be working now than he would have been in 1970?
Small Business Association
What is the FAR? Looking for copies of small business laws? Well, you have come to the right place.
Early American Newspapers: Series 1, 1690-1876
17th- through 19th-century newspaper articles from 23 states and DC.
Russian Ships at Pearl Harbor?
Playing the game of alternative history—do what-ifs and if-onlys have a place in historical inquiry?
Peace Corps
Explore world and U.S. history simultaneously through universal development issues.
Daily Objects, 19th-century America
With the advent of industry and western expansion, U.S. businesses mass produced dreams of affluence and progress.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of South Carolina
A collection of maps detailing over 80 South Carolina towns and cities.
Integrated Public Use Microdata Series
View 22 census data samples and 65 million records from 13 federal censuses.
Wet With Blood: The Investigation of Mary Todd Lincoln's Cloak
Explore the archives of the Chicago Historical Society to learn about Lincoln’s assassination through objects.
Hagley Digital Archives
Focused on business history, this gateway site connects businesses to greater cultural and social trends.
Inside an American Factory: Films of the Westinghouse Works, 1904
A collection of resources pertaining to the Westinghouse Works company, including films and articles.
Directory of Corporate Archives in the United States and Canada
Interested in researching business history? You may want to contact an archivist.
Photographer to the World-The Detroit Publishing Company
When travel wasn’t an easy option what views did people have of other places?
National Postal Museum
The mail always comes, rain or shine; but how?
Harvesting the River
Explore river life—with a particular focus on food harvesting.
Selected Historical Decennial Census Population and Housing Counts
What questions have past censuses posed? What were the results?
Worthington Memory, Online Scrapbook
Explore the history and development of a small town. The online scrapbook provides an uncanny lens into town life.
Working in Paterson: Occupational Heritage in an Urban Setting
How does an industrial past shape current work and play? How does it affect what professions still exist in cities?
July 1942: United We Stand
See how the federal government promoted nationalism in a widespread media movement.
Emile Berliner and the Birth of the Recording Industry
Listen to the recordings of the creator of the microphone and gramophone player.
WPA Life Histories, Virginia Interviews
Explore Depression-era, ex-slave, and urban youth life stories.
Meeting of Frontiers
How does the settling of the Siberian frontier compare to that of the U.S. West?
World War I History Commission Questionnaires
How did World War I change soldiers’ attitudes, religious beliefs, and employment prospects?
1939 World's Fair Photograph Collection
What images does a state choose to describe its way of life to the nation?
The Commercial Closet
How have GLBT lifestyles been portrayed and used by the commercial media?
Economic Data, Fred II
Get your historical national economical statistics right here.
Voices of the Colorado Plateau
There’s more to the West than cowboys.
Industrial Research and Development Information System
Ever curious about the nexus between R&D and economics?
History Through Deaf Eyes
What has the U.S. deaf population experienced?
Library of American Broadcasting Sound Bites
From dog food to automobiles—advertisers on the airwaves.
Department of Transportation: Digital Special Collections
Read up on early 20th-century train and airplane accidents, among other transportation topics.
HistoryWired: A Few of Our Favorite Things
What American history items do Smithsonian curators like best?
Phillip Morris Advertising Archive
What tactics has the tobacco industry used to sell smoking to the populace?
AdFlip
Nostalgic for X-ray glasses advertisements?
Traders: Voices from the Trading Post
Listen as traders talk about their experiences at Native American trading posts.
Democratic Vistas: The William Clyde DeVane Lecture Series
Look to the past to consider the prospects of democracy in the U.S.
Regional Oral History Office
Explore California oral histories, or learn to conduct your own interviews.
Photographs of the American West, 1861-1912
Imagine life on the western frontier.
A Maritime Perspective on American Expansion, 1820-1890
We all know the role of the wagon in westward expansion, but what of ships?
NBER Macrohistory Database
Looking for historical economics statistics? The NBER Macrohistory Database should be a central resource for you.
Hall of Black Achievement Gallery
Meet 30 influential African Americans who contributed across a wide variety of fields.
A Southern Mill Village: History of Old West Durham
Follow the development of a mill town from its birth to its current status.
Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History
Right this way for Seattle and Washington state history resources.
FDIC Historical Studies
What do you know about the 1980s Savings and Loan crisis?
19th Century Advertising, Harper's Weekly
Can I interest you in a metallic artificial leg?
Railroad Maps, 1828-1900
View maps created for a multitude of purposes related to travel by rail.
Florida Heritage Collection
Explore Florida state, regional, and local history.
Toledo's Attic: A Virtual Museum of Toledo, Ohio
Explore Toledo, Ohio’s entertainment, technological, business, and political history.
Great Lakes Maritime History Project
Delve into Wisconsin’s maritime history. Discover the multiple ways in which water shaped the history of the state.
Earliest Voices: A Gallery from the Vincent Voice Library
Hear the conviction and charisma of seven renowned turn-of-the-century speakers.
National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
More than 50 virtual exhibits ranging from Julia Child to West Point.
WTO History Project
Take a peek at Seattle protest history through the WTO Ministerial Week.
Harrisburg's Old 8th Ward
Visit the businesses and meet the people of Harrisonburg, PA’s 8th Ward.
Alexander Hamilton: The Man Who Made Modern America
How much do you know about the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury?
Washington History
Make this your first stop for topics related to Washington state history!
Milwaukee Neighborhoods: Photos and Maps, 1885-1992
Take a visual journey through the development of Milwaukee, WI.
Women Working, 1800-1930
What did women think of their work at home, in the arts, and in business?
The New Georgia Encyclopedia
Need a comprehensive site on Georgia history? Why, here you go!
American Memory Learning Page
Try lesson plans based on the Library of Congress’ American Memory collections.
TUPPERWARE!
Have you ever heard of a Tupperware party? Find out more about the household brand.
Federal Trade Commission
Keeping businesses on the straight and narrow. Discover more about the Federal Trade Commission.
Creative Memo on Lay's Products
Potato chip marketing—how a luxury item became an everyday U.S. food.
History: The National Park Service
Visit this website to learn the history of many of the 384 areas under the stewardship of the National Park Service.
Washington As It Was: Photographs by Theodor Horydczak, 1923-1959
Early 20th century Washington is captured in this collection of 14,350 photographs by Theodor Horydczak.
Photographs from the Fred Hulstrand and F. A. Pazandak Photograph Collections
Witness farming at the turn of the 20th century with this collection of photographs.
Architecture and Interior Design for America: 1935-1955
Explore early 20th century architecture and interior design with this expansive photo gallery.
Posters: American Style
Explore 20th century American poster art, from advertisements to patriotic propaganda.
The American 1890s
Explore a unique website dedicated to American history during the 1890s.
Alaska's Digital Archive
View images related to Alaskan statehood and Native Americans.
Lest We Forget: The Triumph Over Slavery
Explore slavery in America from nine thematic perspectives.
NASA History Division
Ever wonder what lunar surface crew members and mission control said to each other?
Sanborn® Fire Insurance Maps for Georgia Towns and Cities, 1884-1922
More than 540 urban maps of Georgia from between 1884 and 1922, detailing business locations.
Wisconsin Local History and Biography Articles Collection
Search Wisconsin newspapers mainly from 1860 through 1940.
Seattle Power and Water Supply Collection
Take a gander at Washington state hydroelectric engineering feats of the 1890s through 1950s.
The History Box
Have a question about New York City or state history? More than 750 articles available.
Bound for Glory: America in Color, 1939-1943
View color photographs of everyday life during the Great Depression and pre-World War II mobilization.
Illinois Digital Archives
Primary sources on Illinois history with an emphasis on residential and commercial architecture.
Historic Pittsburgh
Acquaint yourself with Pittsburgh history through full texts, images, maps, census data, and lesson plans.
Portal to Texas History
Texas educators, looking for primary resources on state history? Search this portal for thousands of images and documents drawn from Texas-based archival collections.
Las Vegas: An Unconventional History
Why is Las Vegas one of the world’s most popular destinations? How has it changed?
U.S. Census Bureau
The U.S. Census counts everyone! It creates a current image of the nation with its diversity and class variations.
New Jersey Public Records and Archives
Familiarize yourself with New Jersey history using images, maps, and official documents.
Teaching Future Historians: U.S. History Lesson Plans Using Primary Documents
A diverse array of Antebellum, Civil War, and Gilded Age lesson plans for your convenience.
Illinois During the Gilded Age
Listen to, read, and sing sources from the Gilded Age canvassing women, religion, and more.
Silicon Valley History Online
Silicone Valley is known as a high-tech industry center, but has it always been?
Virtual Museum and Archive of the SEC and Securities History
If you want to understand big business, it would be wise to examine the SEC’s history.
McVicar/Stein Photo Copy Service Collection
Imagine life in Madison, WI, between 1920 and 1970.
Western History Photography Collection
How does your view of the American West compare to the visual reality?
Turning Points in Wisconsin History
Primary documents, background information, and lesson plans for Wisconsin history.
Encyclopedia of Chicago, Historical Sources
Imagine your life in 19th and 20th-century Chicago with this extensive collection of images.
Harlem History
Explore the politics, neighborhoods, culture, and arts of Harlem.
Historic Missouri Newspaper Project
Peruse articles, images, and advertisements drawn from 14 Missouri newspapers, 1835 through 1988.
Thar's Gold in Them Thar Hills: Gold and Gold Mining in Georgia, 1830s-1940s
Gold mining, though often portrayed as lawless, was, in some cases, big business.
Automobile in American Life and Society
Enter the world of automotive history through oral histories and scholarly essays.
LexisNexis
Search news articles, court cases, journals, broadcast transmissions, polls, data compilations, magazine articles, and more.
The Blues, Black Vaudeville, and the Silver Screen, 1912-1930s
How was the community support for and operation of Southern African American theaters?
StoryCorps
Connect 20th-century events and daily life with real human experiences through oral history audio files.
Manufacturers' Catalogs from the First Decade of American Automobiles
Curious about early cars? View more than 800 automobile manufacturer catalog images from 1909.
Madison: Celebrating 150 Years
Learn about Madison, WI, from early settlement through its time as the “queen of bootleggers.”
American Broadsides and Ephemera, Series I, 1760-1900
Explore American life through advertisements, literature, poetry, Civil War envelopes, and more!
Travel, Tourism, and Urban Growth in Greater Miami: A Digital Archive
Interested in the history of tourism? This site examines the topic within Miami, FL.
Atlanta in the Civil Rights Movement
What was Atlanta’s role in the larger African American civil rights movement 1940 through 1970?
Historical Agency in History Book Sets (HBS)
Looking for ways to use fiction in your elementary history curriculum? Read on for suggestions!
Home Sales During the Great Depression
Building an edifice of statistics—where can you learn about the real estate market during the Depression?
Why Was the Boston Tea Party Not Stopped by British Troops?
To some extent, the Boston Tea Party was the result of unintended consequences.
Prosperity and Thrift: Coolidge Era and the Consumer Economy
An array of primary sources follows the rise of the consumer economy under Coolidge.
Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research
Social science data offered to member colleges and universities here covers a range of sociological and political areas.
Emergence of Advertising in America: 1850-1920
Follow the rise of professional advertising with these advertising items and publications from 1850 to 1920.
Centennial Exhibition, Philadelphia 1876
Primary sources from Philadelphia’s 1876 Centennial Exhibition provide a view of the U.S.’s industrial development.
Performing Arts in America, 1875-1923
Browse primary sources reflecting the performing arts of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
History of the American West, 1860-1920
More than 30,000 photographs capture life in Colorado from 1860 to 1920.
African-American Perspectives: Pamphlets from 1818-1907
Pamphlets and documents from 1875 to 1900 highlight African American leaders and organizations.
Voices from the Dust Bowl: 1940-1941
Great Depression documentation of migrant work camps in central California.
Samuel J. May Anti-Slavery Collection
With over 300,000 pages available for full-text searching, this is one of the richest collections of anti-slavery and Civil War materials in the world.
Oral History Digital Collection
In full-text narratives, more than 2,000 people from northeast Ohio discuss issues significant to the state and the nation.
Nineteenth-century California Sheet Music
Scanned images from more than 2,700 pieces of sheet music provide insight into life in 1852–1900 California.
Child Labor in America, 1908-1912: Photographs of Lewis W. Hine
Sixty-four photographs taken by Lewis W. Hine between 1908 and 1912 document child labor conditions.
Alcohol, Temperance, and Prohibition
More than 1,800 primary sources provide a window into the Temperance Movement and Prohibition.
The Tax History Project
Follows the history of American taxation through a collection of primary and secondary sources.
Slaves and the Courts, 1740-1860
Delve into the complex history of slavery and the law with this collection of primary sources.
Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) Photographs
Close to 200 photographs document the work of Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA).
Business Plan Archive
Through this collection of business plans and planning information, track the beginning of the “Dot Com Era.”
Bureau of Economic Analysis
Follow historical trends in national, international, and regional economic activity using the Bureau’s data.
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
A variety of primary sources and background essays explore the 1911 fire, a hallmark tragedy of the industrial age.
SIRIS Image Gallery
Access close to 140,000 images from the Smithsonian Institution.
Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project
Browse and listen to cylinder recordings, the first commercially produced sound recordings.
Anti-Saloon League, 1893-1933
Printed materials preserve the public campaigns of the Anti-Saloon League from 1893 to 1933.
American Variety Stage: Vaudeville and Popular Entertainment, 1870-1920
Follows the development of popular entertainment forms from the 1870s to the 1920s, through playscripts, playbills, and media clips.
Touring Turn-of-the-Century America
This database of images literally offers snapshots of late 19th to early 20th century America.
Territorial Kansas Online
Primary and secondary sources examine the growing divisions in Kansas and the nation prior to the Civil War.
Taking the Long View: Panoramic Photographs, 1851-1991
Displays nearly 4,000 panoramic photographs of cityscapes, landscapes, and group portraits.
Readex Digital Collections
This site offers a cornucopia of documents spanning four centuries of American history.
Kentuckiana Digital Library
Collects photographs, texts, and oral histories drawn from 15 Kentucky colleges, universities, libraries, and historical societies.
Core Historical Literature of Agriculture
Searchable facsimiles of 1,850 monographs and 288 journal volumes related to agriculture in the U.S. between 1806 and 1989.
Center for Archaeological Studies
Showcases archaeological excavations at Mobile and elsewhere in Alabama through images and exhibits.
Africans in America
Trace the history of Africans in America through Reconstruction, with 245 images, maps, and documents.
Flint Sit-Down Strike
Provides a multimedia introduction to “the greatest strike in American history.”
America at Work, America at Leisure: Motion Pictures from 1894-1915
Collects 150 1894–1915 motion pictures on work, school, and leisure activities.
Marchand Archive
Memorializes Roland Marchand with more than 6,100 images, including more than 2,000 advertisements, and 48 lesson plans drawn from his collection.
Florida State Archives Photographic Collection
Presents more than 137,000 photographs of Florida on specific localities from the mid-19th century to the present.
Selling the Computer Revolution: Marketing Brochures in the Collection
Presents more than 250 computer marketing brochures from 1948 to 1988.
Making the Macintosh: Technology and Culture in Silicon Valley
Preserves the history of the Macintosh through interviews with designers, technical writers, Apple employees, and others.
Legacy Tobacco Documents Library
Houses more than 40 million pages from more than seven million tobacco industry documents.
Fifty Years of Coca-Cola Television Advertisements
Archives 50 Coca-Cola commercials, broadcast outtakes, and experimental footage.
Historic Government Publications from World War II: A Digital Library
Includes more than 300 U.S. government pamphlets and books on home front issues from World War II.
Disability History Museum
Explore the experiences of those with disabilities through documents and images dating from the 18th century to the present.
Photographs from the Chicago Daily News: 1902-1933
Presents more than 55,000 Chicago Daily News photographs taken in the early 20th century.
Chinese in California, 1850-1925
Browse more than 8,000 objects related to Chinese immigrant life in California.
1896: The Presidential Campaign
Follow the contentious election of 1896 with close to 100 political cartoons related to the presidential campaigns.
Like a Family: The Making of a Southern Cotton Mill World
Offers oral history resources examining life in southern textile mill towns from the 1880s to the 1930s.
Inventing Entertainment: The Early Innovations of the Edison Companies
Early motion pictures, sound recordings, and related materials document Thomas Edison’s impact on the history of American entertainment.
Ad*Access
Archives more than 7,000 newspaper and magazine advertisements printed in the U.S. from 1911 to 1955.
Thomas A. Edison Papers
A vast database of Thomas Edison’s papers, including correspondence, technical drawings, and clippings about the inventor.
American Leaders Speak: Recordings from World War I and the 1920 Election
Access 59 sound recordings of 1918-1920 speeches by American leaders.
Daguerreotype Portraits and Views, 1839-1864
Examples of early photographs preserve the likenesses of cities, famous figures, and other subjects.
Online Archive of California
Explore California from Japanese American internment or the Free Speech Movement to oral histories.
Internet Moving Images Archive
Reproduces a privately held collection of American ephemeral films produced between 1927 and 1987.
The Great Depression to World War II: Photos from the FSA-OWI
Explore this database of over 150,000 photographs that capture the true nature of this crisis and its solutions.
Geography of Slavery in America
Provides transcriptions and images of more than 4,000 newspaper advertisements for runaway slaves and indentured servants between 1736 and 1803.
Atlantic Slave Trade and Slave Life in the Americas: A Visual Record
Showcases more than 1,230 images depicting the enslavement of Africans, the Atlantic Slave Trade, and slave life in the New World.