Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Origins of American Animation

For Students 9th - 10th
An amazing collection of 21 animated films which spans the years 1900 to 1921. The films include clay, puppet, cut-out animation, as well as pen drawings, and early silent films.
Website
American Movie Classics Company

The Greatest Films: Greatest Silent Films

For Students 9th - 10th
Discusses the early silent film industry. Also, includes links to related information.
Article
A&E Television

History.com: Fatty Arbuckle and the Birth of the Celebrity Scandal

For Students 9th - 10th
This New Yorker article discusses Fatty Arbuckle, a silent-film era performer at the height of his fame, is arrested in San Francisco for the rape and murder of aspiring actress Virginia Rappe. Arbuckle was later acquitted by a jury, but...
Website
University of California

Ucla Library: Film and Television Archive: Preserved Silent Animation

For Students 9th - 10th
View a selection of animated films from the early 1900s, each with corresponding notes and commentaries from the archive's historian and preservationist.
Handout
Other

The British Film Institute: Charlie Chaplin

For Students 9th - 10th
A wonderful celebration of the life and work of film great Charlie Chaplin. Fantastic resources including a biography as well as current global projects to restore his films.
Primary
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: America in Class: America in the 1920s: Machine: Movies

For Students 9th - 10th
The National Humanities Center presents collections of primary resources compatible with the Common Core State Standards - historical documents, literary texts, and works of art - thematically organized with notes and discussion...
Website
American Movie Classics Company

The Film Site: Film History Before 1920

For Students 9th - 10th
A storehouse of information about early film history, which discusses the development of the science and art behind motion picture technologies. Also looks at the how films were exhibited, the first feature-length films, early stars, fan...
Website
American Movie Classics Company

The Film Site: The History of Film: The 1920's

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource provides information about the history of film.
Primary
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: America in Class: America in the 1920s: Machine: Automobile

For Students 9th - 10th
The National Humanities Center presents collections of primary resources compatible with the Common Core State Standards - historical documents, literary texts, and works of art - thematically organized with notes and discussion...
Handout
Other

Something About Mary Pickford

For Students 9th - 10th
This article is about the life and career of Mary Pickford, a Canadian-born actress who gained fame as a silent film star in Hollywood.
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Oscar Micheaux

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Oscar Micheaux, a prolific African American producer and director who made films independently of the Hollywood film industry from the silent era until 1948.