Handout
History of American Wars

History of American Wars: Mexican American Culture Differences

For Students 9th - 10th
Describes the structure of Mexican society in the 19th century and the cultural clashes that resulted in their dealings with Americans in Texas.
Website
Purdue University

Woman Artists of the American West: Women in Photography

For Students 9th - 10th
A site by Peter Palmquist on Women photographers and the American Indian. There are biographies and images from thirteen women who were active during the latter part of the 19th century.
Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian American Art Museum: Letters From Frontier: Primary Documents

For Teachers 9th - 10th
George Catlin made extensive observations on the various native peoples that he encountered on his travels in the West. He recorded his experiences in letters and notes. These documents provide us with critical information on the culture...
Primary
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Cult of Domesticity: Fanny Fern: Fern Leaves From Fanny's Portfolio

For Students 9th - 10th
Short periodical pieces that examine the complex and challenging roles that women found thrust upon them in mid-nineteenth century American culture. Discussion questions are provided.
Article
PBS

Frontier House: The Extermination of the American Buffalo

For Students 9th - 10th
The reign of the buffalo across the plains ended in great slaughter by the end of the 19th century. This companion essay to the PBS series, Frontier House, recounts how the decimation of the buffalo occurred, hastened by both white and...
Article
NPR: National Public Radio

Npr: Who Were the Cowboys Behind 'Cowboy Songs'?

For Students 9th - 10th
This article and audio report [9:05] covers the origins of American cowboy folk songs. Uses popups. Also includes a brief video clip of a 19th century folk song being performed.
Unit Plan
The Newberry Library

Newberry Library: Chicago Workers During the Long Gilded Age

For Students 9th - 10th
Learning module in which students use primary source material to examine the plight of workers in Chicago during the 19th and 20th Centuries, their efforts to make changes to working conditions and public response to those efforts.