Library of Congress
Loc: Performing Arts Encyclopedia: Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Did you know that the song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is over one hundred years old? Find out why this song has enjoyed lasting popularity. Includes an image of the artwork for the sheet music of this song.
OpenStax
Open Stax: Indian Removal
By reading this section of a chapter on "Jacksonian Democracy," students will be able to explain the legal wrangling that surrounded the Indian Removal Act and describe how depictions of Indians in popular culture helped lead to Indian...
Other
Sfsu: Origins of Mass Entertainment in the Gilded Age
An introduction from the San Francisco State University of the various forms of mass entertainment that emerged during the Gilded Age. Follow the hyperlinks for in-depth discussion of the aspects of culture during this period in American...
Other
Fifties Web
Explore popular culture of the 1950s and 1960s. Learn about the cars, tv shows, music, fashion, pop history, slang, and celebrities of those eras.
PBS
Pbs: People and Discoveries: Kdka Begins to Broadcast 1920
This site from PBS details the history of radio and KDKA (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) the first radio station to offer programming. Mentions: advertising, NBC Radio, mass culture.
OpenStax
Open Stax: The Jazz Age: Redefining the Nation 1919 1929: A New Generation
Looks at the new morality that emerged in the 1920s. It changed the role of women and the perception of African Americans, the latter facilitated by the Harlem Renaissance and its impact on the music and dance of the Jazz Age. Also...
A&E Television
History.com: 8 Famous Figures Who Believed in Communicating With the Dead
Spiritualism's popularity waxed and waned throughout the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century, and surged on the heels of major wars and pandemics. While belief in an afterlife is a cornerstone of many ancient and...
Library of Congress
Loc: The Modern Dances and How to Dance Them: The Castle Walk
This resource describes the history of a dance callled the Castle Walk, which was popular in the early 1900's. Includes information on the orgins of the dance, as well as text and images from a dance manual of the period.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Victorian & Albert Museum: Introduction to 18th Century Fashion
Learn about the trends that came to define men's and women's fashion in the 1700's. Includes images and a discussion of popular fabrics and women's hairstyles.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Flower Power
An interesting look at the counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s and what influence it had on popular culture.
Wikimedia
Wikipedia: Maple Syrup
A trip to the sugarbush is a popular field trip for many students. Before such a trip, or even just during the season, learning about the production of maple syrup is a great way to introduce a study of Canada's cultural heritage.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Radio Fever
Radio created a mass entertainment culture that could bridge the gap between those in California and those in New York. Read about the advent of radio stations, and the companies that owned them. See why the federal government had to...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The End of the American Century
A quick look at America in the 20th century and a peek at the challenges of the 21st century.
Smithsonian Institution
National Postal Museum: Art of the Stamp: Mickey Mouse
View the artwork for a U.S. postage stamp issued in 2004 to commemorate Mickey Mouse's debut in "Steamboat Willie". With a short passage on Mickey's legendary 75 year history.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The Decade That Roared
A very brief overview of the decade between the end of World War I and the Great Depression.
Library of Congress
Loc: American Variety Stage: Bijou Theater
Musical theater and vaudeville were popular in the Gilded Age. Here is a theater program from the Bijou Theater in Boston. Leaafing through the pages gives a great slice of life at the time, not only because of the playbills, but also...
Musicals 101
Musicals101.com: Musical Vaudeville and Burlesque
This site from Musicals101.com explains the emergence of vaudeville and burlesque from the middle class needs of industrialized America. Part II explains what makes up a vaudeville act.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Basquiat, Horn Players
Jean-Michel Basquiat's 1983 painting "Horn Players" shows us all the main stylistic features we have come to expect from this renowned American artist. View pictures of his artwork and read about his life in this essay.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Women in the 1950s
Looks at what life was like for women in 1950s America. Examines the tension between the expectations of conformity and domesticity and an emerging discontent as many women chose to continue working after World War II. Meanwhile, African...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Warhol, Marilyn Diptych
Andy Warhol's iconic Marilyn Monroe Diptych invites the viewer to consider the consequences of the increasing role of mass media images in our everyday lives. View pictures and read about his techniques and influences in this essay.
American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise
Jewish Virtual Library: Passover
This web page offers a very nice outline and explanation of the Passover Seder with the use of a popular Jewish poem.
ESPN Internet Ventures
Espn: Galloping Ghost Scared Opponents!
A unique biography of Harold "Red" Grange brought to you by ESPN.
Library of Congress
Loc: America's Story: President Harding Installed a Radio
This 3-page article explores the role of radio in the 1920s, and the day that President Harding installed a radio in the White House.
Other
Mr. Baseball: Alexander Cartwright Jr.
This site from Mr. Baseball has information about the man who created the modern rules of baseball, Alexander Joy Cartwright.