[Free Registration/Login Required] This site tells the story of Harriet Tubman's life and the development of the Underground Railroad. The author takes us on a journey to sites along the Underground Railroad, beginning at the farm where...

A 14-lesson, 169-page unit on the economic history of Texas. Lessons cover the free enterprise system, the economic patterns and motivations of Native Americans and various immigrant groups, the impact of the closing of the frontier, the...

This is an impressive history of the introduction of beef to the Great Plains region complete with videos, photos, and lesson plans.

The history behind the Labor Day holiday is far more complex and dramatic than most might realize, starting with a heated campaign by workers in the late 19th century to win support and recognition for their contributions. In July 1894,...

[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the building of the transcontinental railroad. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.

[Free Registration/Login Required] Abridged from the full text located at the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, this passage provides information about the development of the transcontinental railroad. Paired texts, a text...

A detailed biography of Granville T. Woods, who was known as "the Black Edison" because of his many inventions. He is best known for greatly improving the safety of railroads by his invention of the Multiplex Railway Telegraph.

A very readable biography of George Westinghouse, Jr., inverntor of the train air brake, among many other things. Find a list of his achievements and a discussion of the development of his inventions.

Oultine of the changes in industry and technology during the 1800s, bringing tremendous growth of big business, urbanization and railroads.

Description of the rise and fall of the American Railway Union in the context of the Pullman Strike.

By 1860, when Abraham Lincoln was elected president, 16 percent of the population lived in urban areas and a third of the nation's income came from manufacturing. Funds were flowing into large-scale industrial development and into...

This resource is provided for by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress. It discusses how the late 1800s was a time of economic and agrarian distress for many farmers in the US. Facing tremendous as a result of their...

As part of a book about the Central Pacific Railroad written in 1898, this article discusses the origin of the idea to construct a transcontinental railroad.

Although this site provides information on one town, Madison, IN; it is an absolute treasure trove of information on the development of the Midwest. Authors provide captivating historic photos and comprehensive narrative on the area...

Here is a comprehensive entry for Morse Code that includes the history, the difference between American Morse Code and Modern International Morse Code, a chart of the letters and numbers, many sample audio recordings, and more.

On this site you will find the application to the National Park Service to include the Bagg Bonanza Farm as a National Landmark. The first part describes what is found on the land now, but if you'll scroll through the history of...

Read how the Great Railroad Strike started and why federal troops were called in to control the strikers.

This one-page summary provides many facts about the history and origin of coal in providing humans with heat and energy.

When the federal government was called in to suppress a railroad workers' strike, dozens were killed and politicians sought a way to show they still supported workers. July 1894, President Grover Cleveland finally signed into law...

Information on railroads is found on this site from Wikipedia encyclopedia. Discusses the history of railways, different parts of the railway, types of trains, and the economic aspects of rail ownership and operation.

The Gilded Age was a period of terrible labor violence, as industrialists and workers fought for control of the workplace. Workers organized the first large American labor unions during the Gilded Age, while employers tried to stop the...

By reading this section of a chapter on "Industrial Transformation in the North", students will learn about the development of improved methods of nineteenth-century domestic transportation and identify the ways in which roads, canals,...

Students learn how to walk a mile in someone else's shoes by reading historical fiction about the Underground Railroad. This is a lengthy unit of four lessons that spans thirty instructional activity periods where students examine...

From a chapter on " Troubled Times: the Tumultuous 1850s," this section explains the contested issues that led to the Compromise of 1850 and describes and analyzes the reactions to the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act.