Sixth graders examine and compare the lives of slaves and indentured servants using primary sources and the historical fiction books, "Molly Bannaky and Barefoot." They analyze and compare advertisements for runaway slaves. Students...

Students examine the political and religious factors that influenced English, Spanish, French, and Dutch colonization of the Americas, and the economic characteristics of the early Spanish and Portuguese empires in the Americas.

Learners brainstorm a list of the benefits that Americans at all levels of society have enjoyed as a result of innovations in rail transportation/computers/microprocessors. They write a response from President Jackson to Martin Van Buren...

Students divide into small groups and study one of the three union flyers. Groups share their findings with the whole class and clarify unfamiliar vocabulary terms.

High schoolers examine the reasons why people immigrated to the United States. Using maps and charts, they analyze population movements and religious affiliations. They discover how the United States became a lesser Protestant country.

Students work in groups to read information about one of four featured factories. Students share their readings with the class, and compile a list of "Actions to be Taken" that will be included in their final paper. Student compare their...

This interesting essay traces the growth of the Knights of Labor from a group that represented those in the shoe industry in Philadelphia to a nationwide union fighting for workers' rights. It also traces other union developments over...

Have you wondered about the history of work? Investigate the world of work through the history of labor day.

Article that summarizes the history of child labor in the United States with a timeline of events that occurred in the U.S. labor movement and with child labor reform from 1832 up to 1938 and the Fair Labor Standards Act. Provides links...

[Free Registration/Login Required] Learners solve a problem surrounding a historical question by reading primary source documents. This historical inquiry lesson allows students to use the historical thinking skills of corroboration,...

A thumbnail look at the many things occurring in the United States in the last half half of the 19th century. The topics covered are Gilded Age Politics, the "New Imperialism," Industrial America, Growth of Labor, Urbanization,...

This collection uses primary sources to explore the Bracero Program.

A very thorough look at the industrial growth in the North because of the advent of the Industrial Revolution in America. See what industries grew, how factories became more productive, and find out how the states cultivated economic...

Amazing number of agencies formed as a result of New Deal legislation. Read about the agencies and legislation whose acronyms have become part of governmental history.

Many colonists came to Jamestown to find gold. Read about what finally brought money into the colony, and what John Rolfe's role was in that. Read about who the workers were who provided the labor for this new money source.

Read about the struggle Franklin D. Roosevelt had in trying to get the Fair Labor Standards Act passed. With public support, he continued to push the ideas presented in the law until it finally was enacted into law.

The text of a radio speech given by Secretary of Labor Francis Perkins in 1935 in which he explained the Administration's proposals contained in the Economic Security Bill. This bill formed the basis for what later became the Social...

Read the gripping testimony of an immigrant girl who testified before a U.S. Congressional committee detailing the conditons in the textile mill in which she worked. Because of these unsafe working conditions, the textile workers...

As early as 1866 a national union grew from the multitude of local unions in the country. Read about the growth of stronger unions, and find out what their goals were. See why the Haymarket Square Riot had an effect on unionization.

What started as a localized railway strike by workers upset by a pay cut spread across the country in the summer of 1877. Read about the striking workers and the force used against them, how the strike affected rail service, and what the...

Our Documents is home to one hundred milestone documents that influenced that course of American history and American democracy. Includes full-page scans of each document, transcriptions, background information on their significance, and...

A unit on child labor during the Industrial Revolution. The focus is on using primary resources to learn about this issue and this time in American history. Includes many images and documents. The unit is cross-curricular with activities...

In this textbook unit, students learn about working and living conditions during the Industrial Revolution, the growth of cities, public health issues that emerged, child labor, the impact of factory work on families and on women, the...

As Big Business grew in the Gilded Age, so did conflict between the workers and management. Read about the techniques used by both groups to try to press their points and get the upper hand in negotiations.