Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: The First American Factories

For Students 5th - 8th
The growth of cities and the American economy in the first half of the 19th century was driven by the growth of factories. Read about the textile industry in New England and how manufacturing spread throughout the north.
Handout
Other

Mc Donald's: Our History

For Students 9th - 10th
Discusses the history of the McDonald's franchise.
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: The Age of the Automobile

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Henry Ford's use of the assembly line to manufacture his automobiles led to many ramifications. Read about the spin-off industries created by the growth of the automobile industry, and see what impact the auto had on culture.
Lesson Plan
Council for Economic Education

Econ Ed Link: Stock Market Price History

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Each of us seek to make wise investment decisions that will make our money grow. Unfortunately, we cannot predict the future, but the past can give us a window to understanding the risks and rewards of investing in the stock market. This...
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: The Mining Boom

For Students 5th - 8th
The allure of getting rich quick by finding gold or silver was just a dream for most prospectors. Read about the gold and silver rushes that usually ended up enriching the mining industry, not the miner. Find out about the make-up of the...
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: The Northern Homefront

For Students 5th - 8th
The military-industrial complex thrived in the North during the Civil War, but read about how inflation affected the ordinary worker. See how the role of women expanded to fill in for men who were away fighting. Women also had an impact...
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: The New Tycoons: Andrew Carnegie

For Students 5th - 8th
Andrew Carnegie was a business magnate in the steel industry. See how he used the vertical integration theory of operating his businesses. Read also about his phlanthropy across the United States after he sold his company.
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Fdr's Alphabet Soup

For Students 5th - 8th
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.
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Inventors and Inventions

For Students 5th - 8th
The industrial revolution in America spawned the inventions of many inventors, who improved technology in many different areas. See how transportation, agriculture, and communications were transformed because of these inventions.
eBook
OpenStax

Open Stax: Industrialization 1870 1900: A New American Consumer Culture

For Students 11th - 12th
Learn about the development of the consumer mindset at the end of the 19th century.
Lesson Plan
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Wake Up, America: Industrial Revolution in America [Pdf]

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
A lesson plan from the producers of the 16-episode PBS series "Freedom: A History of US" that looks at the technological advances of early nineteenth-century America and the birth of the Industrial Revolution in America.
Unit Plan
Virginia Tech

Digital History Reader: Industrialization's Discontents: Great Strike of 1877

For Students 9th - 10th
With its beginnings along the railroad tracks in Maryland and West Virginia, the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 was the first national strike in response to poor wages and poor conditions. Understand the impact of this strike on the...
Primary
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Primary Source Set: Early Chinese Immigration to the Us

For Students 9th - 10th
This collection uses primary sources to explore early Chinese immigration to the United States.
Website
Other

What the Industrial Revolution Did for Us

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This online companion to a television production in the U.K. contains information about the achievements of the Industrial Revolution. Click the Changing Landscape link to view an interactive map showing how the landscape of Great...
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Organized Labor

For Students 5th - 8th
Industrial workers, as industry emerged and grew in the last half of the 19th century, did not profit as the business tycoons did. Read about the very beginnings of attempts to organize as a force to demand higher wages, a shorter work...
Handout
US Army Center

U.s. Army Center of Military History: Mobilization in World War Ii

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from the US Army describes steps taken in the United States to prepare for war. Scroll through to see how the United States mobilized for World War II.
Handout
PBS

Pbs News Hour Extra: Gulf Oil Spill Could Be Most Damaging in History

For Students 9th - 10th
Discussed is the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the attempts to clean up the oil, animals and industries threatened, policies questioned and a comparison made to the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Includes instructional resources. (4 May...
Handout
Siteseen

Siteseen: American Historama: Us Early Aviation History

For Students 9th - 10th
A comprehensive overview with detailed facts about early aviation, aviators, and the airline industry.
Website
Other

Department of Transportation: Maritime Career

For Students 9th - 10th
Resource describes jobs in the maritime industry, ways to get training for various career paths in the industry, and employment opportunities. Links to Maritime Museum websites are included.
Handout
Country Studies US

Country Studies: Russia

For Students 9th - 10th
A 29-page pdf file containing an enormous amount of information about Russia. Includes major cities, holidays, history, geography, climate, natural resources, population, religion, education, economy, government, budget, industry and...
eBook
Country Studies US

Country Studies: Bolivia and the United States

For Students 9th - 10th
Explores the relationship of the United States and Bolivia during the 1980s concentrating mostly on the narcotics industry and their joint fight in the drug wars.
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Voices Against Conformity

For Students 5th - 8th
The decade of the 1950s was kown for conformity. There was an undercurrent of rebellion, especially among younger Americans. Read about the Beat Generation, alternative literature, rebellion in art, and treatment of those who were not...
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: An Evaluation of the New Deal

For Students 5th - 8th
No discussion about the Great Depression can be complete without a look at the legacy of Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal programs. Read about the changes and effects on the economy brought about by the programs, but see what...
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Books and Movies

For Students 5th - 8th
A look at the literature and movies written and produced in the Jazz Age. See how the writers of the age reflected the consumer society and the emptiness of middle class. Movies appealed to mass culture and millions went to the movies...