Canals, railroads, steamboats, telegraphs! Kim talks about the transportation and communication revolutions of the early 19th century and how they changed American business.
So what's the big deal about the Market Revolution, anyway? Kim describes how it changed the nature of American labor, markets, and culture.
The Market Revolution of the early nineteenth century changed the way Americans worked and did business. In this video, Kim discusses the inventions that brought new productivity and forms of work to American business - the Industrial Revolution.
Students will display their understanding of the symbolism and references that Dr. King used to enrich his famous speech on August 28, 1963 from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial by constructing a "jackdaw," a collection of documents and objects.
This photograph of a sculpture of Mary McLeod Bethune by Selma Hortense Burke is part of Harmon Foundation Collection. The Harmon Foundation, a nonprofit, private foundation active from 1922 to 1967, helped foster an awareness of African art. African artists would send their artworks to the United States for exhibit and sale. When the foundation ended its activities in 1967, it donated its entire collection of motion pictures, filmstrips, color slides, and black and white prints and negatives on a variety of subjects to the National Archives. Selma Hortense Burke (b. December 31, 1900, Mooresville, North Carolina - d. August 29, 1995, New Hope, Pennsylvania) was an American sculptor, educator, and member of the Harlem Renaissance movement. Burke created many pieces of public art, often portraits of prominent African-American figures like Duke Ellington, Mary McLeod Bethune and Booker T. Washington. She received national recognition for her relief portrait of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, which was the model for his image on the dime. In 1979, Burke was awarded the Women's Caucus for Art Lifetime Achievement Award.Learn more on our main National Archives website.
This photograph is from series is a collection of black-and-white and color photographs of a set of oil paintings "Portraits of Outstanding Americans of Negro Origin" commissioned by the Harmon Foundation. The set originally comprised 22 portraits painted by Betsy Graves Reyneau and Laura Wheeler Waring. Overtime the number of paintings increased to 47.The Harmon Foundation, a nonprofit, private foundation active from 1922 to 1967, helped foster an awareness of African art. African artists would send their artworks to the United States for exhibit and sale. When the foundation ended its activities in 1967, it donated its entire collection of motion pictures, filmstrips, color slides, and black and white prints and negatives on a variety of subjects to the National Archives. Betsy Graves Reyneau (1888-1964) studied at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts shortly before World War I. She continued her studies in Cincinnati, Ohio; Paris, France and Rome, Italy. Following her studies, Reyneau maintained a studio in Detroit, MI for a number of years. Then in 1927, she moved permanently to Europe, only to leave 12 years later due to the rise of fascism.Returning to the United States, Reyneau was shocked by the overt racism that existed in the 1930s. She decided that by using her skills as a portrait painter she could do something that would make a difference in the country's perception of African Americans. Reyneau's determination eventually resulted in a set of portraits commissioned by the Harmon Foundation. The individuals chosen were prominent African Americans who had distinguished themselves by their service to humankind.Learn more on the National Archives website.
The original caption for this photograph reads: "Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt and others at the opening of Midway Hall, one of two residence halls built by the Public Buildings Administration of FWA for Negro government girls."As a presidential advisor of African American Affairs during the Roosevelt administration, Mary McLeod Bethune formed the Federal Council of Negro Affairs, which would become known as the Black Cabinet. The Black Cabinet was instrumental in creating jobs for African Americans in Federal executive departments and New Deal agencies.Bethune’s influence within the Roosevelt administration also allowed her to direct funds created by the New Deal program to Black people. Programs such as the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and National Youth Administration (NYA) were successful in employing over 300,000 African Americans during the Great Depression.The original caption for this photograph uses the term "negro" to refer to Black people, which was commonly accepted in that era, but is outdated and inappropriate today.
In this lesson, students will explore the biography of Mary McLeod Bethune and primary resources related to her life in order to understand the impact she had on other people, and how her example of integrity and principle can affect their own lives today.
Photo of traffic in Herald Square (New York City) taken in April 1973.
What were the causes and effects of the Mexican-American War? In this video, Kim discusses how Manifest Destiny and the annexation of Texas brought on the war, as well as how the war affected US politics and the existing residents of the Mexican Cession.
This collection uses primary sources to explore the Bracero Program. Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills and draw diverse material from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States. Each set includes an overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide. These sets were created and reviewed by the teachers on the DPLA's Education Advisory Committee.
The Middle colonies consisted of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Delaware. Located in the middle of the Atlantic seaboard, their economies combined the industry of the North with the agriculture of the South. They were unusual, however, for their degree of religious toleration and their wide range of ethnic diversity.
In the late nineteenth century, sociologists misused Darwin's theory of evolution to justify racism. KA's historian Kim and biologist Emily discuss how evolution really works and how sociologists in the Gilded Age misunderstood its application to human society.
Does "survival of the fittest" apply to human culture? Kim and Emily continue their discussion of the theory of evolution and how Gilded Age sociologists mistakenly applied it to race and class.
In 1820, James Monroe articulated the US foreign policy goal of ending European colonization in the Americas.
This activity “Becoming aware of the Japanese American Internment Camp Experience” is intended to help students become aware of, and sensitive to, the Japanese American interment camp experience. They will develop a sense of empathy by simulating the situations which Japanese American children faced.
In the Treaty of Versailles, the Allies punished Germany for the war. Created by Sal Khan.
In the late 1500s and early 1600s, the United Kingdom cast its gaze westward and joined the quest for American colonies. In this video, Kim discusses the motivations for English colonization, including competition with Catholic nations for riches and souls, and the development of 'joint-stock' companies.
By exploring myths and truths surrounding Independence Day, students think critically about commonly believed stories regarding the beginning of the Revolutionary War and the Independence Day holiday.
A selection of Library of Congress primary sources exploring the history and civil rights legacy of the NAACP. This set also includes a Teacher s Guide with historical context and teaching suggestions.