British Library
British Library: 20th Century: Art, Music and Popular Culture
Discover the music, art, and popular culture that shook the world in the 20th century.
The Newberry Library
Newberry Library: World War I in u.s. Popular Culture
Learning module from the Newberry Library uses primary source materials to explore the impact of WWI on the American public and how WWI was promoted or criticized through the popular culture of the day. With questions for discussion.
Digital History
Digital History: The Birth of American Popular Culture
A description of many different forms of popular culture in the first half of the 19th century ranging from sensationalized newspapers to dime novels to pseudoscience. Read about Stephen Foster's music, theatrical productions, and even...
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: Bridging World History: Global Popular Culture
This unit embraces the development of popular culture, more widespread than ever, due to globalization.
Other
Amistad Digital Resource: Pop Culture
General overview of African American pop-culture in the mid 20th-century highlighting music, art, theater, and sports.
OpenStax
Open Stax: Prosperity and Cold War Fears 1945 60: Popular Culture and Mass Media
Examines the impact that rock and roll music, movies and the invention of television had on America in the 1950s.
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature:romantics&victorians Popular Culture
From circuses and 'freak shows' to broadsides and novels, from pleasure gardens and music halls to chapbooks and penny dreadfuls, Georgian and Victorian Britain offered the public a rich range of affordable entertainments. Read more...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Us History: 1945 1980: Popular Culture and Mass Media in the 1950s
In the 1950s, financial prosperity allowed young Americans to participate in a shared culture of rock and roll music, movies, and television.
PBS
The Sixties: Pop Culture: The Way We Were
Resource on pop culture of the 1960s. Part of a companion piece from PBS offers students an overview of the music, books, people, and events that helped shape the popular culture of the era. long with links to other multi-media sources.
Library of Congress
Loc: Music for the Nation: Music Published, America, 1870 1885
A wonderful collection of sheet music from the Library of Congress. Search this site to find the primary source documents of music published in America from 1870 through 1885. The site is separated into many different topics with an...
Digital History
Digital History: Formation of Modern American Mass Culture
A mass culture developed in America in the 1920s due to several factors. Read about the influence of radio, movies, and spectator sports in the adoption of common speech. Find out about the creativity of the time in literature and music.
Oswego City School District
Regents Prep: Entertainment
Read about the impact of various forms of entertainment on the popular culture of the Jazz Age. The content is brief but informative.
Other
Parlor Songs Academy: Music as Propaganda in World War I
Scroll through the history of the use of popular music as propaganda until reaching the lengthy section about how music was used, not just in the United States, but throughout the world as propaganda in World War I. Find the lyrics and...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Stairway to Heaven Examining Metaphor in Popular Music
Contains plans for two lessons that ask students to make connections between literary texts and popular culture texts like song lyrics. After checking popular culture texts for literary elements, these elements are then examined in...
PBS
Pbs: Broadway: The American Musical: Operetta
As part of a larger look at the American musical, this brief look at the popularity of the operetta in the last part of the 19th century discusses why it was so popular with the middle class. Included is a short video that discusses...
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...
NPR: National Public Radio
Npr: Present at the Creation
A compilation of stories from National Public Radio about the creation of new and extraordinary objects, films, and artwork that have shaped and continue to shape American popular culture. Explore everything from the hamburger, to...
Other
Unstrung History of American Guitar: The Guitar and the Birth of American Music
The guitar in America began as an instrument used in popular music in the city and then branched out to minstrel shows, ragtime, and even jazz. Read about the history of this ubiquitous instrument and how it took on its American character.
Other
Smithsonian Institution: Musica Del Pueblo
Musica del Pueblo is a full-featured resource that explores the traditions of Latino music. Using a colorful mural titled "Song of Unity" as a navigation tool, visitors can watch videos of performances, listen to different varieties of...
Other
American Film Institute: 100 Years . . . 100 Songs
With this list, the American Film Institute presents its choices for the 100 greatest songs in film. The list includes choices from popular films such as The Sound of Music, Cabaret and The Producers.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 32: The John Travolta Syndrome
The songs and movies of modern times have had a major influence on fashion. Coincidentally, many of these important fashion-influencing films of recent times had one thing in common: John Travolta. From the white leisure suits ofSaturday...
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.
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.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 36: Cross Genre Comparisons in Hip Hop
From being viewed as a fad, hip-hop's commercial success has allowed it to permeate virtually all aspects of popular culture. By critically analyzing hip-hop music and comparing it with established music forms, the cultural relevance,...