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.
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.
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
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...
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...
Other
American Studies Online: Theme Parks and Mass Culture
This site is provided for by American Studies Online. The Disney concept and philosophy has had a widespread influence on American life beyond the amusement parks. This article shows the influence has even spread to shopping malls and...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Land of Television
The advent of increased television programming helped create a national popular culture. Read about the many kinds of television programs offered in the 1950s.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Basquiat, Horn Players
Jean-Michel Basquiat's 1983 painting "Horn Players" shows us all the main stylistic features we have come to expect from this renowned American artist. View pictures of his artwork and read about his life in this essay.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Louisa May Alcott: Transcendentalism
Explore the impact of transcendentalism on the life of Louisa May Alcott and American society in this video [4:00] from the American Masters film Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind 'Little Women.' Emphasizing self-reliance, civil...
Albright-Knox Art Gallery
Albright Knox Art Gallery: Can It?
Pop artists used consumer products, advertising, and popular culture icons as the major source for subject matter in their art. Between 1962 and 1967, Andy Warhol painted soup cans, both individually and in groups. 100 Cans is one of the...
PBS
Pbs: American Roots Music: Lesson Two: Desegregating the Airwaves: Blues on the Radio
This lesson deals with the emergence of the blues as a form of popular music on the radio, beginning in Helena, Arkansas in 1940. Students will understand and discuss the relationship between technological and social change, discuss how...
Scholastic
Scholastic: Native American Games
Have fun playing three games that were once popular among Native American children. Provides instructions, objectives, and a materials list.
Other
African American Registry: The Cakewalk, a Black Expression Through Dance
This resource presents an article on the Cakewalk, a popular dance in the early 1900s that originated with black slaves impersonating their masters.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The End of the American Century
A quick look at America in the 20th century and a peek at the challenges of the 21st century.
Curated OER
Contagion: The Spread of Eugenics Throughout American Popular Culture in the 20s
A very complete look at the theory of eugenics, the pseudo-scientific idea that fed into the nativists' search for the "superior" American. This article explains how companies used this theory to sell their products.
Curated OER
Contagion: The Spread of Eugenics Throughout American Popular Culture in the 20s
A very complete look at the theory of eugenics, the pseudo-scientific idea that fed into the nativists' search for the "superior" American. This article explains how companies used this theory to sell their products.
Curated OER
Contagion: The Spread of Eugenics Throughout American Popular Culture in the 20s
A very complete look at the theory of eugenics, the pseudo-scientific idea that fed into the nativists' search for the "superior" American. This article explains how companies used this theory to sell their products.
Curated OER
Contagion: The Spread of Eugenics Throughout American Popular Culture in the 20s
A very complete look at the theory of eugenics, the pseudo-scientific idea that fed into the nativists' search for the "superior" American. This article explains how companies used this theory to sell their products.
Curated OER
Contagion: The Spread of Eugenics Throughout American Popular Culture in the 20s
A very complete look at the theory of eugenics, the pseudo-scientific idea that fed into the nativists' search for the "superior" American. This article explains how companies used this theory to sell their products.
Curated OER
Contagion: The Spread of Eugenics Throughout American Popular Culture in the 20s
A very complete look at the theory of eugenics, the pseudo-scientific idea that fed into the nativists' search for the "superior" American. This article explains how companies used this theory to sell their products.
Curated OER
Contagion: The Spread of Eugenics Throughout American Popular Culture in the 20s
A very complete look at the theory of eugenics, the pseudo-scientific idea that fed into the nativists' search for the "superior" American. This article explains how companies used this theory to sell their products.
Curated OER
Contagion: The Spread of Eugenics Throughout American Popular Culture in the 20s
A very complete look at the theory of eugenics, the pseudo-scientific idea that fed into the nativists' search for the "superior" American. This article explains how companies used this theory to sell their products.
Curated OER
Contagion: The Spread of Eugenics Throughout American Popular Culture in the 20s
A very complete look at the theory of eugenics, the pseudo-scientific idea that fed into the nativists' search for the "superior" American. This article explains how companies used this theory to sell their products.
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...