The White House
The White House: Presidents: Chester A. Arthur
Read a short biography of Chester A. Arthur, Republican president during the Gilded Age. A black and white photo is provided.
Library of Congress
Loc: Teachers: America at the Centennial
A lesson plan requiring student to analyze primary documents from the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876. Students interpret what these historical artifacts say "about the lives and values of Americans in 1876" among other things.
Ibis Communications
Eye Witness to History: The Gibson Girl
The Gibson Girl, an illustration done by Charles Gibson, became a fashion icon in the early 1900s. See some of Gibsons drawings and learn more about this social model for women in the early 20th century.
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.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Invention of the Week: Alexander J. Cartwright
Read about the man who invented the modern-day sport of baseball, Alexander Joy Cartwright. This article talks about the history and development of the sport and gives example the rules in other "versions" of baseball.
Washington State University
Washington State University: William Dean Howells Society: The Rise of Silas Lapham
Read this entire novel here, and look at the illustrations that accompany it, including several portraits of William Dean Howells (1837-1920 CE).
Other
The Statue of Liberty Photo Tour
A great pictorial tour of the ferry ride and climb into the statue itself and back again. Have fun!
Washington State University
Washington State University: William Dean Howells Society: The Day of Their Wedding
Full-text version of the novel, including links to illustrations. Reproduced from the 1895 edition.
Vassar College
Vassar College: 1896: Literary Themes in the Campaign
Take a look at popular literary themes that are reflected in the political cartoons of 1896, the year in which William Jennings Bryant challenged William McKinley for the presidency.
Other
Tripod: The New Ellis Island, 1898
Text of 1898 article in New York Times Magazine by Charles de Kay in which he expresses his thoughts on the design for new Ellis Island buildings. The new buildings were to replace those destroyed in a fire.
Library of Congress
Loc: The American Variety Stage: Vaudeville 1870 1920
Provides information about Vaudeville, a popular amusement show during the late 19th and early 20th century.
Other
Illinois State Museum: The American Railway Union
Excerpt from U.S. Strike Commission Report. Site also provides focus questions at the bottom.
Library of Congress
Loc: The Learning Page: American Indian Reservation Controversies
Primary sources help students understand issues and controversies surrounding the American Indian Reservations of the 1870s. Historians provide different accounts and views of this facet of American history, and students utilize these...
University of Virginia
University of Virginia: Innocents Abroad; Or, the New Pilgrim's Progress
Extensive collection from the University of Virginia that explores many aspects of Twain's short story, "Innocents Abroad; or, The New Pilgrim's Progress." Included are links that examine pre-texts, letters, sales, advertisement,...
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: George Eastman: The Wizard of Photography
American Experience offers a comprehensive look at George Eastman and his development of photography. Included are a timeline, biographies of important people in Eastman's personal and professional life, discussions in the history of...
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
Cprr History Museum: Chinese Laborers and Construction of the Central Pacific
An article from the Utah Quarterly, Vol. 37, No. 1, by George Kraus, recounts the decision to use Chinese laborers in building the Central Pacific Railroad. Many primary source documents included as well as supplemental direct quotes in...
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Ellis Island, the Gilded and the Gritty: America, 1870 1912
This lesson examines seven Lewis Hine photographs of recently-arrived immigrants at Ellis Island.
University of Nebraska
Gilded Age Plains City: The Great Sheedy Murder Trial
"Gilded Age Plains City: The Great Sheedy Murder Trial and the Booster Ethos of Lincoln, Nebraskaexplores the development of towns and cities on the Great Plains through the lens of a murder case in the 1890s that evolved into a...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Us History: 1865 1898: The Ghost Dance and Wounded Knee
Explains the origin of the Ghost Dance movement and the massacre of the Sioux that happened at Wounded Knee. Includes questions for students.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Ap Us History: 1865 1898: The Homestead Act and the Exodusters
Explains what the Homestead Act of 1862 was and what it meant for settlers, as well as the Exodus of 1879 when many African Americans became exodusters and left the South. Includes questions for students at end.
Other
The Scott Joplin International Ragtime Foundation: A Scott Joplin Biography
Biography of Scott Joplin.
PBS
Pbs: Mark Twain's Interactive Scrapbook
At this website, venture through the chapters of an interactive scrapbook detailing the life and writings of Samuel Clemens, or Mark Twain. Includes several photographs, quotes, and audio clips. This scrapbook is part of a larger PBS...
Stanford University
Stanford University: Dime Novels and Penny Dreadfuls
A Stanford University site about popular literature during the Gilded Age.