Scholars investigate the use of satire in Mark Twain's writing. Literary lovers research the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, political cartoons, and videos to see how Twain uses satire to make the stories more memorable....

Students research the history of the Statue of Liberty and the symbols associated with it. They read and discuss Emma Lazarus' poem and why it should persuade people to donate money to bring the statue to America. Students role-play as...

In this literature activity, learners respond to 6 short answer and essay questions about Wharton's House of Mirth. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.

Students analyze writings of famous authors and record their positions on lynching and segregation. They research arguments to explore the attitudes of people in the South and the North during the 19th century.

Students discuss muckraking and societal changes. In this progressive era lesson, students review photographs and read excerpts from The Jungle. Students select a task of their choice, sorting events into categories, writing a letter,...

Eleventh graders analyze how American literature shows a lot of different genres. In groups, 11th graders create a short report about the passage they have chosen.

Learners analyze sentences from Benjamin Franklin. They use their notes to state the same ideas in essay form. They compare the new work to Franklin's orginal work.

This is a collection of 8 Grade-Leveled texts (5-12) on the topic "The Gilded Age." Mark Twain named 1870-1900 "The Gilded Age" in hopes of capturing how the era of serious social problems was veiled by a thin layer of gold. While robber...

A good informational site on Edith Wharton. Includes general information about her life, works, and writings, including The Age of Innocence and Ethan Frome. Also includes links to other sites.

A short story by Jack London that examines unrest between capital and labor in early-twentieth century San Francisco.

Hamlin Garland's short story, "The Return of a Private", that describes the post-Civil War conflicts for western farmers with nature and with other settlers.

This unit revolves around various social realist authors during the Gilded Age in America. Click the tabs for the list of authors, timeline, video and activities.

This informational text discusses the new immigration, from the beginning of the Gilded Age of economic growth in the 1870s to the anti-immigration policies put in place during the 1920s. A specific purpose for reading and vocabulary...

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,...

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...

This article is about an exhibit at the Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest highlighting Edgar Rice Burroughs. A brief biography is included.

This PBS site follows undercover journalist Nellie Bly (1864-1922) on her 72-day journey in 1889 around the world.

"Turkeys Turning the Tables" is an amusing story that could be read aloud around Thanksgiving. Read the full text on this site.

A comprehensive site on Bret Harte, a Western storyteller during the Gilded Age. Some links may no longer work, but there is still ample material.

The entire, original Jungle Tales of Tarzan, formatted for online reading.

The full texts to Twain's lesser-known works can be accessed from this site such as "Celebrated Jumping Frog" and "The Innocents Abroad." Read facsimiles of the original books or plain text versions.

Read the short story "Christmas Every Day" by William D. Howells about a young American girl whose wish that Christmas would come daily is granted for an entire year.

This site provides a biography of the life of Zane Grey. Interesting information about his love and knowledge of the West is included as well as excerpts from his novels.

A short summation of how Hearst and Pulitzer shaped the newspapers of their day by adding new features that would appeal to the populace.