Curated OER
Children's Literature
Introduce the students to basic economic concepts and types of economic systems and develop the an understanding of how economic choices involve costs and consequences; provide introduction to rural America circa 1920 and compare to our...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Why Do Americans and Canadians Celebrate Labor Day?
In the United States and Canada, the first Monday of September is a federal holiday, Labor Day. Originally celebrated in New York City's Union Square in 1882, Labor Day was organized by unions as a rare day of rest for the overworked...
Yale University
Yale New Haven Teachers Institute: History of Child Labor in the United States
Read this brief overview of child labor and exploitation and the attempt at reform before delving into the Supreme Court case, Hammer v Dagenhart, which overturned the Keating-Owen Child Labor Act. Included are six lesson plans based on...
Library of Congress
Loc: Today in History: September 5: Jesse James & the First Labor Day
Library of Congress site discusses the life of Jesse James and the development of the first labor day in the United States. With links to related, in-depth information.
Library of Congress
Loc: Teachers: Child Labor in America
Historical photographs provide students with a firsthand look at the issue of child labor during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. In this lesson plan, students will use photographs to further understanding of the...
Other
Afl Cio: Labor Timeline
Use this resource to explore the development of labor unions in the United States. The interactive timeline allows you to scroll through the periods of labor development.
Other
Eastern Illinois Univ.: Childhood Lost: Child Labor During Industrial Revolution
A unit on child labor during the Industrial Revolution. The focus is on using primary resources to learn about this issue and this time in American history. Includes many images and documents. The unit is cross-curricular with activities...
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Gilder Lehrman Institute: Immigration and Migration
[Free Registration/Login Required] A lengthy essay discussing the differing opinions about immigration and the role of immigrants in the United States in the latter half of the 19th century and the early 20th century. Find out about the...
Other
Bringing History Home: Industrialization History
This 3rd grade unit introduces the history of industrialization in the United States in the late 19th century. The development of mechanization and assembly line processes, reliance on unskilled labor, and geographic concentration of...
University of Washington
U of Washington: Seattle General Strike: Industrial Workers of the World
The Seattle General Strike of 1919, was the first time workers in the United States participated in a strike. This site is rich in resources that include photographs, video footage and oral histories.
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Comission
Explore Pa History: The Great Steel Strike of 1919 Historical Marker
A strike by steel workers in Chicago eventually spread across the United States in 1919. Read about the strike, how was involved, and how the employers turned popular opinion against the strikers.
University of Iowa
Child Labor in u.s. History
Article that summarizes the history of child labor in the United States with a timeline of events that occurred in the U.S. labor movement and with child labor reform from 1832 up to 1938 and the Fair Labor Standards Act. Provides links...
Other
Spartacus Educational: American History: Child Labor in America
Child Labor controls weren't established in America until nearly the early part of the twentieth century, several years after they had laws in place in Britain. This article goes into depth presenting the historical developments of child...
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Gilder Lehrman Institute: The World War Ii Home Front
[Free Registration/Login Required] World War II had a deep impact on the United States. The war affected all phases of American life both on the home front and overseas in battle. This text document addresses the many and varied ways...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Basic Ingredients of the Us Economy
Every economic system tries to anticipate and then meet human needs through the production and distribution of goods and services. The economic system is the mechanism that brings together natural resources, the labor supply, technology,...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Us History: 1865 1898: Labor Battles in the Gilded Age
As the United States became a major industrial power, conflict between workers and factory owners intensified. Read about the Homestead Strike and the Pullman Strike, two of the most famous labor battles in American history.
Other
History World International: Industrial Revolution
A short history of the Industrial Revolution, the reasons that it began in England, some of the significant inventions that had a major impact, changes in transportation, the rise of labor unions, its spread to the United States, and the...
Other
U.s. History Timeline: 1865 1900
A thumbnail look at the many things occurring in the United States in the last half half of the 19th century. The topics covered are Gilded Age Politics, the "New Imperialism," Industrial America, Growth of Labor, Urbanization,...
A&E Television
History.com: Women of the Wwii Workforce: Photos Show the Real Life Rosie the Riveters
When the United States entered World War II after the 1941 attacks on Pearl Harbor, men shipped overseas by the millions to serve in the war. This left many of the civilian and military jobs on the home front unfilled -- and that's when...
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: The Iron Horse: The Workingmen's Party
From a lengthy essay on the history of the railroad in the United States. This section describes the emergence of the Workingmen's Party as a political force in St. Louis, its role in the railroad strikes of 1877, and how it may have...
Other
Brown Quarterly: The History of Japanese Immigration in the u.s.
The Brown Quarterly article provides photos and a history of Japanese immigration in the United States. It also offers information about religion, discrimination, and work.
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
Cprr History Museum: Chinese American Contribution to Transcontinental
In April of 1999, Representative John T. Doolittle delivered a speech before the United States House of Representatives commemorating the contribution of Chinese-Americans to the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. This site...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Irish and German Immigration
Read about the reasons thousands of Irish and Germans emigrated to the United States in the first half of the 19th century. Find out why there was a backlash to influx of so many immigrants, and learn about the Nativists who wanted to...
US Department of Labor
Bureau of Labor Statistics: Medical Records and Health Information Tech
Career trends and employment projections are detailed in this Department of Labor site. General information on the Medical Records and Health Information Technician profession is also provided.