Newberry Library: Imagining the American West in the Late Nineteenth Century

To establish a context for an assessment or a study of pioneers and the American frontier in the 1800s, groups examine photos and record observations about clothing, housing, and travel.

Many American writers in the late nineteenth century wanted their writing to reflect real life. Individuals watch and discuss a video, read and explore author biographies, write a journal entry and a poem, and complete a multimedia...

Have you ever seen a movie about the romance of the American West with its buffalo, horses, cowboys, and endless frontier? The 13th installment of a 22-part series on American history presents the myths associated with the American West....

The final lesson of a three-part series on Kate Chopin's The Awakening has scholars investigate life as a woman in late nineteenth-century America. They research the role of women in society through the eyes of the characters in the...

A New Order in Europe calls for a new lesson plan! This third plan in a series of four sequential lessons encourages high schoolers to read primary sources about the development of the New Order and follow up their knowledge with a...

The end of World War II saw the world deeply changed over the last few years. Four thorough lessons explore post-war Europe, America, and Asia through reading assignments and discussion questions about the Grand Alliance and the signing...

Invite your learners to consider how the context of an artwork can alter its meaning and interpretation throughout its history by examining the intriguing history behind Michelangelo's statue of David. The video discusses...

While the French were once the allies of Americans, the Napoleonic Wars saw the United States almost drawn into a war with its one-time friend. Wars in Europe threatened to draw in the early republic. A primary source-based activity...

It may be startling to know that the same bacteria responsible for the Bubonic Plague in the mid-fourteenth century still exists today. But don't worry, this video examines the causes and effects of the Black Death, and why the disease...

A moving video which portrays a famous speech by John Adams to his colleagues at the Constitutional Convention, and a public reading of the Declaration of Independence will captivate viewers. The actors are dressed in period clothing and...