Analyzing Objects

Porcelain

Musket Ball

Smallpox

Nail

Reaper

Shirtwaist

Transistor

Coffee

Record

Tire

Dishwasher

Dress

Stereograph

Stone

Mail

Shoe

Question 1:
Historical thinking is considering something within the context of its meaning, use, or significance in history.
Question 2:
Objects can be used to encourage historical thinking by giving one a chance to analyze an object and consider its significance within time. Objects can give a person a starting point to anchor themselves in historical context.
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Module Id: 689
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Question 1:
This object appears to be part of a matching tea set. The teacup and saucer both have gold accents on the inside and outside of the cup. The accents are still shiny, and there are no apparent chips. The white porcelain (perhaps) is still very shiny and bright. The pattern on the tea set appears to be hand painted.
Question 2:
I would imagine that a tea set such as this would have belonged to a person of influence. The owning of a tea set alone suggests that someone had time for leisurely activities such as hosting for tea and enjoying fine teas oneself. That the teacup appears to be hand painted suggests that it was made by a craftsman or artist, so was likely expensive. The tea set together would have been more costly than just one saucer, so again this seems to be a tea set one would display to show they are a family of means. It has been well preserved which also speaks to the quality work put into making and keeping the tea set whole.
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Question 1:
I notice that this appears to be a very old tin can of instant coffee. It is of the brand "Nescafe" which is still in business today. The can is rusted and scratched. It seems to only be a one ounce can, so is pretty small.
Question 2:
This small tin would likely have come from a period of American struggle. Instant coffee was not as high quality as freshly brewed coffee beans, so would have been more widespread at periods of economic downturn. This tin appears to be unopened yet very disheveled so may have even been something given to soldiers as a supply during times of war. If this is from a time of war, it could show how Americans had to make changes to their daily lives because of the economic demands of wartime.
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Question 1:
This objects appears to be made of some kind of metal. It is very small, as shown by the ruler below. It seems to be manufactured, since it seems to have started as a sphere. There are small points where it seems shinier than others. This object appears very old and worn, suggesting it was used at one point or not well preserved.
Question 2:
This musket would have been used most likely during a time of war, when weaponry was still very basic and brutal. It displays the available technology to an army at the time of the war, as well as the huge death tolls and horrible injuries inflicted by very rudimentary guns.
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Question 1:
This appears to be a picture of a virus from under a microscope. The picture seems to be old, since it is in black and white and quite blurry. There are a few of the smallpox virus visible in the picture.
Question 2:
This could be an early photo that led to the treatment of smallpox and its eventual vaccine. Studying a virus that was so contagious and caused so many deaths in the early years of the States was vital to understanding how to control it. Smallpox was a huge issue for people sharing small spaces, such as making a transatlantic move on a ship to move to the U.S. or the small living quarters that many immigrants found themselves in once they arrived. Even earlier in American history, the smallpox virus was detrimental to the deaths of many Native Americans whose immune systems were not prepared to fight the virus when it was brought to North America by the Europeans.
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Question 1:
I see 5 nails of various sizes. They appear to be rusted and old, thick, and flat. They may have been used in something like a railroad or other building that required strong reinforcements.
Question 2:
These nails may be connected to the industrial revolution in America, or another period of expansion, when buildings and infrastructure was going up constantly to keep up with the rate of American growth. They are rusted and show the available materials at the time being used for American expansion.
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Question 1:
This is a technical drawing of a reaper. It looks very complex, and I honestly cannot tell how it would be used from this drawing. There are no labels or other words accompanying this drawing, but there appear to be many moving parts.
Question 2:
This appears to be a very complex machine for the time it was likely widely used. Drawings such as these were likely helpful to making such mechanisms more accessible to people across a growing America. Improved communication made more technological advancements possible, such as the growing efficiency of the reaper.
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Question 1:
This looks to be a style of shirt that would have been worn by a woman. It has a few large buttons and cuffed sleeves. The bottom of the shirt is dramatically cinched perhaps to accentuate one's waist when worn with a skirt. The collar is higher than most shirts seen today.
Question 2:
The style of this shirt may speak to the values of society at the time of its popularity. It is a very conservative shirt, which tells us how women were expected to dress in public. The shirt also seems very simple, likely made with cotton and mass produced, creating a national style for women.
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Module Id: 950
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Question 1:
This is a well worn pair of shoes. They have a small heel, laces, and thick soles. They appear to be well handmade and dirty. The shoes would hit the wearer just above the ankle.
Question 2:
These shoes, that appear to be daily work shoes, could be an indicator of American craftsmanship allowing for people to leave the homes more. With sturdy shoes, Americans could work and lead more active lives without concerning themselves too much with appearances and flimsy garments.
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Question 1:
Historical thinking involves looking at artifacts critically. This means analyzing not only the artifact, but what it means within its place in history. This typically requires considering the culture and other factors surrounding the creation of the artifact.
Question 2:
Objects can be used to spark historical thinking by requiring people to make predictions not only about what the object is, but how it could have been of use to society and why. Therefore to really understand the object one must engage in historical thinking to determine what the object's existence says about society at the time of its invention.
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Question 1:
This tea set suggests not only that someone is well off for this time period, but suggests British luxury. This item would send a message to surrounding neighbors in the colonies that the owner of this tea set was still happy to support the crown and the taxes they impose upon luxury items such as this. This was something that would have drawn clear divisions between colony community members.
Question 2:
I would be interested to know more specifically how the taxes were being implemented and how it was affecting each colonial industry. I am curious if the taxes were really affecting the entire colony or if the cause was primarily taken up in solidarity with those mostly affected. I would also be curious to see statistics on how well American products were able to sustain the colony, or if there were some areas where these products could not compensate.
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Question 1:
Instant coffee displays a shift in American goods caused by wartimes. The beginning of the war caused families to begin rationing their goods in order for the government to have enough supplies to feed its soldiers. The war also forced the American government and scientists to develop new ways to feed men that were on the other side of the world in active battlefields. Products such as instant coffee were a result of this innovation. Once the war and rationing ended, there was a new market for these goods in the American home, rather than on the battle front, presenting another cultural shift in a post-war era.
Question 2:
Advertising is an inherently skewed primary resource. It may not be depicting actual and current cultural change, but rather the direction in which businesses are trying to sway people into thinking. Therefore advertising should be looked at critically when considering its message about the cultural climate.
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Question 1:
The musket ball displays military technology when it was first needed by Americans to become an independent country. The musket was unreliable, as well as some of the militias that were needed to be called upon, making it very difficult to fight against the well-organized redcoats. This musket ball represents the huge difficulties that needed to be surmounted by the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.
Question 2:
The primary sources included with this object were very helpful, especially the video displaying just how difficult it was to load and use the musket properly. It would also be helpful to see comparisons between American and British armies in terms of resources and support from civilians.
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Question 1:
Smallpox has affected humans for thousands of years. This extremely contagious disease forced colonial Americans to change their daily lives to avoid it. Smallpox also affected the landscape of the Americas by nearly wiping out an entire race of people, the Native Americans, when they were confronted with the disease for the first time upon the arrival of the Europeans in North America. The disease forced Americans to live in periods of fear during outbreak and consider policies to keep them safe. However, the urgency of the disease also eventually led scientists to discover the concept of vaccination, which has since saved millions of lives.
Question 2:
Disease is helpful for students to consider the ways in which science has evolved from necessity. Seeing the ways in which people made small discoveries over time that eventually led to such a huge revelation of vaccination is a great way for students to see how science develops over time. It is also interesting to consider in terms of history how disease forced humans to change their actions, policies, or even destroy entire populations which causes huge changes in the landscape of civilization as a whole.
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Question 1:
The mass-produced nail indicates a period of American history when it was finally possible for Americans to move quickly to the ever-expanding Western frontier. The mass-produced nails made it cheaper to build sturdy homes, giving access to ordinary Americans to move West for perceived opportunities. When nails were expensive because they were handmade, families felt either pressured to move into poorly constructed log cabins or much more tied to their homes and obligated to stay when there were so many costs associated with it. The mass-produced nail eliminated this choice and gave families much more freedom to move and live in a quality home.
Question 2:
Most stories of westward expansion I am familiar with fit well with this story of the nail. As shown in the video of the artist's portrayal of the American west, the west was incredibly idealized by people who had never experienced it. Therefore, many young women and families were convinced to uproot their lives and make a huge move to a land presented as one full of opportunities. Due to the mass-produced nail, people felt even less connected to their homes and made this idealized land seem that much more accessible. With this freedom, droves of families went west, many to meet a land not as abundant as they had hoped.
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Question 1:
The reaper, and other faming technology that came out of the 19th century, led to a series of changes in the American cultural landscape. It became possible for Americans to produce more crops and transport them to more urban areas to be consumed. However, along with these advancements, came a growing divide between cities and rural areas that would eventually be fuel for the impending Civil War.
Question 2:
I'm interested in the ways that infrastructure was changing at this time. I think it would be helpful to see maps over this time period to see how rapidly transportation was literally changing the landscape. The associated population data from the same years would also be helpful for studying the time period to see just how quickly tensions were rising.
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Module Id: 952
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Question 1:
The growing demand for garments such as the simple shirtwaist sparked huge changes in labor in the United States. As women were becoming more active members of society, simple garments such as these were in high demand for daily life. Therefore, the garment industry took dangerous risks in order to keep up with production and competition, including severely underpaying employees, 84-hour work weeks, and cutting corners to save money in terms of building safety. These extreme conditions led to the formations of some of the first labor unions, which banded together in huge numbers to incite change. Unfortunately, the conditions were so bad that over 100 people died when a shirt factory caught fire after not being properly fire-proofed or safely constructed. After this tragedy, labor unions became more widespread leading to huge changes during the industrial revolution.
Question 2:
-What other industries were using such unsafe tactics? Was the garment industry the worst, or just the one that ended in the biggest tragedy?
-What were the policies that allowed for children to be working such severe hours in dangerous places? (e.g. not being required to be in school, employers allowed to hire children).
-Were there any regulations on fire safety in buildings to keep up with the growing industrial revolution?
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Question 1:
These shoes represent the necessity for quickly and cheaply made goods in order to supply the Civil War, which incited large economic changes across the struggling United States at the time. The government, that previously had very little daily involvement with its citizens, now needed citizens to provide it with goods for soldiers. Many Americans took advantage of this by selling the federal government low-quality goods at a high price, knowing very well they had no other choices in order to provide for its soldiers.
Question 2:
I'm interested in how Americans were both increasingly willing to economically take advantage of the war, but increasingly unwilling to volunteer for combat. I would like to see the progression of both of these changes in attitude over time, perhaps through editorials or draft/volunteer forms. I'm also curious in how much quality was affected by the war, so it would be interesting to look at quality of certain goods before/during/after the war. Did these goods remain of lower quality once the war ended or, given more flexibility and time, were craftsmen able to recover and make decent products?
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Title: Teacher
Grade Level: Elementary
Short Answer:
I love the mystery object exercise described in the video. This would be especially helpful with the younger students that I work with to spark their interest as well as creativity. It could help them begin their practice of historical thinking because there is so much to be considered when looking at an object. Not only do they need to hone their observational skills, but it requires that they consider what would make sense for a time period that they are unfamiliar with. Essentially these exercises would help young students come out of their bubble and begin their process of thinking historically.
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Module Id: 689
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Title: Order of Information
Grade Level: Elementary
Short Answer:
I enjoyed the order in which this module presented information. By starting with observations, all students have an access point to history just by stating the physical. Then, by providing context of the time, students have an opportunity to think for themselves how the object may be relevant to that period of time. Then, reconsidering the object allows students to incorporate what they had noticed with their new understanding of what was occurring at the time. This gives a lot of space for creativity as well as an opportunity to implement higher order thinking skills and historical thinking. I imagine this would make for a great exercise for small groups. This would give students a chance to use their skills to help the group, since it requires several different perspectives to fully understand. Small groups also provide the most ideal circumstance for students to find an access point that speaks to them and their strengths, something that can be difficult when it comes to teaching history.
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Module Id: 951
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Title: Advertising Analyses
Grade Level: Elementary
Short Answer:
It would be a great connection to the present to have young students analyze advertisements from long ago for products that are still in production. For example, a toy such as Barbie that has changed dramatically over the years to reflect social norms. Students could first see how Barbie once appeared when the doll was first released, and consider how she has changed since that time. Then, students could read about how the roles of women have changed since that time, and analyze why Barbie has evolved the way that she has. The advertising would also speak volumes to students about to whom is being advertised and what it is that these people valued. Using a product that is still in production, yet has evolved astronomically to reflect the times, would help them place these products into a historical context.
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Module Id: 1147
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Title: Studies of War
Grade Level: Elementary
Short Answer:
It is difficult to display to students the effects of war and especially the ways that it has evolved. The United States did not always have such a powerful and proud Army, and primary resources such as these are very helpful to display how the U.S. Army began and how far it has come. For upper grades, I think showing enactments of the difficulty of the available weaponry as well as the strategies of simply standing in tight marching lines going towards one another (perhaps through a marching activity outside to show how close everyone would need to be in order to effectively fight) would be really helpful to show the realities of the American Revolution. Analyzing the arguments for having a standing Army and enlisting would also be a great chance to look at persuasive writing and consider American opinion towards organized armies at the time.
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Module Id: 955
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Title: Disease Studies
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
Studies of the evolution of disease would likely be best for students in high school that have an understanding of science. Oftentimes, students may study viruses in biology and understand them in terms of science, but do not get a chance to connect this knowledge to historical thinking. Showing students some of the policies that evolved out of necessity for containing such a contagious virus and having them consider why these policies were in place and how the disease affected the human population would be a great exercise. It would open up discussions for how inventions are born of necessity as well as how human expansion often has detrimental affects.
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Module Id: 954
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Title: Infrastructure
Grade Level: Elementary
Short Answer:
One activity that would be great for younger students would be to trace backwards some of the architecture that is still so popular in our American lives. I would take students on either a virtual or real walk around neighborhoods that reflect some of these building types, and then ask them to come up with what they notice and why we might be seeing some of the same themes. Then, we as a class could look at some of these resources and consider the evolution of homes. Students could then predict why the shift from log cabins to balloon frames on their own, before I present pictures of the nail and ask them to incorporate those thoughts into their predictions. This would give students a chance to see the affects of mass-production everywhere in their daily lives.
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Module Id: 953
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Title: Widening Connections
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
This module might be one that I would spread over a couple of days with older students. The reaper study alone opens up a discussion that likely would take students a little longer to associate with the Civil War. We could begin with looking at familiar farming tools (the reaper, the cotton gin, etc) and then discuss how those changed the availability of food. The following days we could start incorporating the changing infrastructure and consider how the two may be connected and the eventual implications (e.g. rising tensions leading to the Civil War). Starting small like this would help students to see the tensions that led to something as significant as the Civil War the as the small buildups over a long period of time, rather than just a fight over slavery laws, as it is often understood by history students.
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Module Id: 952
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Title: Extreme Conditions
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
I think this study would be best suited to middle school students. Another industry that involved children (at the age of the students, or even younger) in dangerous working conditions was coal mining. It would be personal to show them children their own age and describe to them the conditions of their lives when forced to work in mines. Much like the shirtwaist industry, it was one that just kept growing and growing (and conditions worsened and worsened) until there was enough tragedy to force a change in policies. Thus, the students could study the growing industry from the beginning to the end and realize how little policy there was because such high levels of production were previously uncharted territory. Students could see how the policies that resulted from these horrible times led to the conditions we are used to today.
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Module Id: 950
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Title: Daily Goods
Grade Level: Elementary
Short Answer:
I think that using a shoe or other simple article that would have been provided to soldiers is a great place to start talking about economics of war. Shoes are, of course, something accessible to all students, but they may not immediately think of just how many of these are needed in times of war (as opposed to something more obvious, like weapons). Showing just numbers alone of how many pairs of shoes were required, and how much that would cost a government, would spark a conversation about how expensive war is. This could be enough for a day of discussion and investigation, before moving on to considering where these products would be coming from in an age that was not able to mass-produce goods at the rate needed for the unprecedented Civil War. Therefore, the shoe is an accessible item that opens up several discussions not only of the Civil War but also economics. Students could then consider goods today and where they come from to see how we are still affected by changes in policy from hundreds of years ago.
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