Analyzing Objects

Porcelain

Musket Ball

Smallpox

Nail

Reaper

Shirtwaist

Transistor

Coffee

Record

Tire

Dishwasher

Dress

Stereograph

Stone

Mail

Shoe

Question 1:
Historical thinking is when an individual analyzes any type of primary source and tries to comprehend the significance of that source in connection with a historical event.
Question 2:
When students are introduced to a historical event via notes or an activity, sometimes they do not make the connection or see the significance. By showing objects, students can actually hold something tangible from that era. It can solidify and help students understand something that happened in history.
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Question 1:
The first thing I noticed about the object is how it is tied at the waist. It looks like it could be made out of a light weight material such as cotton. I also noticed that the shirt does not have a collar.
Question 2:
This article of clothing represents what we call "fashion." Whether it is an expensive or inexpensive item, it can be used to gather information about a particular era. A part of culture is what people wear. Understanding the choices in clothing could connect to broader themes in American history by identifying fashion trends and connecting it to a particular era.
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Question 1:
The objects in the photo are nails. Each nail is a different size as represented by the ruler at the bottom. The shape of the nails could have been used for machinery or possibly the railroad. They are also made of some type of metal, possibly steel.
Question 2:
The nails could connect to broader themes in American history because they could be representative of the Industrial Revolution in America. The nails could have been used to lay train track across the country which revolutionized communication and business. In addition, they could be made of steel, which was an industry that exploded in the United States, thanks to Andrew Carnegie.
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Question 1:
The envelope is stamped with "Confederate States of America." This letter is from the Civil War era. In the left hand corner it indicates that there is no postage because the letter is for business.
Question 2:
This object could connects to themes in American history because it is a piece of one of America's darkest times. Inside the envelope, the letter could indicate the mindset or perspective of the war. By examining the envelope and later the contents of the letter, students could gain an insight into what was going on in that period.
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Question 1:
I notice a photo of a woman from the 1900s. There is another woman in the background and they are both wearing all white. The cars look decorated and the lady in the background is wearing a sash. I believe this photo is in connection the suffragist movement.
Question 2:
The photo looks as if it is in connection the suffragist movement. Both women are dressed in all white and one has a sash. One of the cars looks decorated as if for a parade. The suffragist movement was a huge part of 19th and 20th century American history. Women such as Susan B. Anthony began the movement for women's rights. By the 1900s, women such as Alice Paul took a more radical approach to gain the right to vote for women, which included protesting a war time president. Overall, the work would change the future for women in America.
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Question 1:
This object looks like a toy perhaps. It is like binoculars that create depth when you look at the photograph that is attached.
Question 2:
This object could connect to broader themes in American history because maybe it has some connection to early cinema in America. Cinema did transform the American entertainment experience.
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Question 1:
This object looks like a toy perhaps. It is like binoculars that create depth when you look at the photograph that is attached.
Question 2:
This object could connect to broader themes in American history because maybe it has some connection to early cinema in America. Cinema did transform the American entertainment experience.
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Question 1:
The object is obviously a tea cup and saucer. It has a specific pattern with blue and gold trim. The material could be porcelain.
Question 2:
The tea cup and saucer could represent the upper class in the United States. Many homes of upper class would most likely have a tea set made of porcelain used to entertain guests.
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Question 1:
The object is obviously a tea cup and saucer. It has a specific pattern with blue and gold trim. The material could be porcelain.
Question 2:
The tea cup and saucer could represent the upper class in the United States. Many homes of upper class would most likely have a tea set made of porcelain used to entertain guests.
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Question 1:
The object in the photograph is a pair of boots. The boots look like they are leather and very worn out. The boots could have belonged to a farmer or maybe a soldier.
Question 2:
The pair of shoes could have been made during an era of history in America, such as the 19th century. The shoes could tell us about fashion trends, technology and industry, or they could be symbol of working class America.
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Question 1:
Historical thinking helps students analyze primary sources from history. Students examine, observe, and ask questions about historical events. Instead of taking everything as fact, students can see the different perspectives of one major historical event. Students can try to empathize with people from the past as well.
Question 2:
Historical objects can be used in the classroom to draw a connection to the historical event. Objects can encourage critical thinking and processing. Students can take what they know about the time period, form a hypothesis, observe, and come to a conclusion about an artifact and how it relates to the historical period they are studying.
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Question 1:
The shirtwaist is a symbol of the development of labor unions, the rise of manufacturing in the early 20th century, and corporate America. This shirtwaist was worn by many women across the country as well as stitched, sewn, and packaged by immigrant women. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911 caused about 200 deaths in the Asch building in Manhattan. The fire sparked and spread extremely quickly in the building, but workers did not have efficient ways to escape. Many perished in the fire due to the owners locking the exits in order to keep workers from taking extra breaks. The owners were tried and acquitted in their role of the deaths caused by the fire. The shirtwaist pictured is very simple and plain, but behind its existence were immigrant women who may have given their lives in the making of that simple garment.
Question 2:
How many other incidents occurred in the manufacturing industry before worker safety was taken seriously by the government?

How did the work of people like Alice Paul influence the rights of women in connection with worker safety in places like the Triangle Shirtwaist factory?

Labor unions are currently viewed in a negative light by many Americans. How has the view of labor unions and worker safety and rights changed since the 20th century?
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Question 1:
The mass produced nail connects to the broader themes in American history because of its availability. In the beginning when colonist would want to move, they had to burn down their homes and retrieve the nails. The nails were handcrafted, scarce, and expensive. This led to alternatives in home construction such as brick homes and log cabins. America began industrializing and the mass produced nail led to an increase in the construction of homes and a revolutionized way of building. The prefabricated homes became very popular and proved to be a cheap way to build a dwelling.
Question 2:
The story of the nail shows us how a small object can impact history. With westward expansion, people were promised land and believed that it was America's destiny to inhabit this land. Many people in the west found alternatives to building homes with what was in their environments. Log cabins, brick homes, and sod houses allowed people to have homes without the expensive use of nails.
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Question 1:
The mass produced nail connects to the broader themes in American history because of its availability. In the beginning when colonist would want to move, they had to burn down their homes and retrieve the nails. The nails were handcrafted, scarce, and expensive. This led to alternatives in home construction such as brick homes and log cabins. America began industrializing and the mass produced nail led to an increase in the construction of homes and a revolutionized way of building. The prefabricated homes became very popular and proved to be a cheap way to build a dwelling.
Question 2:
The story of the nail shows us how a small object can impact history. With westward expansion, people were promised land and believed that it was America's destiny to inhabit this land. Many people in the west found alternatives to building homes with what was in their environments. Log cabins, brick homes, and sod houses allowed people to have homes without the expensive use of nails.
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Question 1:
The mail connects to themes in 19th American history through its role in the Civil War. Leading up to the Civil War, the founding fathers had many heated debates over the nature of slavery and whether it should continue. The southerners fought desperately to keep the institution. With a new type of abolitionist movement popping up in the North, the mail started to play an integral role. William Lloyd Garrison began publishing his newspaper, The Liberator. More and more newsletter and abolitionist mail began to be distributed. However, the militant and abrupt end to the institution of slavery that the abolitionist mail described angered many slave owning southerners. With the mob attack in Charleston, the post master began to refuse to send the abolitionist mail out, fearing for his own safety. Many people do not think about the impact of a government agency like the Post Office. Its history was said to begin with the Second Continental Congress and then progressed from there. The mail was the main way of communication in that time and had an impact on the type of newsletter/pamphlet/bulletins, etc that were distributed.
Question 2:
The sources presented in this module made me think about the significance of the Post Office prior to the Civil War. I had not thought about that being something that could impact something as significant as the Civil War.
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Question 1:
The dress is a connection to the women's suffrage movement in the early 1900s. The color of the dress symbolized the idea of purity and simplicity. The women's movement was fighting the idea of traditional gender roles with the introduction of industry and technology in the 1900s. Having civil rights and the right over their own bodies would allow women to have choice and create a better future for their children.
Question 2:
I would like to examine more writing about the suffrage movement. I did know that there were more conservative women that tried to get the vote state by state, but also more radical tactics that were being used. I would like to see more about the women who opposed the right to vote. I knew that there was the opposition and mostly to keep the status quo, however, I did not know that those women viewed the right to vote as a "burden."
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Question 1:
The stereoscope helped Americans to visualize things that were happening in the country. It was mostly for upper and middle class, however libraries made it available for many people who could not have their own stereoscope. People could see places that they could not afford to travel to as well as scenes like Teddy Roosevelt's speech.
Question 2:
Students during this period of time learned about geography and history through using the stereoscope. Students could connect the use of it in education to their own experiences. With the development of the internet, virtual tours are still a way that students can "travel" to places that they're studying.
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Question 1:
The stereoscope helped Americans to visualize things that were happening in the country. It was mostly for upper and middle class, however libraries made it available for many people who could not have their own stereoscope. People could see places that they could not afford to travel to as well as scenes like Teddy Roosevelt's speech.
Question 2:
Students during this period of time learned about geography and history through using the stereoscope. Students could connect the use of it in education to their own experiences. With the development of the internet, virtual tours are still a way that students can "travel" to places that they're studying.
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Question 1:
The porcelain tea set connects to 18th century history in America because of it is a symbol of British luxury. When the British began taxing Americans after the Seven Years War, Americans began to get upset for they had no representation in Parliament and felt the taxes were unfair. The continued taxing on trade items led to a boycott of British goods and rejection of British luxury items like porcelain tea sets, which allowed the wealthy to save their money in an effort to show patriotism.
Question 2:
I believe that I would want to know more about the specific items and how they impacted day to day lives for American colonists. The cause could be reduced to taxation without representation, but I would also be interested in learning more about how taxation worked before the Seven Years War.
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Question 1:
The shoe was a mass produced item that was not unique during the Civil War. The rise of the Civil War meant that the government needed to purchase lots of items for the army and production tactics had to change. Prior to the Civil War, shoes were made by cobblers on an individual basis. The production techniques and industry transformed to keep up with the government's demand for supplies. It also allowed owners of those companies to be able to sell at any price because the government was in such desperate need.
Question 2:
The draft that was instituted definitely changed the relationship between citizens and the American government. I would like to study more sources that shows that relationship. I would also like to study more sources about how the expansion of the government during the war affected women. What were women doing during this period? How did the draft affect women and their families? etc.
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Title: Social Studies Teacher
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I could use the See, Think, Wonder strategy in my classroom with Freshmen students. I do show the students cave art and do this strategy, but completely informal. I find that students do not really appreciate the cave art or understand why I am showing it to them. I also think I could use more primary sources in my teaching to help students make those connections in addition to developing their critical thinking skills.
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Title: Photograph Lesson
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I think it would be a neat idea to use a simple picture, like the one of the shirtwaist and have students analyze it. A See, Think, Wonder worksheet could be provided to students and have them make their inferences. Have students discuss those inferences and repeat the process with more pictures such as the building, newspaper article, or workers. Do the same strategy again and a closure activity.
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Title: Photograph Lesson
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I think it would be a neat idea to use a simple picture, like the one of the shirtwaist and have students analyze it. A See, Think, Wonder worksheet could be provided to students and have them make their inferences. Have students discuss those inferences and repeat the process with more pictures such as the building, newspaper article, or workers. Do the same strategy again and a closure activity.
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Title: Bell Ringer for discussion of westward expansion
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
One of the ways to introduce this content to a class would be in US history and the discussion of the impact of Westward expansion. I think showing the class a photograph of the nails and having them make guesses of what the object is and how it would impact westward expansion would make a great opener to a larger discussion of Westward expansion.
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Title: You've Got Mail
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
One way to engage students with using sources from this module would be to put students into pairs. Then distribute a graphic organizer for students to use to analyze the primary sources. I think it would be a good idea to distribute three letters of different perspectives- one from an abolitionists' perspective, one from an abolitionists' perspective with a lukewarm fervor for ending slavery, and then a southerner's perspective. The documents would be in envelopes. I would ask the students what they have in their hands and the response should be "envelopes, letters, etc." And then pose the questions, "how could something as simple as the mail effect history?" We would discuss and then the students would analyze the letters about the different documents and fill out an exit ticket on the different perspectives that they learned from the letters.
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Title: Women's Suffrage
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
In my class for government and US history, I have given primary sources to analyze in connection to the Women's Suffrage movement. After we analyze the sources with the See, Think, Wonder strategy, I show clips from the movie Iron Jawed Angels and then discuss. I would like to add more sources, primary or secondary, about the perspectives of women who did not agree with suffrage.
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Title: Stereoscope
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
When studying 19th history social patterns in US history, student could be introduced by showing students' a picture of the stereoscope, have them guess what it is, and show them the picture of students using it in the classroom. Let them infer and then discuss. Ask students how the use of the stereoscope might have impacted education and ask them how it has related to their educational experience. Students may say something like computers or internet. Ask students to explain how the stereoscope might have impacted history and compare that to the use of computers and internet.
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Title: Sons of Liberty
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
The sources from the module could be used to explore the causes of the American Revolution. The items that were once considered a British luxury were boycotted or rejected and I think introducing students to those items and ideas would help them understand why the American colonists wanted to break away from England.
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Title: Shoes
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I think the production aspect of items such as shoes, rations, etc. could help to explain how the war transformed technology, political patterns, and social patterns during the Civil War. I would introduce the picture of the shoes and ask students how such a common item could have an effect on the Civil War.
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Title: Shoes
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I think the production aspect of items such as shoes, rations, etc. could help to explain how the war transformed technology, political patterns, and social patterns during the Civil War. I would introduce the picture of the shoes and ask students how such a common item could have an effect on the Civil War.
Redirect: /content/shoe-wrap
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