Analyzing Objects

Porcelain

Musket Ball

Smallpox

Nail

Reaper

Shirtwaist

Transistor

Coffee

Record

Tire

Dishwasher

Dress

Stereograph

Stone

Mail

Shoe

Question 1:
Historical thinking is a set of critical literacy skills for evaluating and analyzing primary source documents to construct a meaningful account of the past.
Question 2:
Using artifacts will stimulate students' thinking about themselves and their place in their local community and its history. Artifacts provide opportunities to challenge and enhance our understanding of the past.
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Question 1:
I notice they are long and pointed and have flat tops which look like they may have been used as nails.
Question 2:
These artifacts may reflect how society progressed in the building of homes and other structures. Artifacts help us to explore themes and American ideals and ideas such as democracy, opportunity, and freedom.
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Question 1:
I notice that it is shaped like a mushroom, has legs and a round top and seems to be made of metal. There are terminals that may conduct electricity.
Question 2:
Perhaps this object could be connected to the industrial revolution. The transistor could also held students understand how the process of communication has evolved over time.
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Question 1:
The object seems to be made of porcelain and painted or fired. The design is intricate and the use of color is incorporated into the design. The edges are fluted and I'm wondering about the gold - is it real?
Question 2:
First, this appears to be a tea cup. Was it a Chinese export? Some are made with handles and others without. Does this have meaning? Were there other parts of the tea set? Does the size of the teacup have meaning? The availability of land and resources in American enabled the collection or production of a wide variety of commodities. How did trade impact history and what was the progression? What were considered luxuries and necessities? Which class would have used tea cups?
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Question 1:
The word Nescafe is written on the front. It seems to be made of some type of metal and looks as if it contains some type of product that would be used to make a beverage.
Question 2:
This object might connect to themes such as materials use to store food products. Perhaps the evolution of food and preservatives. It would also connect to the diet of individuals living during that time frame.
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The object is rudimentary and seems to be made of stone or some type of metal. It is not smooth but, rather, is uneven.
Question 2:
I think it would be interesting for teachers to help students explore the archaeology of musketballs. For decades, they were one of the most neglected of archaeological finds and often went unanalysed.The growth of battlefield and conflict archaeology has led to a wave of new research that is rapidly changing our view of these objects and what they can tell us about momentous events in the past. Understanding that different firearms used bullets of different sizes and weight and often different types of gun were carried by different troop types. The location of bullets on a battlefield provides us with a unique plan of how a fight progressed; it can reveal who fought where, what type of soldiers they were, and where the fighting was hardest.
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Question 1:
I notice that these appear to be photographs of cells and they look as though they have mutated as they are different. The images are fuzzy.
Question 2:
The history of smallpox is fascinating and I think students would enjoy the research and then making connections to modern day situations such as COVID-19. Interesting enough, smallpox is believed to have first infected humans around the time of the earliest agricultural settlements some 12,000 years ago. A few mummies from that era contain familiar looking skin lesions. Ramses V, looks to have had the disease. Smallpox has had a major impact on world history, not least because indigenous populations of regions where smallpox was non-native such as the Americas and Australia were rapidly decimated and weakened by small pox along with other introduced diseases during period of initial foreign contact, which helped the way for conquest and colonization.
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Question 1:
I can tell that it is a vinyl record and was produced by Victor Record in America. Something won first prize in expositions.
Question 2:
I would pose the following essential question to students: How did changes in the technology of record manufacturing effect popular music, radio, and the people who consumed both? I think they would be intrigued to find that the earliest recordings made with Thomas Edison's phonograph in 1877 required no electricity.
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Question 1:
I notice that they are thin and disposed of in a large pile. They also seem to be outside some large building with lots of windows. Some have rims but most do not. They also don't seem to have intertubes.
Question 2:
In the winter of 1839, Charles Goodyear accidentally discovers that the addition of heat and sulphur alters the consistency of rubber, later to be known as the vulcanization process. There was a 'rubber fever' in the early 1830s. At first, everyone wanted things made of the new waterproof gum from Brazil. Then abruptly the public had become fed up with the messy stuff which froze hard in winter and turned glue-like in summer. Investors lost millions and not one of the young rubber companies survived as long as five years. The story of how Goodyear went from broke to a millionaire would coincide with the historical events of the time.
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Question 1:
I have no idea what this is but it looks like something used for farming? It has moving parts but I'm unable to tell what it does. This is intriguing.
Question 2:
The McCormick mechanical harvester increased farm production which impacted industry, trade, and our ability to feed the masses. The machine was invented to harvest grain. In the decades following his first attempts to bring mechanical aid to farm work, the invention would revolutionize farming in the US and around the world. Because farmers could harvest more, they could plant more. This invention made the possibility of food shortages, or even famine, less likely. It changed farming forever. When Chicago became the center of the railroads in the Midwest, this machine could be shipped to all parts of the country. The spread of the reapers meant that American grain production also increased. The machine may have had an impact on the Civil War as farmhands going off to war had less impact on grain production. American labor history was forever changed.
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Question 1:
The object appears to be an old time dishwasher based upon the two racks. They both look round and the folding door appears very thin. I'm wondering if the racks spun or if the water jetted throughout the machine.
Question 2:
Joel Houghton had the idea of creating the very first dishwasher in 1850 and was actually able to patent the machine. It only sprayed water on the dishes so wasn't very effective. A wealthy woman, Josephine Cochrane, invented an automatic dishwasher so her servants would not break expensive dishes. Her invention was pivotal in starting the company, KitchenAid. Dishwashers were possible after indoor plumbing. It signified a boom in manufacturing in the 1900s. Initially, they were a luxury item until the 1950s. The dishwasher can actually help illuminate the progression of inventions in history. Josephine Cochran's grandfather invented a steamboat patent. She couldn't get men to do the things she wanted in her way until they tried and failed on their own. Her way was better so she took matters into her own hands. This was at a time when women didn't do such things. A simple appliance can really give us a lens into what life was like during those times and how inventions built upon one another.
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Question 1:
The object appears to be a woman's shirt. There are buttons and a waist tie. The high neckline would indicate this is a conservative garment.
Question 2:
One of the most horrific tragedies in American manufacturing history occurred in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in 1911 when a ferocious fire spread through a NYC garment shop, resulting in the deaths of 146 people and injuring many more. Workers - mostly immigrant women in their teens and 20s, attempting to free - found jammed narrow staircases, locked exit doors, and a fire escape that collapsed. Unable to escape, some workers jumped from the ten-story building to their death.

Research the shirtwaist and garment industry would help students focus on the story of working people. The story of workers and the changing social contract between management and labor is an underlying theme. This research can bring depth to historical figures and can also present students with uncomfortable and difficult questions. What were the trade-offs that industry, labor, and consumers made at the time to accommodate their priorities as they saw them? What insights can we gleam from the past to inform our choices for the future?
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Question 1:
This dress is all white and appears to be in two pieces with the woman wearing some type of banner/flag pinned to her chest. Based upon the wrinkles, I think the fabric is linen. The sleeves and skirt are long and the undershirt, shoes and hat are also matching white. It looks hot.
Question 2:
The history of fashion can illustrate the political climate of each era especially by viewing the difference between men's and women's clothing. In the 1900s, women wore corsets which served to thrust the hips backwards and force the chest into a shape that was emphasized with puffed, frilly blouses embellished with decorations like lace collars and broad ribbon ties. This was much more constrictive as opposed to men's suits, etc.

During WWI, women adopted practical, working clothes and they sometimes wore uniform, overalls and trousers. I think students would be fascinated by how hairstyles often followed the changes in dress.

Throughout history, dress reflected the political views of the time.
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Question 1:
I have seen these but have never used one. The object appeared to be a way to take a closer look at objects in photographs or drawings.
Question 2:
Stereoscopes were the original virtual reality. It was first created in 1838 as a way to demonstrate how our vision works: each eye sees a slightly different perspective when looking objects. This led to the later invention of the photograph. Photographers around the world produced millions of stereoscopic views between 1850 and 1930 and their popularity spiked when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert received the gift of a stereoscopic viewer at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in 1851. Around the world, independent and entrepreneurial photographers broke into the growing market for illustrations of all types of subjects: local history and events, grand landscapes, foreign monuments, charming scenes, portraits of notables, and urban architecture. War and disasters such as floods, fired, train-wrecks, and earthquakes were popular subjects. Studying the evolution of photographic images and making connections to popular culture and historical events can be pivotal to student understanding of American history.
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Question 1:
The letter seems yellowed and is stamped by the Confederate States of America. The postage was free and part of official business. I think the letter was to an attorney in South Carolina. The script appears to have been written in fountain pan and real ink.
Question 2:
The history of the post office is nothing less than the story of America. The post established the US as the world information and communications superpower. After the Revolution, America needed a way to circulate news throughout the new political body. Studying the evolution of how post and information has evolved, helps to connect students to the physical, political and economic development of the US throughout history.
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Question 1:
The object appears to be carved stone with an inscription on the front which leads me to believe it is a marker of some type, perhaps an important location, event or even a headstone.
Question 2:
When the first settlers came to Boston, in 1630, they probably found the land covered with an abundant supply of stone and boulders. They were once useful in the construction of buildings and homes but were the exception rather than the rule as the very poor could only afford to live in homes constructed of mud and clay. The use of stone in architecture can be aligned to American history. Churches were built of coarse boulders that were dug out of the ground and then split and hammered. This was done by heating the stones. Students could connect events in history to the evolution of our society and other events like the industrial revolution, etc.
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Question 1:
These shoes are well worn, have stitched soles which are substantive and have laces. They appear to be constructed of pieces of leather stitched together.
Question 2:
I think students would enjoy studying the long history of shoes. Like many other pieces of modern technology, the shoes you put on before work or school each day have evolved over the course of millennia. Shoes can be connected to the evolution of cultures and a society. Archaeologists have found a leather shoe that wrapped around the foot and was tied in the front in a cave in Armenia that dates back to 3,627 B.C. There are cave painting that show people wearing some sort of coverings on their feed. Shoes began very simply but evolved into being decorated with jewels, gold and colors that represented one's status. In American history, the poor were regulated to crude shoes which the wealthy wore shoes constructed of leather. Styles also evolved according to the cultural influences of the time. In the 1700s we see the production of shoes being impacted by the use of machinery. Advancements in footwear technology came during the 1800s in the way of cowboy boots. Into the 1800s advances were made in that shoes were made for specific feet and for the right and left feet. The Industrial Revolution and machine era was important for shoe production. In the late 1800s, rubber was also patented for use in shoes' soles. The evolution of shoes runs parallel to the advances of society, cultural and political environments.
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Question 1:
Historical thinking is a set of critical literacy skills for evaluating and analyzing primary source documents to construct a meaningful account of the past.
Question 2:
Artifacts - the objects we make and use - are part of history. They can be sources for better understanding our history. They frame the way we act in the world, as well as the way we think about the world. To understand the past, we have to understand the artifacts of the past.
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Question 1:
Nails provide one of the best clues to help determine the age of historic buildings. Before 1800, hand-wrought nails typically fastened the sheathing and roof boards on buildings. Between the 1790s and early 1800s, various machines were invented for making nails from bars of iron. By the 1810s, a more effective design for a nail making machine was developed. By 1886, over 10 percent of the nails produced in the US were made of soft steel write. This progression bring the industrial age to life for the learner.
Question 2:
When history comes through artifacts, distinct themes emerge. For example, the significance of place, relationships, and technology, that are less apparent when only books and words are used.
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Question 1:
Some see the invention of the transistor as one of the most important inventions of the 20th Century. Once Thomas Edison discovered the electron, many inventions followed such as the wireless telephone, offshore oil well drilling, radio signals transmitted across the Atlantic, air conditioning, flight, construction of the Panama Canal, and travels to the South Pole.
Question 2:
When was the first transistor computer made? What is the history of the transistor? What is the date of the transistor? Was the transistor invented in the US? How did the invention of the transistor impact early commercialization?
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Question 1:
Students could research porcelain and pottery in the 16th - 18th centuries. There were attempts to create ceramics but the Chinese had cornered the market on the creation of porcelain. During the 17th century, imitations of true porcelain appeared. What was the role of Scientists in the quest to create genuine porcelain? How did this impact trade and exploration?
Question 2:
I would want students to research the political climate in the decade that led up to the American Revolution. Sea power and trade were integral but why? How was sea power vital in determining the course of the war?
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Question 1:
After doing some research, I discovered that Nescafe is instant coffee. The earliest version of instant coffee was invented in 1771 in Britain and the first American product was developed in 1853. Various versions were created and it first appeared in cake form. As with tea, the Japanese invented the first successful technique for manufacturing a stable powdered product. Instant coffee first found its niche market in the military as caffeine consumption on the battlefield provided a much-needed boost. Once a year, the entire production from the U.S. Nescafe plant went solely to the military. The invention and evolution of instant coffee can be connected to the politics and conflicts of the time.
Question 2:
Today, women's activities and interests are recognized in literary and cultural field. However, this was not the case a century ago. A woman's place was in the home, as domesticity and motherhood were considered by society at large to be a sufficient emotional fulfillment for females. Women struggled to attain social equality. Throughout history, women were constant victims of society's ideals and there were certain rules imposed and standards implemented that women were to follow. One of the many limitations is that women's roles were dictated by men and men were the main individuals creating the advertising of the time. Women had little to no economic independence.
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Question 1:
These objects reveal information about moments in time that were extremely violent and traumatic for those involved. They were often deposited over just a few minutes or hours, in many cases as part of a famous historic event that we remain aware of today. Each was designed to kill or maim. Their analysis can unlock details of our violent past that bring us closer to understanding the experience of our ancestors and allows us to reveal events which were often the defining moment of their lives.
Question 2:
Subjects range from contemporary accounts of the Civil War, unusual occurrences and natural disasters to official government proclamations, tax bills and town meeting reports. Material types include clipper ship sailing cards, early trade cards, bill heads, theater and music programs, stock certificates, menus and invitations documenting civic, political and private celebrations. Primary sources really help history come alive for students as they can often find connections to their own family trees. Example include diaries, journals, speeches, interviews, letters, memos, photographs, videos, public opinion polls, and government records among many other things.
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Question 1:
The history of smallpox extends into pre-history with the disease probably emerging in human populations around 10,000 BC. The earliest credible evidence of smallpox is found in the Egyptian mummies of people who died some 3,000 years. Regions such as the Americas and Australia were rapidly decimated and weakened by smallpox during periods of initial foreign contact. Durin the 18th century, the disease killed an estimated 400,000 Europeans each year, including five reigning monarchs, and was responsible for a third of all blindness. Between 20-60% of all those infected -- and over 80% of infected children -- died from the disease. How those deaths impacted history would be extremely interesting.
Question 2:
Smallpox is among the world's most feared diseases and is estimated to have killed more people than every other infectious disease combines and more than triple the number killed in every war in the 20th century. There are lots of questions students could answer that would lead them to being able to articulate the benefits and drawbacks of using the disease as a historical lens. How did the disease get spread in India in the first place? Where was the epidemic triggered? In Prussia? What part of the war triggered it and was it the conditions people lived in? Where did the settlers who brought the disease to Japan come from? How did they get infected in the first place? There seems to be no information at all about the eradication of smallpox. Students could research information about how humans came up with a vaccination, who developed it and how it was distributed. Researching how smallpox outbreaks came to an end would help complete the history of the disease. Were they any outbreaks in Africa. If there were no epidemics, what would be the result.
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Question 1:
There are a variety of topics that students could research which would help them make connections to themes in 20th century history. About Thomas Edison and the invention of sound recording, how a vinyl record stores audio information, how the emerging youth culture of the 1950s can be understood in relation to technological advancements in record and record player production, about the inventions of AM and FM radio broadcasting, how the technologies differ, and how these differences affected American music culture, how FCC regulations created space for the emergence of FM radio, about the pioneering DJs of AM and FM radio and their roles in American youth culture, how trends in the formats of recordings and radio broadcasting reflect concurrent changes of broader American culture.
Question 2:
Students could interpret and discuss the meaning of a variety of primary source materials, including radio broadcasts and print material. They could read, listen to, and watch a variety of sources to gather information and draw historical and thematic connections. Analyze content from historical materials to arrive at a better understandingof the past. Understand connections between popular culture and the time, place and social circumstances in which it was created.
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Question 1:
The study and research of tires would highlight the era of rubber fever and how Americans were first enamored with rubber and then wanted nothing to do with it. Goodyear spent decades working with rubber and inventing products. He went from a pauper to millionaire to being $200,000 in debt when he dies. His son made a fortune on shoemaking machinery. Neither Goodyear nor his family was ever connected with the company named in his honor, the billion-dollar Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. Today there is a cultivated rubber tree for every two human beings on earth. The US alone important almost half of it.
Question 2:
What is an overview of the rubber market from 1870-1930 and why were rubber items discarded like in the posted? Who first developed rubber? How did Europeans experiment with rubber as a waterproofing agent. What is the commercial history of rubber? What were the early uses of rubber? What were the inital problems with natural rubber? What products were created with rubber? How did the bicycle impact the rubber boom. How did the automobile industry have an impact?
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Question 1:
The Civil War was impacted as was the railroad industry and labor history. When workers at McCormick's factory struck in 1886, events surrounding the strike led to the Haymarket Riot which was a watershed event in American labor history.
Question 2:
Immigration in the late 1800s to America from Germany, Ireland and England were the principal sources of immigration before the Civil War. That would change drastically in the next three decades. Expansion would explain a lot about changes that took place during that time. the Pacific expansion and American missionaries and sugar planters traveled west before the gold rush. China Trade routes opened trade with Asians. As a result of these events, America stepped out onto the world stage.
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Question 1:
There are many themes that can be connected via the study of the dishwasher such as: american diversity and the relationships among different groups. The roles of race, class, ethnicity and gender in US history. Economic transformations and changes in trade, commerce, and technology across time. The effects of capitalistic development, labors and unions, and consumerism on society. The impact of population growth and industrialization. Reform and diverse movements focusing on a broad range of issues such as education, labor, women's rights, and government.
Question 2:
I haven't studied the Cold War since my undergraduate studies years ago. This module helped bring back many themes of the Cold War and emphasized the connections between political events and cultural beliefs. The Cold War affected the way that Americans saw themselves. The American home became so intertwined with public policy and political ideology, that everyday practices like grocery shopping and familial living arrangements were infused with geo-political significance. During these years, consumption - the use of economic goods to satisfy wants - became synonymous with democracy. Study of this era can help students understand life on the home fronts in both the US and Soviet Union. By reviewing advertising and propaganda, students can deepen their understanding of the basic tenets of capitalism and communism and gain a better understanding of the conflict between the nations.
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Question 1:
Today, as debates continue over government regulation, immigration, and corporate responsibility, I would engage students in discussions about how the past can inform what happens in the future.
Question 2:
As a result of the fire in the Triangle Waist Company, the two owners faced first- and second-degree manslaughter changes. The trail was high drama at the time. Their attorney was able to discredit a key witness and survivor of the fire by convincing the jury that she had been coached and memorized her account of events. After three weeks of trial with hundreds of witness testimonies, the two owners ultimately beat the rap on a technicality (they did not know a second exit door on the 9th floor was locked) and were acquitted by a jury of their peers. Learning about this event would serve to highlight for students that the justice systems let the families of workers down and the result was widespread moral outrage and increased demands for government regulation which, in many way, continues to this very day. Studying different industrial disaster stories can become a touchstone, and critique, of capitalism in the US. Labor leaders took up the rallying cry for political change. The resulting changes over the decades were only first steps in bringing out some needed protection, the underlying American belief in capitalism, including the powerful appeal of the 'rags-to-riches' narrative which remains intact. Unlike many other industrial countries, socialism never gained a dominant hold in the US, and the struggle between labor and management continues.
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Question 1:
Women's fashion at the beginning of the 20th century was largely a matter of status. The corset squeezed away the belly and gave the body an S-shaped line. Advocates of women's rights opposed this dress and advocated for a dress that hung loosely without a corset. This was rejected by the most style conscious women. The suit began to establish itself as a multi-faceted garment, eventually becoming a symbol of democratic fashion. Few women dared to be seen on the streets in pants but some wore harem pants worm under a long tunic. Dress differed drastically prior to and following WWI. Long trousers for women were inaugurated by women's work clothing. Directly following the war, people worked with what was available, altering uniforms and army tarps or other leftovers to create civilian clothes.
Question 2:
Students would be able to look at lots of secondary sources to understand the road to suffrage. The Suffrage Movement which began in 1848 at the Seneca Falls convention was not the first in support of women's rights but it is viewed as the meeting that launched a national movement and cause which continued over the next 70 years. I would use the suffrage timeline to explore the women, ideas and action that led to the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920 and discuss the Suffrage Movement as a model for peaceful activism. Students would be required to use a minimum of three sources to discuss the significance of the Women's Suffrage Movement and expand information about a historical timeline event.
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Question 1:
The stereoscope connected people using visual information and appealed to the broad community of students, scholars, specialists and laymen whose research or interests required pictorial documentation or illustration. The small size enabled photographers to take a more journalistic approach to accommodate the public's interest in popular subjects. Views could be connected to themes such as local history, events, industries and trade, costume, urban and country life, and portraits. To further research the history of the medium of photography and connection to themes, students could study glass transparencies, albumen prints, silver gelatin prints and more. As historical records, photography has the potential to reveal the way the world appears through the photographers' and audiences' preconceptions. They also feed our curiosity about the past while satisfying our ongoing fascination with technology.
Question 2:
I would start with a debate of the question "why was photography invented in the 1820s and 1830s when the camera obscura had been known for centuries? This discussion might address a variety of key issues: the desire for optical realism and illusionism in art, previous use of optical devices by artists, Enlightenment advances in science, and the Romantic notion of supremacy of subjective experience of the world. The Victoria and Albert Museum can provide an excellent guide to photographic technique. Videos are a good way of demonstrating the difficulties of early photographic processes as well as explaining their later industrialization. The BBC series, "The Genius of Photography" is a great resource from which clips could be viewed in class.
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Question 1:
Mail connects to a variety of broader themes to include roles of race, class, ethnicity and gender and also recognizes differences in context of what it meant to be an American. Mail also connected to themes of American political traditions, revolutionary legacies, and struggles for civil rights. Finally, mail connects to systems of slave labor and other forms of unfree labor such as indentured servitude and contract labor in society. Another theme to which it is connected includes patterns of resistance and long term effects of slavery.
Question 2:
The resources in this module have helped me understand how men used mail and other forms of communication in the years leading up to the Civil War. A variety of communications were utilized in an effort to attempt to influence the views of others as well as to advertise their own agendas. By studying and analyzing artifacts from this era, we can see very clearly how the Civil War has indelibly changed us and how we live. The nation's first ambulance crops were organized to rush wounded soldiers to battlefront hospitals and using wagons was developed and deployed for that purpose. The idea was to collect wounded soldiers from the field and transport them to the field hospital. Women flocked to serve these hospitals as nurses. Before the war, people received health care at home. After the war, hospitals adapted from the battlefront models cropped up all over the country. The American Red Cross was established. A national paper currency was implemented. Moreover, we let technology guide how we communication. Abraham Lincoln was a techie. Lincoln is the only president to have held a patent. He was fascinated with the idea of applying technology to war. He established the Balloon Corps which would float hot-air balloons above Confederate camps in acts of aerial espionage. Lincoln loved the telegram and the telegraph system went national in 1844. Lincoln walked to the telegraph office of the War Department to receive updates and to send orders to his general on the front. The Civil War was the first war in which people at home could absorb battle news before the smoke cleared. Eyewitness accounts by reporters and soldiers were relayed via telegraph to the country's 2,500 newspapers, printed almost immediately and then read by citizens desperate to know how their boys were faring.
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Question 1:
The boundary stone connects to the development of cities, how land was distributed, the importance of land owners, the need for cheap labor, and economic development. These markers were a way of imposing human, cultural, and social meanings upon the natural environment. They are linked to social hierarchies, since they derive their meaning from the authority of a group of person to declare the limits of a given space of land for political, social, or religious reasons. Determining who can use parcels of land and for what purpose has immediate and obvious economic implications. Boundary markers have often been used to mark critical points on political boundaries between states or local administrations.
Question 2:
In just exploring US history, boundary markers are integral to boundary law in this country, both in the original colonial states and those added later during westward expansion. Man-made boundary markers are considered to be second-highest in the Order of Evidence in boundary law in the US behind only natural markers such as boulders and rivers. Boundary markers also have legal meaning in Japan and are generally installed across the country. Markers are still used extensively for marking international borders. I think students would enjoy researching examples of historic boundary markers such as borders between countries, those in the District of Columbia, and those in hiking tracks.
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Question 1:
Soldiers and shoes is what first come to mind when I think about making connections for students between shoes and history. The main resources that come to mind are images of shoes throughout history. There are actually many internet stores with various types of historical footwear. Themes that emerge are tied to class, status, economics, travel, commerce, and much more.
Question 2:
Again, since most students most likely do not have a frame of reference for this time period, I find anything visual to be helpful in order to make history relevant for them. Newspapers, letters, photographs, drawings, journals, documented oral histories, and artifacts are some of the many ways to incorporate the use of primary and secondary sources into the classroom.
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Title: Promoting Historical Thinking and the Use of Artifacts in the Classroom
Grade Level: Elementary
Short Answer:
Artifacts make history real. They are reminders of the complexity of the past. They help us to think about the past and understand the past. Artifacts tell stories. Artifacts connect people and can mean many things. They capture moments and reflect the changes a society goes through over time.
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Module Id: 689
User Id: 1325
Title: The Fascinating History of Nails
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
I think students would be intrigued by the notion that nails have almost always been produced for fastening and joining, but have also been used for mayhem and punishment. Nails can be used as a tool to date old buildings. Students could explore the great variety of special shapes and sizes and how nails were sold. During the American Revolution, England stopped supplying the American Colonies with nails. They were in short supply so many communities would burn down old houses and buildings just to recover nails. In 1795, you see the invention of the cut-nail process. Sharing stories like these with students make history real and tangible.
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Module Id: 953
User Id: 1325
Title: The Transistor and Its Impact on the Evolution of Society
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I would ask students to research what is a transistor and what effect did its invention have on society and computers. The transistor was invented in 1947 and earned the inventors the Nobel Prize for Physics. It would be important for students to understand how man controlled the flow of current in an electronic circuit prior to the invention of the transistor. Then, it would be important to help students understand how transistors work. Then, they could create a timeline identifying inventions and how they progressed in sophistication. Finally, researching how transistors have become one of the basic building blocks of modern technological life.
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Module Id: 1146
User Id: 1325
Title: Tea Steeped in Rich History
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
Sydney Smith, an 18th century English preacher, wrote "Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea! How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea." The history of tea goes back more than 5,000 years to an ancient Chinese legend. It was the East India Company that introduced the drink to Europe, and by the 1660s, tea drinking was fashionable in France and Great Britain. Tea first came to America with the early colonists and was greatly enjoyed, but in 1773, when high tea taxes imposed by parliament became oppressive, a band of rebels boarded the British East India Company ships and dumped the tea cargo overboard. Patriots turned to drinking coffee until after the American Revolution when tea once again made its appearance. Understanding how tea and coffee impacted colonial life would be important for students to understand.
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Module Id: 951
User Id: 1325
Title: The History of Coffee
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I think students would be fascinated by researching Britain's Black History -- Coffee Houses and the Slave Trade. Sharing stories about the story behind food and why we eat what we eat and help students understand how different cultures have evolved. Second only to oil, coffee is the most valuable legally traded commodity in the world. It is estimated that 2.2 billion cups of coffee are consumed each day worldwide. As with most foods that have been around for centuries, coffee's beginnings are enveloped in mystery and lore. When exploring history, it is also interesting to explore the word coffee and its roots in several languages. Coffee plants reached the New World during the 18th century, though the drink was not really popular in America until the Boston Tea Party of 1773, when making the switch from tea to coffee became something of a patriotic duty. Teddy Roosevelt was rumored to have consumed a gallon of coffee daily. I find students respond to stories that are connected to the times and history of a culture. These stories also illustrate how trade impacted the evolution of history.
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Module Id: 1147
User Id: 1325
Title: Battlefield Archaeology Project
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I would start by helping students understand that musket balls are the types of projectiles that are fired from muskets and they were usually wrapped in paper or cloth to keep excess gas behind the barrel of the muzzle. They were usually made of lead and were made by pouring molten lead into a musket ball mould and trimming off excess lead once it had cooled. I think students would also be fascinated by what musket balls would do upon entering the body. They would expand and leave a large exit round. Delving into the Battlefield Archaeology Project (2015) would help them see how musket balls tell the tale of a heroic stand by Lexington's Captain John Parker. The archaeology project used advanced technology to unearth important details on the little known but noteworthy battle called "Parker's Revenge."
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Module Id: 955
User Id: 1325
Title: The Rise and Fall of Smallpox
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
History stories would best help engage students. No surviving evidence of smallpox predates the so-called New Kingdom of Egypt, which lasted from about 1570 BC to 1085 BC. A few mummies from that era contain familiar-looking skin lesions. An ancient Egyptian papyrus scroll briefly described what could be smallpox, as do Hittite clay tablets. The hittites, who lived in the Middle East, accused the Egyptians of infecting them during a war between the two empires. The similarities between smallpox and COVID-19 are incredible. Researching how historians speculate that smallpox probably brought about the devastating Plague of Athens in 430 BC and killed an estimated 3.5 to 7 million people, including Emperor Marcus Aurelius hastened the decline of the Roman Empire. I would have students work to develop timelines of the disease as well as the geographic areas it covered from Africa to Asia, the Old World and the Americas. The disease devastated the Aztecs and historians believe the disease reduced the indigenous population of NOrth and South American by up to 90 percent, a blow far greater than any defeat in battle. I would help students to recognize its potency as a biological weapon during the French and Indian War. In fact, British commanders advocated handing out smallpox-infected blankets to their Native American foes in 1763. This brings about a host of ethical issues for discussion.
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Module Id: 954
User Id: 1325
Title: The Vinyl Record as a Cultural Icon
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I think this would be a fun vehicle through which to analyze history and culture. I would work to engage students to research vinyl historically, culturally, spatially, and politically, especially in the context of digitilization. Music was one of the first things in themedia industry and broader society to be truly disrupted b the internet. Could we soon witness a nostalgia-fueled renaissance for print media, analog photography and hailing taxis on the street. Human have a much deeper emotional connection to music than to other things and the songs and music of different eras other highlight the cultural events of that time.
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Module Id: 1128
User Id: 1325
Title: The Rise and Fall of the Rubber Industry
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
I would work to help my students understand how the rubber industry has evolved over the decades and how this evolution aligned with events of the times and how the evolution was impacted by the various inventions of those decades. How did commercilization impact rubber? How did this demand impact the Amazon Rain Forest over the decades? Would you characterize this as competition or exploitation? How did rapid commercial development and the automobile boom impact the demand for rubber? What countries played a part in the rubber industry over time?What goods are dependent upon rubber?
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Module Id: 1108
User Id: 1325
Title: America Moves to the City
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
I would use videos as a main mechanism to introduce students to this topic. The mechanical reaper allowed wheat to be harvested quicker and with less labor force. The Reaper's Impact on agriculture was one of the most influential events in changing American agriculture. It helped turn the Midwest into the nation's breadbasket region.
I would ask students to create an advertisement of the McCormick mechanical reaper with text noting how quickly, efficiently, and easily the mechanical reaper works, and how it is so much better than manual labor to harvest crops. I would ask them to create a timeline in which they depict Cyrus McCormick and his invention of the mechanical reaper. They would need to begin the timeline with his birth in 1809 and end with the year 1860 when over 100,000 reapers were in use. I would require them to create a diary prompt and pretend they are McCormick. They would need to compose a diary entry in which they discuss their ideas for the mechanical reaper making sure to discuss the need for it. The diary entry could emphasize the arduousness and slowness of manual farm labor. There would be two assignments in the form of essay prompts. In the first, they would write an essay in which they explain why the reaper was especially important for the Midwest. In the essay they would need to discuss the growth of wheat as a cash cop. The second essay would need to detail the consequences of the invention of the mechanical reaper. They would need to begin by explaining farm labor before the invention of the mechanical reaper. Then, take into account the impacts of the mechanical reaper on feeding the nation, the economy, and regionalism.
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Module Id: 952
User Id: 1325
Title: The Cold War: Containment at Home and Abroad
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I would engage students in really delving into the life in each country and how there were similarities and differences. By examining state-sponsored Soviet propaganda and American advertising campaigns, students will see how each nation promised prosperity. Also, by reading the Nixon-Krushchev 'kitchen debate' and students will learn that Cold War diplomacy extended beyond discussions of military might to include issues such as way of life. I would have students work in teams to gather supplementary information from lectures and textbooks to answer a writing prompt. The writing prompt would ask students to assess the US foreign policy and domestic policy of containment in the 1940s and 1950s. They would be given a range of potential topic sentences to use in their responses. They would use primary sources to explore the causes of the Cold War and the connection between the war and domestic expansion and cultural change. Students would be asked to consider the meaning and impact of the Cold War on American Society. While reading the major speeches and diplomatic texts of the era, students would also learn that the Cold War affected domestic as well as foreign policy.
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Module Id: 1093
User Id: 1325
Title: The American Dream
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
I would begin with students by sharing what a shirtwaist was and how it became especially popular with working-class women because they were easier to clean then a full dress and offered freedom of movement. From there, we would move into learning about sweatshops and their place in the early NY garment industry. Employers underpaid and overworked employees especially in the tailoring trade. We would also explore where the work took place, in small, dank tenement apartments. The Triangle Waist Company was considered a modern factory in 1911 and was a leader in the industry. It had modern, well-maintained equipment. What they lacked was a fire-protection sprinkler system. Three weeks prior to the fire, an industry group objected to regulations requiring sprinklers. In addition, the manager of the factory never held a fire drill or instructed workers on what they should do during an emergency. Students could also research child labor in factory work.
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Module Id: 950
User Id: 1325
Title: Storytelling Through Historical Evolution of Entertainment
Grade Level: Elementary
Short Answer:
The smallest detail in a photograph can sometimes be the key to unlocking its story. Students could study photographs of students in an 1908 classroom using handheld stereoscopes to view stereographs. Would this have been part of a class exercise? Students could work in pairs to find clues like a textbook on the corner of a student desk. There are over 50,000 stereographs of the Prints and Photographs Division in the Library of Congress. Students would be provided a set of stereographs with associated, guiding questions designed to lead them to a deeper understanding into the stories of photographs.
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Module Id: 1047
User Id: 1325
Title: American Civil War Postage Due
Grade Level: High
Short Answer:
I would engage students in the study of events leading up to the Civil War and after by study the history of communications. We have used smoke signals, telegraphs, telephones, carrier pigeon, bike messengers and electronic mail to communicate. If we are interested in the cultural impact of long-distance communication, we must assess the significance of the evolution of how information and messages were carried during certain points in history. One could take students to a time of the galloping riders of the Persian Empire. The Pony Express reflects the assumption that the crucial threshold of communications was crossed when horses were replaced by machines. The relative importance of the post, the railroad, and the telegraph cannot be reduced to measures of speed. Students need to know, first, how accessible different systems were and to which uses they were put. Access and use were extremely important. Before the advent of cheap postage, mail was not a regular feature of everyday life. During the early national period, the Post Office functions as the principal embodiment of the federal government. The post lay at the center of major political debates about political patronage, slavery, evangelical Protestantism, the marketplace, sectional conflict, federal power, and moral responsibility. The political and economic significance of the mail did not translate into a widespread postal culture. Throughout the first third of the century, most people, with the exception of merchants, neither exchanged mail nor organized their daily lives around the expectation of postal contact. Receiving of a letter for most was an event rather than a feature of ordinary experience. I would encourage students to explore the myriad ways of how personal correspondence may have traveled. Steamboats, canals and railroads did facilitate the expansion of the post and the proliferation of mail. They helped bring more people and places into regular contact with the market economy. Students would then need to study and understand mass literacy as a result of expanding communication networks.
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Module Id: 1021
User Id: 1325
Title: Modest Monuments: The District of Columbia Boundary Stones
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
I would begin by providing students with maps of DC and ask them to identify these boundary stones which are the oldest set of federally placed monuments in the US. They are located along busy streets, hidden in forests, lying in residential front yards and church parking lots. These are the original boundary stones of our nation's capital. By reviewing primary source documents, students could begin to tell the story of the boundary stones and how they began with the Residence Act of 1790. Asking a surveyor to come visit class to share stories would also be interesting and informative. Photographs from the 1920s show students the preservation efforts that were undertaken to save the stones, including the construction of protective fencing. Today, 36 of the original 40 boundary stones still exist in various physical conditions. Students would love to go on a field trip to view some of these monuments. There is a website: http://www.boundarystones.org which is a nice collection of all sorts of information related to the boundary stones.
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Module Id: 1039
User Id: 1325
Title: Form Follows Function
Grade Level: Elementary
Short Answer:
What is more fun to elementary students than feet? I would begin to engage students by asking them to identify the purpose of people wearing coverings on their feet. What might they have used? Wood, leaves, animal hides? A foot would be measured by stepping on wet sand and then a custom sole would be woven. Sandals were a major symbol of status and wealth in Egypt but throughout history. The poorest people would not wear shoes. Once Egyptians began using leather, the poorer people would use papyrus and the upper classes used leather. The Greeks and then the Romans further sandal technology with wooden or cork soles, thongs and ties that went over the foot or up the leg. Shoes became more functional for battle and travel as Rome's empire spread. For hundred's of years, Rome's influence spread across Europe and, even as the empire dissolved, its shoe technology remained. Vikings began to adapt sandals that covered the whole foot for their colder, wetter climates and terrain. In the 1200s, clogs and moccasin-like shoes were still evolving in parts of Europe. Dutch wooden clogs were also invented.

Because the evolution of society is often impacted by war, class struggle, social and political climates, the research of shoes throughout history could help students understand how all components of our lives and society are intertwined and influence heavily by cultures and political entities. Wars are fought to gain control and footwear has evolved as wars and technology have occurred and evolved. Technology impacts what is possible with regard to the function of shoes.

Beyond the content in this module, the study of history and the shoe could morph into asking students to respond to these essential questions: To what extent do we inherit or receive our identities? How do the legacies of older generations influence our identities? How is each of us connected to the past? How has history influenced who each of us is today?

The exploration of legacies and personal connections to history prepares students to think about the impact of history on the identify of a nation. The identity of a nation is affected by the legacies of those who were part of that nation's past: their choices, their collaborations, their conflicts all shape the identity of the nation in the present day. Students could be asked to read "The Wooden Shoes" which is a story of a 17-year-old who emigrated from Haiti after the 2010 earthquake there. She wrote a story about the legacy embodied in a pair of wooden shoes given to her by her grandfather. This story is also available in video. Connections could be made to the mass murders of Jews by the Nazis by showing photographs of the mass graves and mounds of personal objects like shoes piled as high as mountains.

The simple shoe can be used as a way to explore many facets of history.
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Module Id: 1002
User Id: 1325