Smithsonian's History Explorer Resources Related To "Music and Mobility"

America on the Move Homepage

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 18:12:13 GMT

This online exhibition explores the role of transportation in American history. Students will learn about communities wrestling with the changes that new transportation networks brought; how cities change, suburbs expand, and farms and factories become part of regional, national and international economies; and hear the stories of people who travel for work and pleasure, and move to new homes. This online exhibition also includes an interactive collection search, thematic essays by museum staff and guest curators, interactive games and learning resources for the classroom and home.

The website includes the following subsections: Transportation in America before 1876; Community Dreams (Santa Craz, California); Delivering the Goods (Watsonville, California); A Streetcar City (Washington, D.C.); People on the Move; the Connected City (New York, New York); Crossing the Country; Americans Adopt the Auto; Lives on the Railroad (Salisbury, North Carolina); The People's Highway: Route 66; Roadside Communities (Ring's Rest, Muirkirk, Maryland); Family Camping (York Beach, Maine); On the School Bus (Martinsburg, Indiana); Suburban Strip (Sandy Boulevard, Portland, Oregon); City and Suburb (Chicago and Park Forest, Illinois); On the Interstate (I-10); Transforming the Waterfront (San Francisco, California and Oakland, California); and Going Global (Los Angeles, California)

Transportation in America Collection Search

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 14:07:30 GMT

The National Museum of American History's online transportation collection includes more than a thousand artifacts and photographs. Browse the collection by selecting multiple categories, eras, and regions. This collection object search is included in the online exhibition entitled America on the Move, which focuses on transportation in US history.

Treasures of American History: American Identity

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 14:57:07 GMT

In this section of the online exhibition entitled Treasures of American History, students will explore the diverse roots of American culture as well as common experiences shared across lines of race, ethnicity, and region. They will learn how culturally, Americans have defined themselves in many ways—through artistic expression, ethnic traditions, work and play, and home and community life. A Spanish version of the exhibition is available on the exhibition's homepage.

Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn: Jazz Composers

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 18:33:43 GMT

Through brief biographies of the composers, primary source documents, and media clips, students will learn about the collaboration of these two great jazz composers and the process involved in writing and recording two of the most celebrated jazz pieces. This website examines two jazz standards, each one its author's most-recorded piece: Caravan, written in 1936 by Duke Ellington and Juan Tizol, and Take the "A" Train, composed in 1941 by Billy Strayhorn.

On the Water: Stories from Maritime America Homepage

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 09:42:27 GMT

Students will understand the importance of maritime activity throughout the United States' history. Objects from the Museum's collections, audio and video clips, oral histories and narrative accounts provide a unique look into the maritime history of the United States. An interactive collections search, learning resources, and an extensive list of web links are included to extend the experience further. This online exhibition focuses on boats, ships and the lives of the men and women who lived, worked, traveled and died on them.

Transatlantic Souvenirs

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 13:44:57 GMT

Students can view objects relating to the steamship Leviathan, the largest American passenger ship of the 1920s and 1930s. This reference page is included in the online exhibition entitled America on the Move, which focuses on transportation in US history.