Smithsonian's History Explorer Resources Related To "Immigration, Migration, and How We Got There - Electronic Field Trip Part 1"

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)

Creating Stories: America on the Move Electronic Field Trip, Part 2

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 11:05:38 GMT

In this electronic field, curators from the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History's exhibition America on the Move take students behind-the-scenes to show how they develop individual stories for exhibitions and provide guidance to students who want to create their own family stories by analyzing objects, documents, and other resources.

America on the Move Homepage

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 18:12:13 GMT

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.

Japanese Americans and the U.S. Constitution: Immigration

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 14:37:22 GMT

Students will learn about the experience of Issei, the first generation of Japanese immigrants to the United States, through the use of artifacts from the Museum's collections, primary source documents, photographs, and oral histories. This section of the A More Perfect Union, an online exhibition, discusses how Japanese Immigrants to Hawaii and mainland United States faced severe racial prejudice and the restrictive laws that specifically limited the rights of Asian immigrants to own property and to become citizens. Oral history transcripts are available in the subsections Issei: First Generation and U.S. Mainland.

Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program 1942-1964

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 17:50:03 GMT

This website will help students learn about the bracero program, in which an estimated two million Mexican men came to the United States on short-term labor contracts. The experiences of these men are brought to life through photographs and quotes from oral history interviews. In 1942, facing labor shortages caused by World War II, the United States initiated a series of agreements with Mexico to recruit Mexican men to work on U.S. farms and railroads. This online exhibition is presented in English and Spanish.

The 39 Clues Decoding History Virtual Field Trip

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:42:11 GMT

Bestselling 39 Clues author David Baldacci takes students on a webcast field trip to meet renowned museum curators, go behind the scenes, and investigate some of the most fascinating mysteries of American history. Baldacci is the author of Day of Doom, the last book in The 39 Clues series, Cahills vs. Vespers.

Artifacts featured in the program include Lewis & Clark's compass, the Star-Spangled Banner, signed pottery made by a slave, and Abraham Lincoln's watch. Under related links on the resource page, see accompanying pre- and post-webcast materials available for download, as well as a program transcript.