Smithsonian's History Explorer Resources Related To "Van Valen’s Gold Rush Journey"

Movement and Migration: The Gold Nugget That Launched the Gold Rush

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 15:41:38 GMT

This teacher's resource challenges students to think about the gold nugget that began the California gold rush as a valuable resource for understanding westward expansion and the idea of Manifest Destiny. It includes a preliminary activity intended to introduce students to doing history with objects and 3 lesson plans focused on the Gold Rush experience. Also included are annotated links to other online resources that are related to western history and the California gold rush.

This resource is included in The Object of History, a cooperative project between the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and George Mason University's Center for History and New Media.

The Gold Nugget and the California Gold Rush

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 14:02:13 GMT

This object-based learning activity revolves around the gold nugget that began the California gold rush. In this resource, students will learn how examining the gold nugget can help them understand the story of the gold rush and its importance to the story of westward expansion. After exploring the gold nugget and its importance as a source of historical information, students will visit the forum section of the site to hear the Museum's curators and historians discuss the object and then use what they have learned to complete the Virtual Exhibit Activity.

This resource is part of The Object of History, a cooperative project between the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and George Mason University's Center for History and New Media.

Maritime Nation 1800-1850

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 10:52:07 GMT

Students will learn how shipbuilders, mariners, and maritime merchants helped the United States defend itself and grow in this section of On the Water: Stories from Maritime America, an online exhibition. Topics covered are the roles that privateers played during the American Revolution and the War of 1812, immigration, early steam travel and coastal shipping in the Atlantic Ocean, the California Gold Rush, and the life-saving technology that was used to rescue the victims of shipwrecks.