American Stories

Grade Range: 4-12
Resource Type(s): Reference Materials
Date Posted: 5/11/2012

This online exhibition features approximately 100 objects from the Museum's collections to tell stories from the earliest days of America's colonial history through the 2008 presidential election. Each object is used as the starting point for a larger story about American history. The exhibition includes brief labels, large images, and an area for people to nominate objects from their own stories that would fill a gap in the exhibition.

The objects in the exhibition address a variety of themes from American history, including politics, popular culture, art, military history, and home life. They help tell the stories of famous Americans (including Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, and Apollo Anton Ohno) and anonymous everyday children, men, and women.


National Standards

United States History Standards (Grades 5-12)

World History Standards (Grades 5-12)

Historical Thinking Standards (Grades 5-12)

Instructional Strategies