As COVID-19 deaths spiked in 2020, Suzanne Firstenberg’s public art installation "In America: How could this happen…"
History Explorer Results (36)
Related Books (1)
Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Duration:
220 minutes
Date Posted:
4/27/2010
Investigate the authentic journal of Alex Van Valen, a man who set sail in 1849 to stake his claim in the California gold fields, to discover what life was like during the gold rush. This dynamic project from the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History includes student questions to help
Grade Range:
9-12
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
11/10/2009
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 hi
Grade Range:
9-12
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
11/7/2009
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 explor
Grade Range:
9-12
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
11/2/2009
This resource includes an introductory essay entitled Looking at Artifacts, Thinking about History, 6 sections that each focus on an object from the collections of the Museum, an archive of curator commentary, and an online tool with which students can create virtual exhibits. Also inclu
Grade Range:
K-12
Resource Type(s):
Artifacts, Primary Sources
Date Posted:
10/19/2009
In 1848, the largest single gold rush in history was just getting under way in California. The event triggered a mass migration of fortune hunters from around the world. The territory has only recently passed into American hands as an outcome of U.S. victory in the Mexican War.
Grade Range:
K-12
Resource Type(s):
Artifacts, Primary Sources
Date Posted:
10/19/2009
The sheer size of the California gold strike altered the nature of American numismatics. It was not only that mintage figures dramatically increased; the actual range of denominations increased as well. Prior to 1849, there had been three gold coins: the quarter eagle, half eagle, and eagle
Grade Range:
5-12
Resource Type(s):
Reference Materials
Date Posted:
8/23/2009
In this section of the online exhibition Treasures of American History, students will learn that by understanding the challenges of the past, they can draw lessons and inspiration for confronting new challenges in the present and future. The topics discussed in this sectio
Grade Range:
4-12
Resource Type(s):
Reference Materials, Primary Sources
Date Posted:
5/26/2009
Students will learn how Atlantic-based trade shaped modern world history and life in America, and explore the web of maritime connections between Western Europe, western and central Africa, and the Americas that made up the Atlantic world in this section of On the Water: Stories from Maritime
Grade Range:
K-12
Resource Type(s):
Artifacts, Primary Sources
Date Posted:
1/27/2009
In the 15th century, decades before they sailed into the Caribbean, Spanish merchants, captains, and adventurers had already conquered and enslaved the people of the Canary Islands in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. On the western coast of continental Africa, the Portuguese had been cultivating a sla
Grade Range:
K-12
Resource Type(s):
Artifacts, Primary Sources
Date Posted:
10/27/2008
This spur, worn over a riding boot, was made in Mexico in the mid-1800s. Rubbed against the animal's side, spurs are one of the instruments that riders use to direct horses. The spikes on this spur are set on a small wheel called a rowel, making this a rowel spur. Horses and good riding equipment
