Throughout the 1800s, homegrown American scientists and inventors were a source of pride for the fledgling republic, which was rapidly surpassing Great Britain and the rest of Europe as a hotbed of industrial activity. The period also coincided with the peak of the Romantic Period in art, music,

In this classroom activity, students will research to gather information in order to create a radio broadcast about the five court cases that made up Brown v. Board of Education, and tell the stories of the African Americans from different walks of like who demanded better educational opportuniti

Children and adults can enjoy exploring the story behind one of America’s pioneers of jazz music, Duke Ellington, through children's literature, museum collections, and hands-on activities. Focused around Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra, a picture book biography of t

Take a close look at propaganda cartoons and other primary sources to analyze how young Americans were mobilized for the War. This lesson plan (which includes background information and full-color primary sources) was produced to accompany the exhibition The Price of Freedom: Americans at War

Cartoons from World War II helped explain the war to children and encouraged families to do their part for the war cause. This video is part of the Price of Freedom learning resources package for use with the Mobilizing Children WWII lesson plan. It was produced to accompany th

Taking America to Lunch is an online exhibition that includes a sampling of illustrated lunch boxes and beverage containers dating from the 1890s through the 1980s. Students will learn how television changed the metal lunch pails carried by industrial workers and students a century ago i

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

People have long sought better ways to illustrate and understand the structure and functions of the human body. Paper dolls and wax, papier-mache, and plaster anatomical models have all been used as tools to teach human anatomy. In the wake of the launch of the Sputnik satellite, designer Marcel

Kermit, a hand and rod puppet created in 1955 by Jim Henson, belongs to America's beloved puppet troupe, The Muppets. Kermit has served as master of ceremonies, comic, and crusader for tolerance in Henson's many creative endeavors. His most memorable role was as the leading Muppet character on

In the early 1960s, the Chicago firm of Playskool introduced this educational toy for children three to six years old, seeking to give them an early familiarity with numbers. It has two rows of relatively large rotating wooden rectangular blocks, each with a row of square rotating wooden blocks belo