Cartoons for United States History
http://history.osu.edu/projects/uscartoons/
Devised and maintained by the Ohio State University Special World Wide Web Projects, this site has an abundance of American political cartoons. Illustrations primarily focus on the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. Also, the selections come principally from two sources—The Verdict (“independent Democratic magazine”) and The Ram’s Horn (interdenominational magazine). The illustrators responsible for the cartoons are generally Thomas Nast, Frank Beard, and Horace Taylor, all wonderful, witty artists. While the selections are hilarious and ably portray the major political and social concerns of the day, some of the images are blurry and hard to read. Nonetheless, browsers should have little problem determining the general meaning of the cartoons. Finally, teachers will find this site attractive. Accompanying the Thomas Nast selections is a section that helps teachers instruct students in reading and comprehending political cartoons. If nothing else, the cartoons are great visual aid to capture the class’s attention!

Photographs of Lewis Hine: Documentation of Child Labor
http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/lessons/hine_photographs/hine_photographs.html
"There is work that profits children, and there is work that brings profit only to employers. The object of employing children is not to train them, but to get high profits from their work. - Lewis Hine, 1908”
Lewis Hine, a schoolteacher and photographer for the National Child Labor Committee, left a powerful story and legacy through his photographs. As with other lesson plans provided by the National Archives & Records Administration, this lesson helps integrate primary documents into the classroom. This particular lesson uses black and white photographs from the early 20th century. The classroom activities ask the students to analyze the photographs and deduce what they tell about child labor in the early 1900’s. The subject matter is compelling and especially engaging for middle school students as the children depicted in the photographs are the same age as those in the classroom. This lesson, its activities and the subject matter make an excellent exercise in historical thinking for students. (BR)

Teaching with Documents: Alexander Graham Bell’s Patent
for the Telephone and Thomas Edison’s Patent for the Electric Lamp
http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/lessons/
telephone_and_light_patents/telephone_and_light_patents.html
“In 1876 Americans held a Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia to celebrate the nation's birth 100 years earlier. . . Inside, inventions by two of America's greatest inventors were on display. Alexander Graham Bell exhibited the first telephone, and Thomas Alva Edison presented the automatic telegraph, one of more than 1,000 inventions he would patent in his lifetime. Together their inventions changed American life in ways that still affect us today.”
This is a wonderful lesson plan for students learning about the Gilded Age. Since this period in American History was marked with the exponential rise of corporations and technology, students will benefit by learning of Alexander Graham Bell’s and Thomas Alva Edison’s innovative contributions. Primary documents, images, and a narrative accompany the group activities and worksheets. Teachers and students should also enjoy the activities where students create corporations and discuss the impact of the telephone and electric light on American society and businesses.

Teaching with Documents:
The Development of the Industrial United States (1870-1900)
http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/teaching_with_documents.html#industrial
These National Archives and Records Administration lesson plans are of excellent quality. Each uses one or more primary documents to explore a topic in American History. Along with the document, there are worksheets and teaching activities provided. (BR)
The lessons plan titles are as follows:
 · Alexander Graham Bell's Patent for the Telephone
     and Thomas Edison's Patent for the Electric Lamp
 · Glidden's Patent Application for Barbed Wire
 · The Homestead Act of 1862
 · Little House in the Census: Almanzo and Laura Ingalls Wilder
 · Maps of Indian Territory, the Dawes Act, and Will Rogers' Enrollment Case File
 · Petition Signed by Thomas A. Edison for Sunday Openings
     at the World's Columbian Exposition
 · Affidavit and Flyers from the Chinese Boycott Case
 · Photographs of Lewis Hine: Documentation of Child Labor

Teaching with Documents: The Emergence of Modern America (1890-1930)
http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/teaching_with_documents.html#modern_america
These National Archives and Records Administration lesson plans are of excellent quality. Each uses one or more primary documents to explore a topic in American History. Along with the document, there are worksheets and teaching activities provided. (BR)
The lessons plan titles are as follows:
 · The 1897 Petition Against the Annexation of Hawaii
 · Political Cartoons Illustrating Progressivism and the Election of 1912
 · Woman Suffrage and the 19th Amendment
 · The Zimmermann Telegram, 1917
 · Photographs of the 369th Infantry and African Americans during World War I
 · Sow the Seeds of Victory! Posters from the Food Administration During World War I
 · The Volstead Act and Related Prohibition Documents
 · The Unfinished Lincoln Memorial

Teaching with Documents: The Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945)
http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/teaching_with_documents.html#great_depression
These National Archives and Records Administration lesson plans are of excellent quality. Each uses one or more primary documents to explore a topic in American History. Along with the document, there are worksheets and teaching activities provided. (BR)
The lessons plan titles are as follows:
 · FDR's First Inaugural Address: Declaring "War" on the Great Depression
 · FDR's Fireside Chat on the Purposes and Foundations of the Recovery Program
 · The Don Henry Story
 · Constitutional Issues: Separation of Powers
· A Date Which Will Live in Infamy
 · Powers of Persuasion--Poster Art of World War II
 · Documents Related to Churchill and FDR
 · Message Drafted by General Eisenhower in Case the D-Day Invasion Failed
     and Photographs Taken on D-Day
 · D-Day Message from General Eisenhower to General Marshall
 · Documents and Photographs Related to Japanese Relocation During World War II
 · Memorandum Regarding the Enlistment of Navajo Indians