Digital History
Digital History: Accelerating Transportation
A thorough look at the transportation revolution that occured in the early 1800s. Read about the building of roads, canals, and the spread of railroads. Find out about the surprising opposition to improved transportation, and see how...
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Comission
Expore Pa History: Railroad Strike of 1877 Historical Marker
Read about the Railroad Strike of 1877 that started in Pennsylvania and spread across the Midwest. Find out about the violence against the strikers and the use of the military to end the strike.
Chicago History Museum
Encyclopedia of Chicago: Railroad Strike of 1877
This article from the Encyclopedia of Chicago explains how a strike by railroad workers in West Virginia eventually made its way to Chicago and was taken up by workers from many industries. See how city officials resolved this general...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Early American Railroads
Read about the growth of railroads throughout the eastern part of the United States, which greatly reduced transportation costs. See why there was opposition to railroads from many groups. Be sure to look at the stereograph of the...
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: Wake Up, America: New Modes of Transport in 19th Century America [Pdf]
A lesson plan from the producers of the 16-episode PBS series "Freedom: A History of US" that examines how new technology and scientific advances of the nineteenth century changed America. Includes ideas for directing students through a...