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Website
Digital History

Digital History: Accelerating Transportation

For Students 9th - 10th
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...
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Website
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Comission

Expore Pa History: Railroad Strike of 1877 Historical Marker

For Students 9th - 10th
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.
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Handout
Chicago History Museum

Encyclopedia of Chicago: Railroad Strike of 1877

For Students 9th - 10th
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...
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Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Early American Railroads

For Students 5th - 8th
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...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Wake Up, America: New Modes of Transport in 19th Century America [Pdf]

For Teachers 6th - 8th
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...