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PPT
Curated OER

The Populists Movement 1880s - 1890s

For Teachers 9th - 12th
What is it about the Populists and The Wizard of Oz? Use hard facts about the Populist Movement to find out. The presentation provides good background information on the Populists, their political platform, and life in the 1890s. It then...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Election of 1896 - Gold or Silver?

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students analyze the issues behind the Election of 1896 and describe the positions of William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan. They evaluate editorial cartoons supporting McKinley's candidacy via editorial cartoons. Each student...
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PPT
Curated OER

Populism & the Election of 1896

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Populism and the rise and fall of the Populist Party are the topics of this presentation, which details the Presidential Election of 1896 and the role of silver. Detailing main points with clever political cartoons and informative maps,...
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Activity
Arlington Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery: Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

For Students 9th - 10th
This Arlington National Cemetery site provides a long and in-depth biographical sketch, links to related sites, and pictures of the tombstone of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
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Graphic
Library of Congress

Loc: Portraits of the Presidents & First Ladies

For Students 9th - 10th
A collection from the Library of Congress of formal and informal portraits of the US presidents and their first ladies.
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Primary
American Presidency Project

American Presidency Project: State of the Union Addresses and Messages

For Students 9th - 10th
This site compiles all of the State of the Union addresses and messages by all the presidents in U.S. history (except William Henry Harrison and James A. Garfield).
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Handout
Vassar College

Vassar College: 1896: Literary Themes in the Campaign

For Students 9th - 10th
Take a look at popular literary themes that are reflected in the political cartoons of 1896, the year in which William Jennings Bryant challenged William McKinley for the presidency.
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Website
Vassar College

1896: Election Results

For Students 9th - 10th
The outcome of the popular vote for president in 1896 was close. Read about the electoral votes, see maps showing the popular vote for McKinley and Bryan, and follow the chart that shows the votes for all those running for president....
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Primary
PBS

Pbs: America 1900: William Jennings Bryan's Campaign Strategy

For Students 9th - 10th
Historian Walter LaFeber discusses William Jennings Bryan's 1900 campaign strategy to win the White House by criticizing the imperialism of the Republican candidate, William McKinley.
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Primary
PBS

Pbs: American Experience: William Mc Kinley's Second Inaugural Address

For Students 9th - 10th
Read the second inaugural address of William McKinley, just months before he was assassinated.
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Primary
PBS

Pbs: American Experience: William Mc Kinley's First Inaugural Address

For Students 9th - 10th
Read William McKinley's first inaugural address, which focused primarily on the economy, the nation's debt, and tariffs. In addition, he expresses the need for further civil service reforms.
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Primary
US National Archives

Our Documents: De Lome Letter (1898)

For Students 9th - 10th
This site features an online facsimile of the letter written by the Spanish Ambassador to the United States in which he criticized American President William McKinley. Its publication generated public support for a war with Spain over...
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Website
Other

Expansion in the Pacific: Footholds in the Pacific

For Students 9th - 10th
Good description of 19th century Hawaiian history and its annexation by the U.S., with links to related maps, pictures, and treaties.
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Website
Other

Earliest Voices: Gallery From the Vincent Voice Library

For Students 9th - 10th
This site addresses the advent of the voice recording. The introduction talks about the country at the time of this invention, the feelings of people on the topic, and early recording itself. Included are voice recordings of such...
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Handout
Other

Complaints About Wealthy Donors' Influence on Candidates

For Students 9th - 10th
An article that discusses the Pendleton Act of 1883, both historically and in the context of modern politics.
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Article
Northern Illinois University

Illinois in the Gilded Age: 1896: The Cross of Gold

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a very informative look at the politics involved in the campaign of 1896 where one of the main issues was the conflict between the gold standard and free silver. Read about the results of the election and the defeat of Populist...
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: Theodore Roosevelt: Icon of the American Century

For Students 9th - 10th
A thorough examination of the life of Theodore Roosevelt and the people and events that influenced him. You'll find photographs of Roosevelt, as well as photos, paintings, and biographies of some influential people in Roosevelt's life.
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Website
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: A Biography of America: The Elections of 1896 1900

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about all the factions involved in the campaign and election of 1896 and see how the Democratic Party was split, which resulted in the election of Republican William McKinley. The last part of this essay talks about the campaign of...
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Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: Biography of America: Capital and Labor

For Students 9th - 10th
This thirty-minute video, the seventeenth in a series on American history, examines the rocky relationship between labor, management, and industry from 1882 to 1901. You can also read the transcript, find a map of the Anthracite Strike,...
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Handout
Library of Congress

Loc: Today in History: September 6: President Mc Kinley Assassinated

For Students 9th - 10th
Find information about the assassination of President William McKinley, the assassin, and the circumstances surrounding the heinous crime. This site from the Library of Congress has links to information found throughout the Library on...
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Website
Other

Ohio Public Library Information Network: Famous Ohioans

For Students 3rd - 8th
Ohio Public Library Information Network provides this site where you can play games, read biographies, find book titles and links for more information about astronauts, Indians, inventors, presidents, and women.
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eBook
OpenStax

Open Stax: Politics in Gilded Age 1870 1900: Social and Labor Unrest in the 1890s

For Students 11th - 12th
Learn about the factors that helped the Populist Party gain followers and what caused it to lose them after the 1896 presidential election.
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Handout
White House Historical Association

The White House Historical Association: The Presidents

For Students 9th - 10th
Complete biographies and photos of all past presidents.
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Unit Plan
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Freedom: A History of Us: Yearning to Breathe Free Webisode 10

For Students 9th - 10th
This wonderful website, Freedom, a History of US, based on the series by Joy Hakim, presents the tenth webisode, Yearning to be Breathe Free. Through text, photographs, and audio segments you can get a good picture of the state of...