Curated OER
"Heritage" - "Hey, That's the Name of Our School!"
Seventh graders gain a better understanding of the canal period in U.S. History, and more specifically, discern the importance of the Illinois and Michigan Canal on the development of Illinois as a state and Chicago as a prominent city.
University of Chicago
University of Chicago Library: Chicago in 1919
Learn about Chicago in 1919 through music, video, images, and transcripts of newspaper articles of the time.
Chicago History Museum
Encyclopedia of Chicago: World War I
World War I brought turmoil to Chicago because of its large immigrant population, especially Germans. Read about how the war affected the politics and industry of Chicago both during and after the war.
Chicago History Museum
Encyclopedia of Chicago: Welfare Capitalism
An interesting look at how some businesses in Chicago practiced welfare capitalism, a way to give noncash compensation to workers primarily to stave off unionization, but also to promote a loyalty to the company. Many examples are given.
Chicago History Museum
Chicago Historical Society: The Dramas of Haymarket
The Chicago Historical Society presents extensive information about the 1886 bombing at Haymarket Square that helped change the course of the labor movement. Read about the bombing, arrests, trial, executions, and other events that...
Other
Chicago Historical Society
A rich source of historical information on Chicago. Search through entries, historical sources, maps, and special features.
Other
Chicago History Museum: Great Chicago Stories
Read historical fiction stories that illuminate Chicago's past. Use the Interactive History Map to look closer at artifacts from the collection of the Chicago History Museum and to explore locations throughout the city from each story....
Other
Chicago Historical Society: Great Chicago Fire and the Web of Memory
This online exhibition provides chronological information, eye witness accounts, primary source documents, photographs, and a mix of other resources that chronicle both the event itself and the ways in which it has been remembered over...
Other
Chicago Historical Society: Bygone Days in Chicago
A great primary source, a extensive description of Chicago prior to the Great Fire by a reporter who worked on the Chicago Times. He describes Chicago as it was around 1862.
Other
Chicago Historical Society: Alexander Hesler Climbs the Court House
This resource provides pictures of Chicago from the roof tops.
Other
Chicago Historical Society: The Great Chicago Fire
This resource provides information, and accounts about the Great Chicago Fire.
Other
Chicago Historical Society: Letter of William H. Carter on Chicago Fire
A letter written by an eye-witness of the Great Fire of 1871, it gives details about how the fire spread quickly and efforts to fight the fire.
Chicago History Museum
Encyclopedia of Chicago: Knights of Labor
Encyclopedia of Chicago has an interesting article about the rise of the Knights of Labor. Read about union's acceptance of all workers, its successes, and its legacy.
Chicago History Museum
Encyclopedia of Chicago: Charity Organization Societies
As urban populations increased along with poverty in urban areas, charities began to offer help. Read about the Charity Organization Society that attempted to coordinate charitiable giving. Read about the evolution of the coordination of...
Chicago History Museum
Encyclopedia of Chicago: Women's Trade Union League
Read about the Chicago branch of the Women's Trade Union League and its alliance between women workers and upper-class women who supported their cause.
Chicago History Museum
Encyclopedia of Chicago: Carl Sandburg, the Chicago Race Riots, July 1919
Read a part of an article written by Carl Sandburg for the Chicago Daily News reporting on the Chicago Race Riots of 1919.
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...
Chicago History Museum
Encyclopedia of Chicago: Bilingual Education
A good look at bilingual education in Chicago beginning with German immigrants in the 19th century. The bulk of the article deals with changes brought about by the Bilingual Education Act of 1968 and its implementation in Chicago.
Chicago History Museum
Encyclopedia of Chicago: Haymarket and May Day
Read this historical account of the events that led to the infamous labor dispute known as the Haymarket Square Riots on May 4th of 1886.
Chicago History Museum
Encyclopedia of Chicago: Tenements
An encyclopedia entry about tenements that focuses on the housing situation of poor immigrants in late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century Chicago. Includes information about early efforts to improve public housing in the city.
Other
The Great Chicago Fire
Read a letter by Horace White of the Chicago Tribune to a fellow editor in Cincinnati in which he describes first-hand during the days of the Chicago Fire of 1871.