Alabama Department of Archives and History
Nellie Bly to Dr. Peter Bryce: 19th Century Asylum Reform
What kind of treatment could a patient expect in an asylum during the 1800's? The abusive and neglectful conditions in 19th century asylums are the focus of a lesson that examines the work of reformers Nellie Bly, Dorothea Dix, and...
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Reforms of the Mid-1800's
Seventh graders complete a unit of lessons on the reform movements of the mid-1800's in the U.S. They participate in an Internet scavenger hunt, analyze primary source documents, and develop and perform a simulation of a mid-19th century...
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Introduction to Reform Movements of the 1800s
Eleventh graders consider the impact of reform movements of the 19th century. In this Progressive Reform lesson, 11th graders examine documents and images associated with women's suffrage, prohibition, and labor reform. Students respond...
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Women's Rights and Reform
Young scholars evaluate primary source documents. They assess the development of women's rights in the United States. They identify other rights beside suffrage that were important to famous women reformers.
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Political Reform in the Late 1800s
Eleventh graders examine the type of political reform in the 1800s. In groups, they analyze the Pendleton Civil Service Act and two other economic acts. To end the lesson, they take a quiz and discuss the impact of the acts on the...
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Social Reformation-Irish Immigration in the 1800s
Students discuss the causes of the influx of Irish immigrants between 1800 and 1875. They focus on what immigrants' lives were like in the United States and what impact the move across the Atlantic had on thier families. They complete a...
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The Industrial Revolution
Pupils explore the development of the textile industry in Great Britain. They link the rapid growth in both the textile industry and in coal mining in Great Britain. Students connect the process of industrialization to the expansion of...
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Victorian America: Reflections of Life in Death
Students, after viewing a video and researching the changes in society during the Victorian period, assess a prediction-confirmation guide to consider how changes in burial customs in the late 1800's reflect the changes in society as a...
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Football at Carlisle Indian School: A Tool for Assimilation?
Middle schoolers become familiar with procedures for helping Indians assimilate in the 1800's. For this history lesson plan learners explore how football helped Indians to assimilate in a positive way. Middle schoolers recognize...
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Populism and the People’s Party
Students examine the history of the Populist Party as it relates to its reforms and economic plight. In this Populism and the People's Party lesson, students explore why farmers experienced financial difficulty at the end of the century....
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Pushing the Boundaries: The Pioneer Spirit
Eleventh graders recognize how social reform occurred at the turn of the century. Through a debate, 11th graders determine advantages and drawbacks of traveling west using original sources and descriptions of the attitudes, beliefs, and...
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The Progressive Era
Eighth graders utilize the SOAP method to analyze a work of art and relate it to what they know about the Progressive Era and the reasons why cities changed and the ways in which cities changed during the end of the 19th century. They...
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How We Vote
Students fill in a graphic organizer and discuss the struggles in groups about the history of voting in Louisiana. Students also explore a voting timeline to see who could and could not vote before and after 1850.
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Dolores Huerta
Students examine the life of Dolores Huerta and her contributions to the development of labor unions. They read the book "Cesar Chavez: Triumph of Spirit," and in groups create a quiz, complete a Venn diagram, listen to a guest...
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Pioneer Perspectives-Diverse Opinions on Westward Migration
Learners examine the Westward Migration and expansion of the United States from the perspective of a family migrating westward. They analyze pictures, and in small groups write and present a script based on a photograph, expressing the...
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Urban Growth in America
Students examine urban growth in America. In this urbanization lesson, students watch segments of the Discovery video "Urban Growth in America." Students conduct further research pertaining to the industrial revolution, New York City's...
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Exposes in Different Eras: The Work of Dorothea Dix and Burton Blatt
Pupils discover that Dorothea Dix was the first to make the pubic aware of the terrible living conditions of people with mental illness in the 1800's. They evaluate the influence of citizen action on public policy.
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Working on the Railroad
Students view and discuss "The Transportation Revolution," a lecture by Peter A. Coclanis. They read and respond creatively to brief descriptions of railroad workers and their job responsibilities.
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The Literature of Upheaval
In groups, 8th graders read different documents and answer questions on the Civil War period. Students read documents by Thoreau, Stowe and Frederick Douglas.
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Westward Expansion: Chief Joseph's Words Of Surrender
Young scholars explore westward expansion in the United States as it relates to Native Americans and the novel Holes. Students read a passage from Holes and discuss how westward expansion affected the Native Americans. Young scholars...
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Westward Expansion: The American Indian Experience
Students complete a brief presentation documenting the life of an American Indian. In class, students discuss the pros and cons of placing American Indians on a reservation. After their discussion, students choose a issue in Native...
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Montauk Historic Site
Learners study the contributions of the Larrabee family. For this Iowa history lesson, students listen to a lecture regarding William Larrabee's governorship and the building of Montauk home.
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Anti-Railroad Propaganda Poster -- The Growth of Regionalism, 1800 - 1860
Students research the anti-railroad movement of the mid-19th century. They review propaganda from the period and consider various points of view. They develop role-plays and write essays using their research.
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A Woman's Crusade: Dorothea Dix
Students examine the life and reform efforts of Dorothea Dix on behalf of people with disabilities. They also examine the role of women in the 1840s and 1850s. They discover different sources of examples of citizen's rights.