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Website
Vassar College

Vassar College: 1896: Trusts and Monopolies

For Students 9th - 10th
As part of a large site dealing with the election of 1896 is this article on Trusts and Monopolies. Although the focus is on the Republicans' anti-trust sentiments in the election, you can read about the rise of big business, monopolies,...
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Article
Other

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston: Crash of 1907 [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
A very interesting look at the Panic of 1907, the crash of stocks, the lack of faith in banks by depositors, especially in New York and Boston, and the rescue of the banks by J.P. Morgan. Calling on news reports of the time, this pdf...
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Unit Plan
CPALMS

Florida State University Cpalms: Florida Students: Captains of Industry: Second Industrial Revolution

For Students 11th
This tutorial looks at the Second Industrial Revolution in the United States and the most famous and successful industrial entrepreneurs of that time. A PDF file of the tutorial is available.
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Unit Plan
Department of Defense

Do Dea: Ap Us History: Unit 5: A New Order

For Students 9th - 10th
This extensive learning module examines the impact of the Gilded Age upon new cultural and intellectual movements, expansion of foreign trade, and political debates over economic and social policies, as well as the impact of the rise of...
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Handout
Country Studies US

Country Studies: The Struggles of Labor

For Students 9th - 10th
This site discusses how for much of the latter half of the 1800s, the life of the common laborer was horrendous. Working in a unsanitary factory, for at least 10 hours a day, making far less than needed to survive, the struggles of the...
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Website
Digital History

Digital History: The Supreme Court Decides [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
An explanation of the Supreme Court decision in 1911 that broke up the monopoly of Standard Oil, charged with unreasonable restraint of trade. Read commentary that claimed that the decision did not really increase competition in the oil...
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Website
Digital History

Digital History: The Industrial Revolution [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This site covers both the initial Industrial Revolution in the United States in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and the second revolution that highlighted new inventions and the businessmen who financed industry. Read brief...
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Website
Digital History

Digital History: The Theory of Laissez Faire [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The economic philosophy of laissez-faire was espoused by Adam Smith in his book, Wealth of Nations. Read about the concepts of this philosophy, how it pertained to American business in the late 19h century, and what the drawbacks to...
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Website
Library of Congress

Loc: America's Story: Gilded Age (1878 1889)

For Students 5th - 8th Standards
After a brief description of the economy in the Gilded Age, find links to stories about many cultural events of the age. Read about Jim Thorpe, the Johnstown flood, and the first Coca-Cola, among other stories.
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Handout
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Extreme Oil: The History

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Part of an interactive timeline which focuses on the history of exploration, development, and use of oil and petroleum products in the United States from 1855-1919 with links at the bottom that continue through 2004.
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Graphic
Curated OER

Smithsonian Institution Archives: Louise Pearce (1885 1959)

For Students 9th - 10th
Physician and pathologist Louise Pearce (1885-1959) was known for her work on sleeping sickness. She trained at Stanford University (A.B., 1907) and Johns Hopkins University (M.D., 1912). After working for many years at the Rockefeller...
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Graphic
Curated OER

Ida M. Tarbell

For Students 9th - 10th
Excerpt from Ida Tarbell's magazine expose of Standard Oil's manipulation of the American oil industry contrasted with excerpts from John D. Rockefeller's autobiography in which he defends the practices of his company.
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Handout
Country Studies US

Country Studies: Corporations and Cities

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Brief historical description of the growth of corporations and trusts at the end of the 1800s and how that trend led to the growth of urban areas to house this corporate movement.