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20th Century

19th Century, 20th Century, Class Warm Up/Unit Opener, Grades 4 and Up, Grades 6 and Up, Grades 8 and Up

Population Growth in Chicago

Elevated view of a city neighborhood showing rows of tightly packed two-and-three story houses with a church and many industrial smoke stacks on the horizon.

Kathleen Thompson
May 2, 2023

19th Century, 20th Century, Classroom Materials, Collection Essays

These Are the Women Who Saved the Cities

Black-and-white bust photos of Jane Addmas (left) and Janie Porter Barrett (right). Addams is a middle-aged white woman wearing a high-necked black dress. Porter Barret is a younger light skinned Black woman wearing a high-necked dress decorated with buttons.

Kathleen Thompson
May 1, 2023

16th Century, 17th Century, 18th Century, 19th Century, 20th Century, Classroom Materials, Collection Essays

Movable Mayhem: Pop-Up Books through the Ages

Sheets of paper layered one behind the other to create a 3D scene of buildings as if they rise up a hill. At the bottom is a body of water with fountains and a decorative balustrade running along its edge. Above this is a large neo-Romanesque house. Above this is an even larger rectangular building with grand entrances on each side, domes on the corners, and many flags. Above this is a cathedral-like building with tall windows filled with light and many domed towers. A US flag flies from its central, largest dome. The buildings are surrounded by lush plants.

Dr. Suzanne Karr Schmidt, Newberry Library
March 3, 2023

20th Century, Classroom Materials, Full Lesson Plan, Grades 4 and Up, Grades 6 and Up, Grades 8 and Up

The Carrington Store

Black-and-white photograph of a two-story building standing alone and fronting a street with horse drawn vehicles. The first floor has a covered awning over the sidewalk labeled "E.H. Carrington Groceries" and has advertisements for a variety of products. Six well-dressed people stand under the awning.

Hilary Mac Austin and Kathleen Thompson
January 31, 2023

20th Century, Classroom Materials, Full Lesson Plan, Grades 8 and Up

Blockbusting

Single page of cursive text in pencil. The text describes the author's experiences and advocates for better housing access for African Americans in Chicago

Hilary Mac Austin and Kathleen Thompson
December 16, 2022

20th Century, Class Warm Up/Unit Opener, Classroom Materials, Grades 4 and Up, Visual Literacy

Latinx Discrimination

Black-and-white sign on a wall reading "We Serve White's Only; No Spanish or Mexicans." Originally from the Russell Lee Photograph Collection, Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.

Hilary Mac Austin and Kathleen Thompson
November 9, 2022

19th Century, 20th Century, Classroom Materials, Collection Essays

United States Expansion, Migrants, and Transportation Technologies, ca. 1810-1930

Colored map showing roads and bodies of water. Surrounded by a border of black-and-white photos advertising the local area, including photos of forests, lakes, Native people, moose and bear, and homes,

Gabrielle Guillerm, PhD
September 14, 2022

18th Century, 19th Century, 20th Century, Collection Essays

Maps as Heritage: Commemoration and Travel in American Cartography

Hand-drawn map, showing the country from Lake Superior and the Mississippi in the east to Pacific Ocean in the west and the Kansas River in the south to the northern boundary of the Louisiana Territory in the north. The map shows the locations of many Indigenous groups along with natural features like rivers, lakes, and mountain ranges.

Nicholas Kryczka, PhD
August 31, 2022

20th Century, Classroom Materials, Full Lesson Plan, Grades 6 and Up, Grades 8 and Up, Visual Literacy

Women’s Suffrage

Hilary Mac Austin and Kathleen Thompson
April 6, 2022

20th Century, Class Warm Up/Unit Opener, Grades 4 and Up, Grades 6 and Up, Grades 8 and Up, Visual Literacy

World War II and US Visual Culture

Painting of a white woman wearing blue work overalls and goggles on her forehead. She sits on a box while eating a sandwich. A riveter tool lays across her lap, and her feet rest on a copy of Mein Kampf. The background is in American flag.

Mark Pohlad, PhD
February 28, 2022

20th Century, Classroom Materials, Full Lesson Plan, Grades 6 and Up, Grades 8 and Up, Visual Literacy

All Together in World War I

Hilary Mac Austin and Kathleen Thompson
July 7, 2021

20th Century, Class Warm Up/Unit Opener, Classroom Materials, Grades 6 and Up, Grades 8 and Up

The Narrative of Sarah Graves

Hilary Mac Austin and Kathleen Thompson
June 25, 2021