The Medieval Spice Trade
How were spices used by medieval Europeans, and why were spices so valuable in medieval Europe?
Classroom Materials
More materials coming soon!
Religious Change and the Ottoman Empire, 1450-1750
What did the rise and expansion of the Ottoman Empire look like in the eyes of European observers? How did the Ottomans shape the political and religious history of early modern Europe?
Foods of the Columbian Exchange
How did the Columbian Exchange shape food culture in the modern world?
Abolition and European Imperialism in East Africa, 1845-1893
What were the links between abolition and imperialism in East Africa?
American Indians in an Age of Empire and Revolution, 1750-1783
Tudor Visual Culture
How does studying visual culture help us to understand history better?
Religious Change and Print Culture in the Reformation
How did the changes in religion during the Reformation shape the medium of print? How did religious leaders and thinkers attempt to interact with their audience(s)? How did the ways in which religious figures used print pave the way for modern mass media?
Picturing the Century of Progress: The 1933-34 Chicago World’s Fair
How did the creators of the Century of Progress illustrate and enact the fair's theme of progress?
Art In Chicago 1900-1935
What groups, organizations, and individuals influenced the arts in Chicago in the early twentieth century?
The Legacy of the Middle Ages in the Renaissance and Beyond
Indians in the Archives
What do historical images of American Indian peoples tell us about the evolving relationships between Indians and non-Indians? What valuable information about our past and ourselves can we glean from artworks that portray indigenous peoples and also the materials that artists used?
The Anti-Slavery Movement in Chicago and Illinois
What motivated the actions of abolitionists in Illinois? How did abolitionists attempt to transform public opinion on the issue of slavery? How did the abolitionist movement evolve and respond to national events that shook the nation in the 1850s?