Tip: Press ctrl and F (or apple and F on a Mac) to perform a keyword search of this page. To keyword search all Best of History Web Sites pages use the search engine located on the home page.
Note: This page was updated June 9, 2007.
Clash of Cultures in the 1910s and 1920s
An attractive and informative site on cultural tensions, including information on prohibition, immigration, the KKK, the New Woman, and the Scopes Trial. Produced by the Ohio State University History Department.
Temperance and Prohibition
This Ohio State University production explores prohibition. It analyzes the Anti-Saloon League and presents arguments for and against prohibition, among other features.
Lindbergh (PBS)
A companion to the American Experience video series, this site has special features on the Spirit of St. Louis, the kidnapping of Lindbergh's son, a discussion of Lindbergh's hero status, a time line, maps, and a teacher's guide.
Jazz Age Culture
A professor of English at Pittsburgh State University has produced several sites centering on the Jazz Age. This link will take you to Part I of her "Jazz Age Culture" site, which offers many well-organized links on the following topics: Langston Hughes and other Harlem Renaissance writers, artists, musicians, and notables; F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and other modernist writers; Picasso, Dali, de Lempicka, Kandinsky, and other artists; resources on Prohibition, flappers, racial violence, sports, automobiles, aviators, art deco, movie stars, the Crash of '29, the scandals/trials of the decade, and the new technologies; and World War I Poetry.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – Part 1 - 1920
The 1920’s Experience
Another broad introduction to the 1920’s, this commercial site has a vast amount of information and images on people, art, events, literature, music, and technology.
The Lawless Decade
The Lawless Decade is a pictorial history of the "convulsive shocks" from WWI armistice and prohibition to the repeal of the 18th Amendment and the New Deal. The site is based on the book by the same name and is organized by year.
Comrades: 1917-1945 (CNN)
This site is part of a CNN Perspectives series and explores U.S.-U.S.S.R. relations up to the Cold War. Included are interactive maps, rare footage, declassified documents, biographies, picture galleries, timelines, book excerpts, an educator's guide, and more
Scopes Trial Home Page - UMKC School of Law
Featured "famous trial" in American history. In a Dayton, Tennessee courtroom in the summer of 1925, a jury was to decide the fate of John Scopes, a high school biology teacher charged with illegally teaching the theory of evolution. The meaning of the trial emerged through its interpretation as a conflict of social and intellectual values between "traditionalists" and "modernists." The site features an introduction to the case, biographies of Scopes, Darrow, Bryan and other key participants, a chronology, trial satire, and more on the evolution controversy.
Harlem: Mecca of the New Negro (UVA)
Hypertext article from Survey Graphic. It is a Hypermedia Edition of the March 1925 Survey Graphic Harlem Number. The Survey magazine was the premier journal of social work in America in the 1920s. In November of 1924, the Survey's chief editor devoted a special issue to the African American "Renaissance" underway in Harlem.
Lesson Plans, Activities, and more 1920's Magazine Project
This project, designed by High school teacher Jen Fraser, asks students to create a magazine in the style of the roaring 20s. The site comes with suggested resources and a grading rubric. Recommended for High School students.
Pacifism vs. Patriotism in the 1920s
This activity asks students to consider the different political positions on war and disarmament of two women’s activist organizations from this period: the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). Students read and discuss letters and complete a short writing assignment analyzing political cartoons reprinted in DAR Magazine. From the Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1775–2000 web site.
Tip:The Center for Teaching History with Technology aims to help K-12 history and social studies teachers incorporate technology effectively into their courses. The Center provides a multitude of free online resources, including the Teaching History with Technology Newsletter.
Course Models: Harlem Renaissance
Part of the California History-Social Science content standards and annotated course which includes: background information, focus questions, pupil activities and handouts, an assessment, and references to books, articles, web sites, literature, audio-video programs, and a historic site.
Activity: The Development of Jazz
Written by the Social Studies School Service, this activity plan emphasizes the importance of Jazz in our history. Students will learn about Harlem, Jazz, and what Jazz is today. Recommended for grade 11.
Jazz Talk: Lesson Plan
In this DiscoverySchool.com lesson plan students will analyze work songs, spirituals, blues, and gospel songs in order to develop an appreciation for the origins of jazz music. They will also examine works of poetry from African American artists and create their own poems. After completing this activity, students should be able to describe the impact of African American songs and writings on American culture. Grades 6-12.
Interpreting Primary Sources
Digital History provides brief excerpts from primary sources and statistics and questions to think about the Controversies of the 1920s.
Digital History Resource Guides
The Digital Resource Guides provide links to American history web sites by period and provide historical overviews, readings (online textbook chapter, Reader's Companion), primary source documents (documents, maps, cartoons), teaching resources (chronologies, maps, quizzes), audio-visual resources, and additional resources. It is an excellent and comprehensive teaching resource.
Streamlines and Breadlines
High School students will learn about the growth and development of cities in America from 1920 through 1940. Immigration, the migration of African-Americans from the South to the urban centers of the North, industrialization, and the Great Depression all affected cities during this period. This lesson will culminate in a student essay that compares two contrasting images from this time period. Students will view two sets of images from Thirteen/WNET's AMERICAN VISIONS Web site. Students will choose one image from each group and compare and contrast the images in an essay.
HistoryTeacher.net: AP United States History Quizzes
A New York teacher has produced a great general site for history teachers that offers AP-level United States history quizzes on many different periods and topics.
The American People: Affluence and Anxiety
PowerPoint Presentation on America during the 1920s as part of the online companion to The American People. Click PowerPoint Presentations and then Chapter 23.
The American Nation: Internet Activities
Prentice Hall's phschool.com offers internet activities based on their The American Nation textbook chapters. Middle School grades.
