Throughout the early twentieth century, women looked to break new ground in ways never before possible, and the sky literally became the limit. As the nation moved into the aviation age, many women saw flying as a way to break out of traditional societal roles. It gave women not just an opportunity for adventure and excitement, but a way to earn a living outside of the home that demanded respect. Aviatrix Ruth Bancroft Law described it, after defeating the cross-country distance record: "There is an indescribable feeling which one experiences in flying; it comes with no other form of sport or navigation. It takes courage and daring; one must be self-possessed, for there are moments when one's wits are tested to the full. Yet there is an exhilaration that compensates for all one's efforts." In this exhibition we explore the early history of aviation and the courageous women who took to the skiesåÑaviatrixes who found freedom, broke new ground, and inspired generations of women along the way. This exhibition was created as part of the DPLAåÕs Digital Curation Program by the following students as part of Professor Debbie RabinaåÕs course "Information Services and Sources" in the School of Information and Library Science at Pratt Institute: Megan DeArmond, Diana Moronta, Laurin Paradise.

This choice board, created from Google Slides, includes 30 different eBooks about the American Civil War. These eBooks will help build background knowledge on Ohio's Learning Standards for 8th Grade Social Studies on the American Civil War. Share this choice board directly with students and allow them to choose the eBooks they would like to read to learn more about the topic.

This collection uses primary sources to explore the Spanish-American War. Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills and draw diverse material from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States. Each set includes an overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide. These sets were created and reviewed by the teachers on the DPLA's Education Advisory Committee.

This collection uses primary sources to explore American Indian boarding schools. Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills and draw diverse material from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States. Each set includes an overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide. These sets were created and reviewed by the teachers on the DPLA's Education Advisory Committee.

This collection uses primary sources to explore the American Indian Movement between 1968 and 1978. Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills and draw diverse material from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States. Each set includes an overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide. These sets were created and reviewed by the teachers on the DPLA's Education Advisory Committee.

This choice board, created from Google Slides, includes 20 different eBooks about the American Revolution. These eBooks will help build background knowledge on Ohio's Learning Standards for 8th Grade Social Studies on the American Revolution. Share this choice board directly with students and allow them to choose the eBooks they would like to read to learn more about the topic.

The stock market crash on October 29, 1929 -- known as Black Tuesday -- was the "worst economic collapse in the history of the modern industrial world." It spread from the United States to national economies across the globe. It ended a decade known for its high-spirited free-spending, called the Roaring 20s, and began almost 10 years of financial desperation that would touch nearly every citizen of the United States. The Great Depression caused bank closures and business failures and by its end, saw "more than 15 million Americans (one-quarter of the workforce)" unemployed. Herbert Hoover, president at the time, did not acknowledge the depth of the crisis and assumed that the American characteristics of individualism and self reliance would quickly bring the nation out of the disaster without a need for federal intervention. But, layoffs and financial desperation at the personal level were growing: "an empty pocket turned inside out was called a 'Hoover flag' [and] the decrepit shanty towns springing up around the country were called 'Hoovervilles'." Three years into the financial crisis, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, running on a platform of federal recovery programs called the "New Deal," easily took the presidential election of 1932.

This short activity helps students analyze a political cartoon about U.S. imperialism in the Philippines. To complete the activity, the teacher will need either a map or a globe to show students the relative distance between the United States and Philippines.

World War II ration memorabilia collection, 1942-1947.

The Office of Price Administration and Civilian Supply was established by Presidential Executive Order 8734 on April 11, 1941, in an effort to control inflation. The civilian supply function of the agency was transferred to the Office of Production Management in August of 1941 and the name was shortened to the Office of Price Administration (OPA). The Emergency Price Control Act (January 30, 1942) established the purposes of the agency as follows: to stabilize prices and rents and prevent unwarranted increases in them; to prevent profiteering, hoarding and speculation; to assure that defense appropriations were not dissipated by excessive prices; to protect those with fixed incomes from undue impairment of their living standards; to assist in securing adequate production; and to prevent a post-emergency collapse of values." The OPA fixed price ceilings on all commodities except farm products and controlled rents in defense areas. The first rationing program, for automobile tires, was initiated December 27, 1941. There were two types of rationing programs. The first was a certificate program, where an applicant had to meet eligibility standards and show need to a local ration board before receiving a certificate permitting purchase of the rationed item. This type of program was applied to ties, automobiles, typewriters, bicycles, rubber footwear and stoves. The second program was a coupon or stamp type for which all civilians were eligible. These programs were administered through local banks and covered foods, fuel oil, gasoline and shoes. Rationing continued throughout World War II and by the end of November 1945 only the sugar and rubber tire rationing programs remained. Tire rationing ceased on December 31, 1945. Sugar rationing continued until June 11, 1947. The Office of Price Administration was dissolved April 1, 1947.

In this activity students analyze Kipling's famous poem about imperialism and read several poems that were written in response to it. Students discuss how effective the poems are as art, political commentary, and historical evidence.

This collection uses primary sources to explore the Atomic Bomb and the Nuclear Age it started. Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills and draw diverse material from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States. Each set includes an overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide. These sets were created and reviewed by the teachers on the DPLA's Education Advisory Committee.

World War II ration memorabilia collection, 1942-1947.

The Office of Price Administration and Civilian Supply was established by Presidential Executive Order 8734 on April 11, 1941, in an effort to control inflation. The civilian supply function of the agency was transferred to the Office of Production Management in August of 1941 and the name was shortened to the Office of Price Administration (OPA). The Emergency Price Control Act (January 30, 1942) established the purposes of the agency as follows: to stabilize prices and rents and prevent unwarranted increases in them; to prevent profiteering, hoarding and speculation; to assure that defense appropriations were not dissipated by excessive prices; to protect those with fixed incomes from undue impairment of their living standards; to assist in securing adequate production; and to prevent a post-emergency collapse of values." The OPA fixed price ceilings on all commodities except farm products and controlled rents in defense areas. The first rationing program, for automobile tires, was initiated December 27, 1941. There were two types of rationing programs. The first was a certificate program, where an applicant had to meet eligibility standards and show need to a local ration board before receiving a certificate permitting purchase of the rationed item. This type of program was applied to ties, automobiles, typewriters, bicycles, rubber footwear and stoves. The second program was a coupon or stamp type for which all civilians were eligible. These programs were administered through local banks and covered foods, fuel oil, gasoline and shoes. Rationing continued throughout World War II and by the end of November 1945 only the sugar and rubber tire rationing programs remained. Tire rationing ceased on December 31, 1945. Sugar rationing continued until June 11, 1947. The Office of Price Administration was dissolved April 1, 1947.

In 2016, a billionaire businessman and the first woman nominated by a major party ran against each other for president of the United States. In very different ways, both candidates approached the presidency as outsiders, reaching beyond the traditional boundaries of US presidential politics. As outsiders, the 2016 candidates are noteworthy, but not unique; indeed, the 2016 race resonates with the legacies of outsiders who have come before. This exhibition explores the rich history of select individuals, parties, events, and movements that have influenced US presidential elections from the outside‰ÛÓoutside Washington politics, outside the two-party system, and outside the traditional conception of who can be an American president.

This audio excerpt captures the beginning of Bayard Rustin's 1967 "Freedom Budget" speech, describing the social and economic impact of racism over time.

This audio excerpt from Bayard Rustin's 1967 "Freedom Budget" speech outlines a nine-year plan to end poverty in America.

The American Red Cross (officially named The American National Red Cross) was founded in 1881 by Clara Barton, an American humanitarian and civil rights activist. Barton modeled the American Red Cross (ARC) after the International Red Cross, based in Geneva, Switzerland, which she encountered while volunteering in Europe during the late 1800s. She envisioned an organization that would provide humanitarian aid during wartime and in the event of national calamities.

It was approximately 40,000 years ago that mankind first donned a pair of shoes. During humanityåÕs long history of footwear, and an equally broad array of styles, the basic fundamentals of Western shoemaking remained mostly unchanged until the mid-nineteenth century. In the 1800s, the small state of Massachusetts revolutionized the shoemaking industry, cladding the feet of consumers nationwide in unprecedented numbers. One of AmericaåÕs original colonies, Massachusetts found itself at the heart of the nationåÕs shoemaking industry by attracting and retaining skilled shoemakers and shoe machinery engineers. Only when the technology that Massachusetts' shoemakers invented became available beyond the state did the industryåÕs market expand throughout the country. Even with the spread of industrialization, Massachusetts remained the largest producer of shoes in the United States through World War I, responsible for nearly forty percent of AmericaåÕs shoes and home to an equal percentage of its shoemakers. This exhibition was created as part of the DPLAåÕs Public Library Partnerships Project by collaborators from Digital Commonwealth. Exhibition organizer: Anna Fahey-Flynn.

This collection uses primary sources to explore the Black Power Movement. Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills and draw diverse material from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States. Each set includes an overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide. These sets were created and reviewed by the teachers on the DPLA's Education Advisory Committee.

Lesson 4 is a step-by-step guide for the classroom which focuses on exploring and acknowledging the presence of Black people in the future and in space-related fields. It starts with students reading and discussing an interview with Samuel R. Delany. Then, students view a Black Futures artwork and information about Black astronauts, reflecting on the implications and spaces where they would like to see Black people fully represented. The lesson concludes with a design challenge task to make the best spaceship, either out of origami or recyclable trash. There is a recommended work time of 20+ minutes for building the spaceships, and students can submit their work for publishing on Instagram or email. The lesson is part of the #Kinfolk and #BlackFutures campaigns.

Estimated time required: 1-2 class periods.

Technology required for this lesson: Augmented Reality, Internet Connectivity, Laptop/Desktop, Smartphone, Tablet, Tablet or Smartphone.

In 1803, the United States purchased the Louisiana TerritoryåÑ800,000 square miles of land in the interior of North America. Most of this land had not been previously explored or documented. President Thomas Jefferson chose Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to lead an ambitious military expedition, seeking a northwestern passage to the Pacific Ocean and to document their journey in this unknown territory. Starting in what is now Missouri, the expedition followed the Missouri River and passed through present-day Montana on its way to the Pacific. The explorers commented on the beauty of the landscape and the abundance of animals, and their descriptions attracted fur traders and others ready to take advantage of the region's abundant natural resources. The discovery of gold in 1862 brought in the first rush of people and subsequent mining forever changed the region. The mining industry demanded support in the form of towns, railroads, logging, ranching, and farming. These industries shaped Montana and the people who settled there. This exhibition explores the industries that brought settlers to Montana from the early days to the 1920s. Each industry had its own åÒboom and buståÓ cycle that impacted the residents and the future of the state. This exhibition was created as part of the DPLAåÕs Public Library Partnerships Project by collaborators from Montana Memory Project: Jennifer Birnel, Della Yeager, Cody Allen, Dale Alger, Caroline Campbell, Carly Delsigne, Pam Henley, Stef Johnson, Lisa Mecklenberg-Jackson, Laura Tretter, and Franky Abbott. Exhibition organizers: Jennifer Birnel and Franky Abbott.