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Pathways Through American History: Making a Living and Making a Life

Colorful mural
Mural Arts, Philadelphia

Photo by lulun & kame, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Making a Living, Making a Life


Focusing on the ways that people make a living and make a life in America, this Pathway features content about labor organizing, entrepreneurship, education, and recreation.

Find other Pathways.

Outdoor mural on curved wall
Pullman National Monument, Dec. 24, 2019.

Photo by Matthew Dillon.


Marker 1 of 4: How did people secure and protect their rights in the workplace?

To put food on the table, workers first needed a seat at the table. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, workers came together to improve the workplace for themselves and others.

Changes in policy are often the end-goal of labor activism, such as union organizing, boycotts, and strikes. During the early 1900s, some labor advocates turned to policy and political institutions, bringing the struggles of ordinary people to national importance.


How can one person make a difference? What do you need from history to start working together with others?


Fighting for a Seat at the Table

Mural of man and child blowing bubbles
Boston Chinatown Mural, 2018.

Photo by Eric F. James. CC BY 2.0.


Marker 2 of 4: How did people start businesses to make the economy work for them?

Large and small, American businesses play a key role in keeping the economy going. They provide more than just goods and services. Businesses can employ thousands of workers, offer economic opportunities, and become important fixtures in communities.

Entrepreneurship and empowerment can go hand in hand. Owning or starting a business helped some people to overcome significant challenges.

Empowering Through Entrepreneurship

More to Explore

Entrepreneurship and empowerment can go hand in hand. Businesses can employ thousands of workers, offer economic opportunities, and become important fixtures in communities.

Mural of woman reading to children
Kansas City artist Michael Young created the Brown v. Board of Education mural inside the Kansas Capitol in Topeka in 2018 to depict the legacy of the 1954 landmark U.S. Supreme Court desegregation case that had its roots in Topeka.

Photo by Carol M. Highsmith, Courtesy Library of Congress.


Marker 3 of 4: How can education build a strong society?

There are many people—both famous and not—who brought about social change by improving access to education.

Some advocates improved educational opportunities by challenging racial, gender, and class barriers in public schools. Educators also founded schools and other institutions to teach job training, language and literacy classes, money management, and other skills.


What do you need from history to envision the life you want to make for yourself? How will you know when you've made it?


Challenging Bias in Schools

More to Explore

Education can foster opportunities for personal growth, civic engagement, and creative problem-solving. The histories below chronicle how education advocates worked to extend these benefits to students in public schools and beyond.

Colorful mural
Mural on side of La Chiquita Bakery depicting Mexican-American family life in San Antonio, Texas, 2014.

Photo by Carol Highsmith. Courtesy Library of Congress.


Marker 4 of 4: How do customs and activities bring us together?

Work is only part of our lives. There are many activities and traditions associated with leisure and recreation. How do you like to spend your free time?

Culture offers an important way to forge community and build social networks. The meals we share, songs we sing, and art we create can help us understand who we are.


How does culture shape your community and relationships? What parts of American culture reflect who you are?


Creating Culture

  • Storefront with large sign
    Place
    Casa Amadeo

    Casa Amadeo is the oldest continuously occupied Latin music store in NYC and played a central role in the Puerto Rican migration experience.

  • Overturned boat and colorful sign
    Place
    Mosquito Beach Historic District

    Mosquito Beach embodies the empowerment and entrepreneurship displayed by Charleston's coastal Black community during Jim Crow segregation.

  • Woman working on loom
    Article
    Weaving Strength in Women

    Huna women gather to weave together on winter weekends. They weave strength through stories, food, and knowledge in this ancestral practice.

More to Explore

From roadside attractions to the taste of home, the resources below celebrate the role of recreational and cultural activities in American life.

Keep Up the Pace

We make the world better by working together. How can you be of service to the people around you?

Volunteer on your public lands

The content for this article was researched and written by Jade Ryerson, an intern with the Cultural Resources Office of Interpretation and Education.

Last updated: July 12, 2022