Providing free education tools and materials for teachers, interpreters, students, and lifelong learners inside and outside the National Park Service is one important way we support the agency's mission. The value of America's cultures and diverse heritages may be lost if it's not passed on to the next generation or experienced by the present one. Want to inspire young people to grow into responsible citizens? Looking for more resources to craft interpretation or educational programming plans? See the related resources below or visit our Education & Training page for more.
The National Park Service offers free online lesson plans through its Teaching with Historic Places series and, of over 160 offered, some emphasize the diversity of the American economy and the participation of immigrants, women, and people of color in all aspects of our labor system . These lessons align with national curriculum standards and each lesson contains primary and secondary sources, including readings, maps, and images, and recommended activities. Lessons about the American economy include,
- Two American Entrepreneurs: Madam C.J. Walker and J.C. Penney
Examine the historic places associated with two of America's most famous 20th century business people.
- Building America's Industrial Revolution: The Boott Cotton Mills of Lowell, MA
Learn how technology applied to textile mills revolutionized industry, in turn affecting mill architecture, city planning, and transportation.
- Ybor City: Cigar Capital of the World
Discover how immigrant cigar makers in this section of Tampa, Florida, adapted to life in the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th century while maintaining their ethnic identity.
- The No. 2 Quincy Shaft-Rockhouse: 9,240 Feet into the Earth
Enter a historic company town and descend deep into the copper mines of Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula, where labor unrest upset an industry and changed a community in the early 20th century.
Last updated: March 8, 2016