Linda Muller
Smithsonian Learning Lab Coordinator
Smithsonian Institution, Heinz History Center
Primary (5 to 8 years old), Elementary (9 to 12 years old), Middle School (13 to 15 years old), Adults, Post-Secondary
Language Arts And English, Science, Social Studies, Arts, Other
Hello, I am one of the Smithsonian Learning Lab Program Coordinators based in Pittsburgh, PA. My professional interests are focused on instructional technology and computer-based learning. I am also fascinated by history as it's presented in primary and secondary resources.
Linda Muller's collections
Slavery to Freedom
This collection contains a variety of resources that can be used by teachers and students to understand the origins of slavery and slavery in America.
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Space Exploration: The Early Years
A collection of resources depicting space exploration from 1957 to 1969.
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Spanish-American War
The Spanish-American War was a conflict between the United States and Spain that ended Spanish colonial rule in the Americas and resulted in U.S. acquisitions of territories in the Pacific and Latin America.
The war originated with the Cuban struggle for independence from Spain in 1895. Demand for U.S. intervention increased after the unexplained sinking of the U.S.S. Maine on February 16, 1898 in Havana Harbour.
The U.S. declared war on Spain in April, 1898 and attacked Spain's interests in the Pacific and Cuba. Realizing that she was outclassed by American military power, Spain surrendered from Cuba in July, 1898 - effectively ending the war. Later that year, in December, 1898, Spain signed the Treaty of Paris in which they renounced their claims to Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Guam and transferred sovereignty over the Philippines to the U.S. for $20 million.
Source citation: "Spanish-American War." History.com. A&E Networks. 2016. Web. 6 Jan 2016
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Spanish Exploration of the Americas
Research the Spanish explorers pictured in this Collection.
Put them in chronological order.
Answer the following questions:
1. What regions did they explore?
2. What did they discover?
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9
The Dred Scott Case
The Dred Scott case was one of America's most controversial Supreme Court decisions. Who was Dred Scott and did he have a right to his freedom?
The goal of this Collection is to engage students to read and research people and texts that comprised this historical event then write a persuasive essay based on opinion gathered from details and facts procured from their readings and research.
Keywords:
Dred Scott
Dred Scott vs Sanford
Dred Scott vs Sandford
U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court
Chief Justice Taney
Declaration of Independence
Missouri Compromise
Emancipation
Freedom
Slavery
Abolition
Pre Civil War Era
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The Kennedys
This is a topical collection of resources depicting the Kennedy family.
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The Middle East
A collection of resources depicting the countries that make up the Middle East.
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Theodore Roosevelt - "Bully for you!"
A collection of resources on America's 26th President, Theodore Roosevelt.
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The Renaissance of Science
How can new discoveries lead to change? This Collection features images of men whose discoveries changed human knowledge and understanding of the world in which they lived.
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6
The Sinking of the Lusitania and America's Entry into WWI
Is there ever a time when war can be justified? World War I, or The Great War, started in Europe in 1914. The Lusitania was sunk by a German U-boat in 1915. Yet, throughout all of these events America remained neutral. Why was President Woodrow Wilson hesitant to get involved? What finally made him change his mind? What came out of America's involvement in WWI?
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The Wilderness Road
In 1775, the now-legendary frontiersman Daniel Boone blazed a trail through the Cumberland Gap - a notch in the Appalachian Mountains located near the intersection of Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee - through the interior of Kentucky and to the Ohio River.
Known as the Wilderness Road, the trail would serve as the pathway to the western United States for some 300,000 settlers over the next 35 years. Boone’s pioneering path led to the establishment of the first settlements in Kentucky, including Boonesboro, and to Kentucky’s admission to the Union as the 15th state in 1792.
Source: The Wilderness Road. History.com. A&E Network. 2010. Web. 2 Aug 2016.
URL: http://www.history.com/topics/wilderness-road
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Trail of Tears
What was the Trail of Tears? What incidents led to the Trail of Tears? Who was removed from their native land? Where did they resettle? What was President Andrew Jackson's opinion on Indian removal? What was John Ross's opinion on Indian removal? What is your opinion on the event?
This Collection was created to be used as an introduction to the "Trail of Tears" event that occurred during the period of Westward Expansion. This Collection contains images of then President Andrew Jackson, John Ross, Chief of the Cherokee nation, and General Winfield Scott. It also includes Jackson's message to Congress, "On Indian Removal", the Treaty of New Echota along with a letter that Chief Ross wrote to the U.S. Congress denouncing the Treaty of New Echota which the government used as legal authority to remove the Cherokee from their native land.
Background Information:
In 1838 and 1839, President Andrew Jackson ordered the relocation of the Cherokee people from their native lands east of the Mississippi River to an area in what is known as present-day Oklahoma.
The Cherokee people called this forced migration the, "Trail of Tears" because of its devastating effects. The Cherokee people suffered hunger, disease, and exhaustion during their journey, resulting in 4,000 deaths out of the 15,000 Cherokees who were forced to relocate.
Source citation: "Trail of Tears." Africans in America. PBS Online. nd. Web. 7 Jan 2016.
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Visual Thinking Strategies
The goal of teaching visual thinking strategies is to encourage students to observe independently and back up their responses with evidence.
Annotations for each image contain key questions to help students practice visual thinking.
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War of Currents
Would alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) become the dominant power?
This Collection includes images and texts that depict the "War of Currents" that occurred between Thomas Alva Edison and George Westinghouse.
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Women's Suffrage
The Woman's Suffrage movement in America began in 1848 at the Seneca Falls Convention in an effort to allow women the right to vote.
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