 Ridgway Borough in Pennsylvania was established in  What industries helped draw people to the area?  What was life like for the laborers?  What was life like for school aged children at this time?  How was music changing in the United States during this time period?

This local history project uses primary sources to show students what life was like in the United States in the 1880s. Students will analyze photographs, maps, diagrams, and music. Students will discover that music was used in different facets of life. Students will perform music from the time period along with inferring how music may sound by looking at primary source pictures and posters. After reading about the hardships of the labors and child labors and viewing a political poster, students will compose their own nursery rhyme using key words discovered through the use of a Venn diagram. Students will also write and perform a rap and sing a song that was written about the same time that the town was established. All of these activities promote critical thinking skills through the use of primary sources.

Est. 1880

  This video shows how logs move down a raging river. You will get a sense of how powerful the river can be.  Documentary on Early Frankfort Logging Industry - This primary source gives you a sense of what it was like to work in the logging industry at the turn of the century.

 of- Pennsyl?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=w4s:/what/Stat e+Atlas/where/Pennsylvania/;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;l c:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=7&trs=33 of- Pennsyl?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=w4s:/what/Stat e+Atlas/where/Pennsylvania/;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;l c:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=7&trs=33  1872 railroad map of Pennsylvania. This primary source shows the route the lumber would take out of Ridgway on the railroads

This folk music is a series of classic American song-stories flowing from the bedrock of the American experience. Through these captivating songs, a tale is told of America "once upon a time”. Examine the liner notes from the album. The lyrics can show you what life was like in the late 1800's because folksongs and ballads tend to tell a story.

 Struggle for workers forming unions  The Autobiography of a Labor Leader: James Williams Independent LIV (Nov. 6, 1902), This primary source shows students the struggles of the workers as they were forming the unions that would help instill their safety.  Railroad  &mode=2&contentid= ronment/phmc/communities/extranet/history/ourdocumentaryheritage/1865___1945/r ailroad_riots_1877.html document on railroad riots - pillaging for food &mode=2&contentid= ronment/phmc/communities/extranet/history/ourdocumentaryheritage/1865___1945/r ailroad_riots_1877.html

In keeping with the theme of a shave costing $.05 in 1880, use the link to find the cost of a shave in 1980 and If current trends continue, what will a shave in Ridgway, Pa cost in 2030, 2055,and 2080? Complete the chart, and be sure to explain how you came up with your answer. YearPrice

 After viewing slides 3-14, with a partner write a nursery rhyme to the tune of “Are You Sleeping” that focuses on what life must have been like in Ridgway in 1880.

 *Use the NARA worksheet for both the document and cartoon examples on the previous 2 slides. Dig deeper and speculate about what life would have been like.  *After completing the worksheet individually, break into small groups and use a Venn diagram to come up with common descriptive words that could be used in a Rap.  *FINAL PROJECT = group performance of a 4 measure 16 beat rap that the group composed.  *Critical thinking skills will be used to find the key descriptive words that will be used in the rap. Not only do you need to describe what life would be like, but also use a specific rhythm pattern and rhyming words so that the rap flows and follows the correct form.

 1868 US Treasury Warrant in the amount of $7.2 Million for the purchase of Alaska 

 1878 Constitution of the Knights of Labor ....We have formed the Knights of Labor with a view of securing the organization and direction by cooperative effort, of the power of the industrial classes.... 

 1880 Thomas Edison patented the incandescent light bulb.   ican_originals_iv/sections/thomas_ediso ican_originals_iv/sections/thomas_ediso  n_patent.html n_patent.html

Edison marrying up sound to film

Thomas Edison Biography - In this video, learn about the life of the American inventor and entrepreneur Thomas Edison.  biography/9c3051cffc4989caceb39c3051cffc4989caceb ?q=edison+videos&FORM=VIRE3 biography/9c3051cffc4989caceb39c3051cffc4989caceb ?q=edison+videos&FORM=VIRE3  This is Edison's first recording, which is also considered to be one of the first recordings ever made. Recorded a full ten years before Edison's gramophone, this German language cylinder documents the sounds of lambs, cows, cuckoos and other fauna. 

 1881 President Garfield dies 

 Short music excerpts from the late 1800s along with photos from the time period   America Singing: Nineteenth-Century Song Sheets  bin/ampage?collId=amss&fileName=as1/as112730/amsspage.db&recNum=0 bin/ampage?collId=amss&fileName=as1/as112730/amsspage.db&recNum=0  The beginnings of Ragtime Music

Scott Joplin

 Around the same time that Ridgway was established as a borough a unique American art form developed, Ragtime.  Ragtime music with its use of syncopation and improvisation is a uniquely American art form.  Before listening to examples of Ragtime music, study the picture and poster using the SEA chart. Use this to predict what the music might sound like. Discuss some of the intrinsic qualities of Ragtime (syncopation, improvisation, etc). Here is a primary source listening example of a classic rag on the LOC web site

 Students will study Scott Joplin and his contributions to Ragtime music. Students will use the KWL chart along with a Bibliography of Scott Joplin to finish off this lesson on American music of the late 1800s.

 This project will be taught over 5 class periods.  Day 1 slides 1-8  Industry, logging, rivers, railroad  Day 2 slides 9-13  Life in 1880  Ballads tell the story  Labor unions  Child labor laws  Sing “Five Cent Shave”  Day 3 slides  Measuring worth – Price the shave goes up due to inflation  Write a nursery rhyme

 Day 4 slides  Document and Cartoon  NARA & Venn  Group rap  What else is happening around 1880?  Day 5 slides  Scott Joplin  Ragtime  During this local history project students will use primary sources to see what life was like in They will use critical thinking skills while singing, composing, analyzing, interpreting, inferring, and reading. Students will also use several graphic organizers to help in the analysis of primary sources in this local history project.