Loading...Pennsylvania History
| RESOURCE | GRADE LEVEL | MEDIA TYPE |
|---|---|---|
Bethlehem Steel HistoryFrom the New York skyline to the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bethlehem Steel Company built much of America. When America went to war, the Bethlehem Steel Company built ships and weapons to help defend the US. When the nation enjoyed peace, Bethlehem built skyscrapers, houses and churches. Today, the Bethlehem Steel Company is shutdown and the height of business is a memory for many. But even as the Lehigh Valley continues to grow and expand in new ways, the importance of the steel industry is not forgotten. |
6-12 |
Video |
Canal HistoryThe Lehigh Valley became a major part of the Industrial Revolution after coal was discovered in the area. The canal system was built as a way to transport the coal from the local mines to New York and Philadelphia. Using the canal, small boats pulled by mules transported coal out and other materials into the Valley. Within a decade, the Lehigh Valley was transformed into a thriving industrial area. Without the canal, the Lehigh Valley we know today would not exist. Parts of the canal have been preserved as public parks and some of the locks and dams have also been restored. |
6-12 |
Video |
Coal MiningAnthracite coal once powered America, providing heat and transportation. At its height, the coal mining industry employed more than 200,000 people. Today, the coal mining industry in Pennsylvania has all but disappeared. All that remains are abandoned mines carved into the earth. The last mine in Eastern Pennsylvania closed in 1972, and despite efforts to preserve these mines, most have fallen into disrepair. Coal mining is a part of history now, but it is not forgotten thanks ot the photography of George Harvan. Harvan documented the human side of coal mining, preserving the images and the emotions of the men who risked their lives for coal. |
6-12 |
Video |
James Buchananjames Buchanan had an extraordinary political career before the presidency, serving as a state representative, a congressman, and as ambassador to Russia. Elected in 1856, Buchanan presided over a mini-civil war in Kansas between pro-slavery and abolitionist forces. As the conflict over slavery grew in Kansas and across the nation, Buchanan's political power collapsed. Buchanan's mini-civil war divided the nation and the South threatened succession. In 1860, Abraham Lincoln replace Buchanan just before the outbreak of the real Civil War. |
6-12 |
Video |
Renewable Energy"The sun can power your washing machine. The wind can give the energy for a light bulb. Vegetable oil can be used as fuel for a car. These energy saving technologies are not only possible; they exist already. Sam and AnneMarie Yoder have already put many of these newer toeghnologies to use on their farm in Berks County, PA. In most cases these technologies not only help preserve the environment, but they also cost less than traditional methods of creating and consuming energy. This program was produced for Lehigh Valley Tempo!, a weekly news magazine program of WLVT PBS 39. |
10-12 |
Video |
Underground RailroadBlack slaves fleeing their imprisonment in the South often sought the help of sympathetic Northerners while on their way to Canada. In this 18th century house in Reading, Pennsylvania some escaped slaves may have found refuge. The Parvin House might have been part of the Underground Railroad. Under the house is a network of tunnels filled with broken pottery and other 19th century artifacts. The tunnels that once protected refugees are now threatened by highway construction, but a team of archeology students is trying to determine whether or not these tunnels really are part of the Underground Railroad before the county government destroys them forever. |
5-12 |
Video |