This interpretive archive, drawn largely from the resources of the Barrett Collection of the University of Virginia, focuses on how Mark Twain and his works were created, defined, marketed, reviewed, and appreciated. Contained in this web site are dozens of texts, manuscripts, contemporary reviews and articles, hundreds of images, and various exhibits. One interactive exhibit allows the user to view different performances of Mark Twain's American lecture tours from either the audience's perspective or the entertainer's. The goal is to allow visitors to see what Mark Twain and his times said about each other, and the ways they can speak to us today. This lesson plan highlights the immigrant experience in American life.
Students assume the role of historical detective and travel back in time to the turn of the century.
Using images and primary source documents from the American Memory Collections, they search for clues to the past. While students learn about different immigrant neighborhoods, they also take an online trip to Ellis Island, learning about the different waves of immigrants that transformed America into a multicultural nation. Students are able to read personal interviews collected by the Federal Writer's Project in the 1930s. The lesson is aimed at students in grades 6-12. Part of the American Memory project, this lesson plan introduces students in grades 8-12 to the history of American Indian reservations.