Grades 4-8. The following unit engages students with archival material related to the yellow fever epidemic during the construction of the Panama Canal. Students will learn about archives, primary and secondary sources through the lens of the yellow fever. They will make connections to other public health campaigns such as tuberculosis and Covid. Applying present day awareness strategies, students will create their own public health campaigns for yellow fever in the form of “challenges,” hashtags, posters, billboard mockups, and bulletins. Support materials are integrated into the lessons, and the selected primary source documents can be found at the end of the unit.
Archival Education
Yellow Fever
Explore Further
Environment
Global Engagement
Timeline
Timeline: American Philanthropy, Agriculture, and the Challenges of Feeding the World
From demonstration farms launched when farming was still unmechanized to confronting climate change in the twenty-first century, American philanthropy has played a key role in shaping and supporting efforts to lift rural communities out of poverty through agriculture.
New Research: Saudi Arabian Reform, West African Museums, Agrarian East Pakistan, and Robert Kokernot
This set of reports cites records from the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation, as well as the papers of Robert Kokernot and Kenneth Smithburn.
Arts & Culture
Global Engagement
Photo Essay
Photo Essay: “Masterpieces of Asian Art in American Collections,” a 1960 Exhibition of the Asia Society
Asia Society’s first public exhibition in 1960, “Masterpieces of Asian Art in American Collections,” launched decades of exhibitions aimed at bringing Asian arts and cultures to American audiences. Photos show the broad range of diverse media and geographical areas represented in the exhibition.