Students will learn that money is an invention. They will read and analyze an essay focusing primarily on one aspect of Ben Franklin's life his work as a printer and how he was an inventor and entrepreneur who also promoted the use of currency in the United States. Students will cite specific textual evidence regarding problems and solutions and will answer questions and complete a timeline. By using evidence and information gleaned from text, students will write a fictitious social media post defending the selection of Ben Franklin's portrait for the $100 note.

Ben Shahn, Contemporary American Sculpture, 1940, tempera on board, 21 1/2 x 30 inches (The John and Susan Horseman Collection, Courtesy of the Horseman Foundation) A conversation with Dr. Jeffrey Richmond-Moll (Curator of American Art, Georgia Museum of Art) and Dr. Beth Harris. Created by Smarthistory.

San Francisco's Ben Venom creates punk quilts for everyday rockers who want to be cozy, as well as quilts that are a little less functional and sit more comfortably in a framed-art context. Venom takes his inspiration from the historical and social aspect of quilting, and particularly the Gees Bend community of quilters in Alabama, who are highly regarded as some of the most significant contributors to African American art history.

In this early American history lesson, students are introduced to Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806), a free Black landowner from Maryland who found notoriety as a largely self-taught surveyor, astronomer, and natural historian. A friend and neighbor of the Ellicotts, an influential family of abolitionist Quakers, Banneker became a national figure in the young republic through his popular series of almanacs, and is remembered for his scientific achievements, public opposition to slavery (including a famous exchange with Thomas Jefferson), and role in surveying the boundaries of the District of Columbia.  The Woodson Center's Black History and Excellence curriculum is based on the Woodson Principles and tells the stories of Black Americans whose tenacity and resilience enabled them to overcome adversity and make invaluable contributions to our country. It also teaches character and decision-making skills that equip students to take charge of their futures. These lessons in Black American excellence are free and publicly available for all.

This activity will provide an in-depth look at the Berlin Conference, at which European powers met to decide the future of the African continent. Students will participate in a series of rounds in which they will make decisions on which type of resource they would like to have.

Despite having photographed everything from the Vietnam War to the construction of the Berlin Wall, Don McCullin doesn’t like to be referred to as a war photographer. McCullin has been covering events of global importance since the 1960s by placing himself in the heart of the action armed with nothing but a camera. In this video, he speaks about a series of his photographs in which there are no explicit images of war or violence, but traces of more subtle and insidious instances of conflict, such as the ravaging effect of industrialisation on the English countryside or poverty in major cities. His photographs also illuminate an idea that is central not only to photography, but to art in general: the relationship between text and image. If you had seen any of McCullin's photographs without titles, would you know where they took place, who they depicted, or what message they were intended to convey? For McCullin, the camera can reveal the untold truths of a society. It also serves as a tool for healing, allowing the photographer to not only capture an image through its lens but to engage with its subjects in a unique way. Would you agree? Do you think a camera can change the way you see things? Created by Tate.

Bonaventura Berlinghieri, St. Francis Altarpiece, 1235 (Church of San Francesco, Pescia, Italy). Speakers: Dr. Beth Harris, Dr. Steven Zucker. Created by Beth Harris and Steven Zucker.

Bernice Johnson Reagon is a renowned composer, historian, musician, and activist.

This resource is from a collection of biographies of famous women. It is provided by the National Women's History Museum, and may include links to supplemental materials including lesson plans about the subject and related topics, links to related biographies, and "works cited" pages. The biographies are sponsored by Susan D. Whiting.

Known as the “Godmother of Title IX,” Bernice Sandler fought for women’s rights in education.

This resource is from a collection of biographies of famous women. It is provided by the National Women's History Museum, and may include links to supplemental materials including lesson plans about the subject and related topics, links to related biographies, and "works cited" pages. The biographies are sponsored by Susan D. Whiting.

This art history video discussion looks at Bernini's "Apollo and Daphne", 1622-25 (Galleria Borghese, Rome).

This art history video discussion examines Gian Lorenzo Bernini's "Bust of Medusa," marble, c. 1644-48 (Capitoline Museum).

This art history video discussion looks at Gian Lorenzo Bernini, David, 1623-24, marble (Galleria Borghese, Rome).

This art history video discussion looks at Gian Lorenzo Bernini's "Ecstasy of Saint Theresa", 1647-52 (Cornaro Chapel, Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome).

This art history video discussion examines Gian Lorenzo Bernini's "Pluto and Proserpina" (also know as the Rape of Proserpina), 1621-22, marble (Galleria Borghese, Rome). Proserpina is the Latin varient of the mythic Greek Persephone.

This art history video discussion looks at Gian Lorenzo Bernini's "Saint Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro)", Vatican City, Rome, 1656-67.

This art history video discussion looks at Gian Lorenzo Bernini's "Sant'Andrea al Quirinale", 1658-70, Rome; commissioned by Cardinal Camillo Francesco Maria Pamphili for the nearby Jesuit seminary.

Bessie Coleman soared across the sky as the first African American, and the first Native American woman pilot.

This resource is from a collection of biographies of famous women. It is provided by the National Women's History Museum, and may include links to supplemental materials including lesson plans about the subject and related topics, links to related biographies, and "works cited" pages. The biographies are sponsored by Susan D. Whiting.

Born to poor sharecroppers in Texas, Bessie Coleman (1892-1926) was the first African American woman aviator, earning an international aviation license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. Throughout her career as a daredevil stunt pilot in thrilling airshows, she consistently defied expectations and broke through racial and gender barriers to dazzle audiences and inspire future generations of Black American pilots, aviators, and astronauts. This lesson tells the story of Coleman’s life in the wider context of the “barnstorming” early days of flight and the rising opposition to racial segregation exemplified by newspapers like the Chicago Defender.

The Woodson Center's Black History and Excellence curriculum is based on the Woodson Principles and tells the stories of Black Americans whose tenacity and resilience enabled them to overcome adversity and make invaluable contributions to our country. It also teaches character and decision-making skills that equip students to take charge of their futures. These lessons in Black American excellence are free and publicly available for all.

This lesson provides an overview of the world's first African American female pilot, who overcame multiple barriers (racial, gender-based, historical, socioeconomic) in order to become a celebrated aviator and daredevil performer who thrilled both Black and White audiences. It is suitable for a lesson in history class, and would makean enriching addition to courses dealing with technical or scientific fields connected with aviation. The Woodson Center’s K-12 black history and character curriculum is based on the Woodson Principles and tells the stories of black Americans whose tenacity and resilience enabled them to overcome adversity and make invaluable contributions to our country. It also teaches character and decision-making skills that equip students to take charge of their futures. These lessons in black American excellence are free and publicly available for all.

It was approximately 40,000 years ago that mankind first donned a pair of shoes. During humanity’s long history of footwear, and an equally broad array of styles, the basic fundamentals of Western shoemaking remained mostly unchanged until the mid-nineteenth century. In the 1800s, the small state of Massachusetts revolutionized the shoemaking industry, cladding the feet of consumers nationwide in unprecedented numbers. One of America’s original colonies, Massachusetts found itself at the heart of the nation’s shoemaking industry by attracting and retaining skilled shoemakers and shoe machinery engineers. Only when the technology that Massachusetts' shoemakers invented became available beyond the state did the industry’s market expand throughout the country. Even with the spread of industrialization, Massachusetts remained the largest producer of shoes in the United States through World War I, responsible for nearly forty percent of America’s shoes and home to an equal percentage of its shoemakers. This exhibition was created as part of the DPLA’s Public Library Partnerships Project by collaborators from Digital Commonwealth. Exhibition organizer: Anna Fahey-Flynn.