Themed Collections: Primary Source Sets in Historical Context

Teachers! Use Calisphere Themed Collections to quickly find primary sources for classroom use. Explore California’s role in national and world history:

• Themes align with K-12 California Content Standards in History-Social Science, English-Language Arts, and Visual Arts.
• Each topic is a primary source set of 20-30 selected images (photographs, documents, newspaper clippings, political cartoons, art, and other cultural artifacts).
• Brief overviews of each topic provide historical context for images.

1780-1880: California in Transition

Early California Exploration and Settlement
Californio Society
California Missions
Rich Resources
Everyday Life

1848-1865: Gold Rush Era

Murder and Mayhem
Disasters
Everyday Life and People
Environmental Impact
Growth of Cities
Diversity in the Changing State

1870-1900: Closing of the Frontier

Chinese Exclusion Act
The Transcontinental Railroad
Native Americans and Contact
Preservation of the West
The Letters of John MuirNew!
Everyday Life and People

1900–1940s: Emerging Industrial Order

The Changing Workplace
The Rise of Technology
Growing Ethnic Diversity
Early Advertising
Popular Culture
Everyday Life and People

1929-1939: The Great Depression

Dust Bowl Migration
Hard Times
Help and a New Deal
San Francisco General Strike
Building Bridges, Dams, Power Plants
Everyday Life in Hard Times

1939–1945: World War II

Women in the Workforce
Life on the Home Front
The Bracero Program
Richmond Shipyards
Japanese American Internment
The 442nd Regimental Combat Team
California and the Postwar Suburban Home
Everyday Life During World War II

1950s-1970s: Social Reform

The Civil Rights Movement
The Free Speech Movement
Watts
Struggles for Social Justice
Everyday Life
The LGBT Pride ParadeNew!