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 New!

Early California Exploration and Settlement
Californio Society
California Missions
Rich Resources

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
Everyday Life and People New!

1900–1940s: Emerging Industrial Order

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

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 New!

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 New!
Everyday Life During World War II New!

1950s-1970s: Social Reform

The Civil Rights Movement
The Free Speech Movement
Watts
Struggles for Social Justice
Everyday Life New!