Have you ever wondered how an Indy car can keep its grip on the track when traveling at 200 miles per hour? Readers will learn the history of Indy cars, Indy car technology, and how these race cars compete in long, grueling races.
Lowriders are more about appearance than speed or performance. They are more like works of art than cars. Kids will learn about the history of the lowrider craze and how it has changed over the years.
This timeless ballad has been part of American folklore for over a century. Born with a hammer in his hand, John Henry discovers his true calling as a steel-driving man but he inevitably meets his match in a race against a steam drill that provides a powerful metaphor for the disruption and loss of innocence created by the industrial age. Thornton's charcoal drawings deftly capture the triumphal spirit of this cautionary tale.
Government leaders help to govern our country, our states, and our cities. They make important decisions, solve problems, and see that laws are enforced. The people they serve elect most government officials. Long ago, there were not as many government officials as there are today because the United States had a smaller population.
Bank tellers help people take care of their money. Long ago, bank tellers did most of their work by hand. Today, computers make their work faster and easier. There are even machines called Automatic Teller Machines, or ATMs. Although convenient, ATMs cannot replace bank tellers.
Store clerks help people shop. Many years ago, stores were smaller and store clerks had to perform most of the jobs in the store. Today, stores are larger and usually employ several store clerks to help. Store clerks today must know how to use computers to do their jobs.
Throughout history, people have recorded ideas and important events in their lives and communities. Methods of writing have changed greatly over the years. Today, computers make a writer's job much easier and enable people to write and publish more material than ever before.
Long ago, it often took weeks for postal workers to deliver mail to people who lived far away. Today, mail is transported quickly by trucks and airplanes, and it usually reaches its destination in a few days. Postal workers deliver mail directly to homes, businesses, and mailboxes.
Actors have entertained audiences for thousands of years. In the past, plays were performed both to entertain and to teach. Today, plays involve the use of lighting, sound systems, and elaborate sets and often have large casts that include many actors.
Farmers are important because they grow the food that people eat. Modern equipment enables farmers to grow more food for an ever-increasing world population.
Fishers have provided food for thousands of years. Long ago, fishers had to fish close to land and used simple fishing tools such as knives, hoes, and spears. With the use of modern boats and fishing equipment, today's fishers fish far out in the ocean and catch a large variety of fish for market.
Librarians lend and take care of books. Many years ago, the job of a librarian was simpler because librarians only took care of a few books and libraries were small. Most libraries today contain many books, magazines, computers, and other media equipment. Librarians today help people find information and show them new ways to find it.
For over two hundred years, individuals have protected and served their communities as lawmen. Today, people who help enforce the law are called police officers because both men and women can serve in the police force.
Many years ago, doctors trained nurses to help them treat people. Today, nurses go to school to learn about medicine and about how to help people when they are sick. Nurses perform many of the same duties as doctors.
The first teachers in the United States were students who did well in school and were hired to teach other students. Today, teachers must have college degrees to teach. Schools today are larger than those in the past and often have several separate classes at the same grade level.
Firefighters are community heroes and their job is to help wherever there is trouble. Firefighters must be well trained, wear protective uniforms, and ride on trucks that are equipped to fight fires. Firefighters and the equipment they use today have changed significantly over the years.
Confucius was a philosopher who devoted his life to relieving the suffering he saw. His philosophy stressed the natural order of a moral, just, society. After his death, his followers shared his teachings, influencing future generations.
Socrates was an ancient Greek philosopher who helped shape Greek beliefs. Socrates believed his purpose in life was to gain wisdom and find the truth by asking questions. Socrates made many people over his methods of teaching. He was arrested and sentenced to death. But, many of Socrates's ideas and beliefs can still be found today.
Siddhartha Gautama was born to the king of a tribe in Northern India. An astrologer told his father that Gautama would either become a king or he would leave his riches behind to save humanity. His father sheltered him from all of the poverty in the streets. When Gautama finally left his palace he saw the suffering of people and wanted to change the world. He started the religion called Buddhism.
Kelly loves the cabin she has made from a refrigerator box. It has a window with curtains, pictures on the walls, a cabin-sized table and a wonderful view. It sits in the vacant lot next door, transformed into the rugged farm of a pioneer family. Now if only Kelly can find the right person to share it with.
Tom loves running through cow fields with his best friend, Peggy, and his dog, Amos-especially when he's pretending to be his favorite radio hero, the Lone Ranger. But when Tom learns the nearby Fraser River is about to flood, he may have to become a real-life hero and help save his family's herd of dairy cows. This story is based on real events that happened in the farming community of Agassiz during the Fraser River flood of 1948.
American society in the 1800s had a rough edge to it. In a nation made up of people of diverse backgrounds and heritage, social controls needed to be strict and enforceable. The extreme economic inequality of Americas cities and the wide open moral code of the frontier led to a culture of crime and violence that still plagues our country. During the 1800s, professional police forces were established in cities, towns, and territories across the continent. On the frontier, justice was often swift and severe, with hanging judges making their reputations as representatives of the law in a lawless land. Long prison sentences in miserable conditions were the rule for criminals, and many a prisoner might have preferred the option of a quick execution. Before the reform of the legal system, which is an ongoing process, there was definitely a separate law, and a separate standard of penalties, for the rich and for the poor. The evolution of a humane penal system and a fairer protection of all citizens under the law is an important contribution of 1800s America to the modern world.
For most of the 1800s, children were considered small, unruly adults who needed to be strictly disciplined and put to useful work as soon as they were able. The very concept of childhood itself, as a carefree, innocent time, is a result of increasing economic stability and changing family roles in the 1800s. Before child welfare laws were enacted and compulsory education enforced, children made up an important part of the industrial and agricultural workforce in 1800s America. Toys and time for games and fun may have been a luxury, but kids will be kids, and the adults that loved them made sure their lives weren't all work and no play. The establishment of public schools, more humane working conditions, and expanding economic opportunities helped improve the life of Americas children in the 1800s, but they worked hard and their pleasures were simple ones.
In rough frontier cabins, tidy farmhouses, and elegant townhouses, Americans in the 1800s were dedicated to living as well and as comfortably as their circumstances allowed. The American home was a sacred institution, the seat of family life where the patriarch ruled with Mother at his side as guardian of the home, and the children were raised with strict discipline and strong values. Changes in taste and fashion, improvements in technology (indoor plumbing and a host of new laborsaving devices), and social change transformed home and family life in the 1800s, as opportunities for leisure activities and commercially produced consumer goods came within reach of the average American. But the strong American tradition of the sanctity of the home, consumerism, and the importance of a happy family life has its roots in the homes of nineteenth century Americans.
While often behind the scenes and hidden from history, women in 1800s America worked side by side with men in building our nation. On the frontier, strong, capable women worked as hard or harder than their menfolk, taming the land and raising the crops while shouldering the responsibilities of keeping house and caring for the children. The life of the farm wife in the settled parts of the country was one of sunup to sundown labor in an era with few modern conveniences. And in urban areas, working class women were a major part of the workforce in an industrializing economy, while middle and upper class women influenced America's social movements, supported charities, and helped beautify the gritty cities. In the course of the 1800s, new labor saving technologies in the home, improved health conditions, greater economic and educational opportunities, and a growing sense of their rights helped to empower women and started the movement toward full equality with men that continues to this day.
