Imperialism (and Humans) on Display: The 1904 World’s Fair

By Matt Goerss

Summer Fellowship 2010

Lesson #4: Meet Me in St. Louis, Meet Me at Your Exhibit

To download this lesson in PDF format, click here.

Abstract: In this lesson, students will use their knowledge of both the international and living exhibits at the 1904 World’s Fair to create their own exhibits in small groups. Students will be required to conduct research, locate primary sources, and design their exhibit using the information that they find.

Essential Questions:

• How are primary sources used to conduct historical research?
• How did the exhibits at the 1904 World’s Fair reflect the growing imperialist sentiment in the United States in the early-1900s?

Assessment: Students will be assessed based on their ability to conduct research, locate primary sources, and create an exhibit that incorporates the knowledge that they have gained from their study of the 1904 World’s Fair. The student exhibit will include written, visual, and presentation portions.

Procedures:

1) Setting the Purpose: At the beginning of the class period, the teacher should remind the students about the purpose of the 1904 World’s Fair, the international exhibits at the Fair, and the living exhibits that they analyzed. The teacher may also have the students refer back to the opening activity of Lesson #3, in which students brainstormed ways that they could create an exhibit on Urbana.

2) The teacher should break the class into several small groups of 3 to 4 students. The teacher should then hand out the requirements for the World’s Fair Exhibit Project. Students will work in groups to research and create their exhibits. When all groups have finished creating their exhibits, they will present their exhibits to the class.

Analysis of Local Primary Sources: Students may refer back to many of the photographs from the 1904 World’s Fair when creating their exhibits. Students may also locate many local primary sources of their own while conducting research on their exhibit.

Ties to National Primary Sources: Students may refer back to many of the readings from the 1904 World’s Fair when creating their exhibits. Students may also locate many national primary sources of their own while conducting research on their exhibit.

List of Materials and Resources:

World’s Fair Exhibit Project handout