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Keywords: American icon

Historical Items

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Item 76615

Uncle Sam in Sesquicentennial Senior Parade, Hartland, 1970

Contributed by: Cheryl Vigue through Hartland Historical Society Date: 1970-06-27 Location: Hartland Media: Photographic print

Item 6650

Penobscot root club, Poland Springs, ca. 1900

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: circa 1900 Location: Poland Spring Media: Birch, paint

Item 148329

Longfellow Monument, Portland, ca. 1920

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society/MaineToday Media Date: circa 1920 Location: Portland Media: Glass negative

Online Exhibits

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Exhibit

"Twenty Nationalities, But All Americans"

Concern about immigrants and their loyalty in the post World War I era led to programs to "Americanize" them -- an effort to help them learn English and otherwise adjust to life in the United States. Clara Soule ran one such program for the Portland Public Schools, hoping it would help the immigrants be accepted.

Exhibit

400 years of New Mainers

Immigration is one of the most debated topics in Maine. Controversy aside, immigration is also America's oldest tradition, and along with religious tolerance, what our nation was built upon. Since the first people--the Wabanaki--permitted Europeans to settle in the land now known as Maine, we have been a state of immigrants.

Exhibit

The Jews of Maine

Like other immigrant groups, Jews came to Maine to make a living and enjoy the natural and cultural environment. Their experiences have been shaped by their occupational choices, Jewish values and, until recently, experiences of anti-Semitism.

Site Pages

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Site Page

Portland Press Herald Glass Negative Collection - Icons & Influencers

"Icons & Influencers Charles Lindbergh, Scarborough, 1927Maine Historical Society/MaineToday Media Icons & Influencers: Celebrity Photographs…"

Site Page

Portland Press Herald Glass Negative Collection - Crime & Disaster - Page 2 of 2

"Aerial photography enhanced the public’s ability to witness the devastation caused by this iconic flood."

Site Page

Strong, a Mussul Unsquit village - "Fly Rod" Crosby - Page 2 of 3

"… operated wood turning and matchstick mills, built iconic buildings in the downtown area and served the community in the House of Representatives…"

My Maine Stories

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Story

Alex Mouzas: Passionate about sharing his Greek-American roots
by Biddeford Cultural & Heritage Center

A personal, in-depth look into the life and contributions of area Greek-Americans

Story

Jim Paquette - preserving his Franco-American and musical roots
by Biddeford Cultural & Heritage Center

Lead singer of the iconic Black Hart Band shares insights of his life journey.

Story

The man who dedicated 52 years to Biddeford's iconic Alex Pizza
by Biddeford Cultural & Heritage Center

A work ethic learned from his parents and passion for the employees and customers of Alex Pizza.

Lesson Plans

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Lesson Plan

Longfellow Studies: An American Studies Approach to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12 Content Area: English Language Arts, Social Studies
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was truly a man of his time and of his nation; this native of Portland, Maine and graduate of Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine became an American icon. Lines from his poems intersperse our daily speech and the characters of his long narrative poems have become part of American myth. Longfellow's fame was international; scholars, politicians, heads-of-state and everyday people read and memorized his poems. Our goal is to show that just as Longfellow reacted to and participated in his times, so his poetry participated in shaping and defining American culture and literature. The following unit plan introduces and demonstrates an American Studies approach to the life and work of Longfellow. Because the collaborative work that forms the basis for this unit was partially responsible for leading the two of us to complete the American & New England Studies Masters program at University of Southern Maine, we returned there for a working definition of "American Studies approach" as it applies to the grade level classroom. Joe Conforti, who was director at the time we both went through the program, offered some useful clarifying comments and explanation. He reminded us that such a focus provides a holistic approach to the life and work of an author. It sets a work of literature in a broad cultural and historical context as well as in the context of the poet's life. The aim of an American Studies approach is to "broaden the context of a work to illuminate the American past" (Conforti) for your students. We have found this approach to have multiple benefits at the classroom and research level. It brings the poems and the poet alive for students and connects with other curricular work, especially social studies. When linked with a Maine history unit, it helps to place Portland and Maine in an historical and cultural context. It also provides an inviting atmosphere for the in-depth study of the mechanics of Longfellow's poetry. What follows is a set of lesson plans that form a unit of study. The biographical "anchor" that we have used for this unit is an out-of-print biography An American Bard: The story of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, by Ruth Langland Holberg, Thomas Y. Crowell & Company, c1963. Permission has been requested to make this work available as a downloadable file off this web page, but in the meantime, used copies are readily and cheaply available from various vendors. The poem we have chosen to demonstrate our approach is "Paul Revere's Ride." The worksheets were developed by Judy Donahue, the explanatory essays researched and written by the two of us, and our sources are cited below. We have also included a list of helpful links. When possible we have included helpful material in text format, or have supplied site links. Our complete unit includes other Longfellow poems with the same approach, but in the interest of time and space, they are not included. Please feel free to contact us with questions and comments.

Lesson Plan

Longfellow Studies: The Village Blacksmith - The Reality of a Poem

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12 Content Area: English Language Arts, Social Studies
"The Village Blacksmith" was a much celebrated poem. Written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the poem appeared to celebrate the work ethic and mannerisms of a working man, the icon of every rural community, the Blacksmith. However, what was the poem really saying?