Maine Memory Network

Commissioner Arguments and Objections, Montréal, 1826

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 1826 Location: Montreal Media: Ink on Paper

Arguments against separation from Massachusetts, 1819

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 1819 Media: Ink on paper

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A Craze for Cycling

Success at riding a bike mirrored success in life. Bicycling could bring families together. Bicycling was good for one's health. Bicycling was fun. Bicycles could go fast. Such were some of the arguments made to induce many thousands of people around Maine and the nation to take up the new pastime at the end of the nineteenth century.

Debates Over Suffrage

While numerous Mainers worked for and against woman suffrage in the state in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, some also worked on the national level, seeking a federal amendment to allow women the right to vote

Beyond Borders - Mapping Maine and the Northeast Boundary - Beyond Borders: an historical overview - Page 2 of 6

"Rather, landownership was an argument: a case to be made before provincial officials, imperial authorities, Indigenous powers, and the colonial…"

Maine's Road to Statehood - Turn of the Century to the War of 1812

"… belonging to Maine alone.” The final primary argument was simply a lack of immediate motives. The author conceded that Mainers would be unhurt…"

A Maine Family's story of being Prisoners of War in Manila
by Nicki Griffin

As a child, born after the war, I would hear these stories - glad they were finally written down

Maine Statehood

Grade Level: 9-12 Content Area: Social Studies
Maine's quest for statehood began in the years immediately following the American Revolution. Though the state of Massachusetts consented to the separation in 1819 and Maine would ultimately achieve statehood in 1820, Maine’s split from Massachusetts was not without controversy and was not universally supported by people living in Maine. Using primary sources, students will explore the arguments for and against Maine statehood. Students will gather evidence and arguments to debate the statement: It is in the best interests of the people of Maine for Maine to become its own state.

Primary Sources: Using Source Documents in the Classroom

Grade Level: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 Content Area: Social Studies
This lesson plan introduces teachers how to use a source document and the Maine Memory Network in classrooms. It can be used in any grade and will require one or more source documents, which can be found by searching the Maine Memory Network for the topic of your choice.