[Detail] Vacuum cleaners on display at the J.C. Harding & Co.

The written narratives, audio recordings, films, and photographs that comprise Prosperity and Thrift provide engaging starting points for historical thinking and for sharpening the basic skills required to analyze and evaluate documents in a historical context. Emphasis is placed on advertising, legislation, and social surveys.

Chronological Thinking: Photographic Timelines

Create a photographic timeline chronicling the Coolidge presidency from August 1923 to March 1929. The timeline can focus on historic events such as Warren Harding’s funeral in 1923, and President Coolidge’s signing of a bill granting Native Americans full rights of citizenship in 1924 (commemorated by Coolidge's being made an honorary member of the Smoki tribe in Arizona). Other events and issues can be represented by items such as presidential campaign photos with the likes of labor activist Mother Mary Jones and actor Al Jolson, as well as through portraits of public figures such as Mrs. Coolidge with Helen Keller. Use the Subject Index and Title Index or search on photograph to identify helpful materials.