We begin this module with a grounding in the rise of American industry and the Protestant Work Ethic followed by illustrative literature. Students are asked to locate some work/industry literature on their own and connect it to themes discussed elsewhere in the module.

After reading material on ferries, the railroad and the California Gold Rush, students research other opportunities for progress and industry in the American expansion westwards: railroads, other forms of mining, homesteading/settling the wilderness, fishing the Pacific, etc., OR the Midwest/East Coast that reports on any of these other industrial experiences.

This collection is one of five collections of (mostly) primary texts that were gathered for use in Introduction to American Literature I (Beginnings to 1850). Collections are separated by the themes under study in that course: “Land of Many Nations,” “Land of God,” “Land of the Free, Home of the Slave,” “land of Industry,” and “Land, Lots of Land.” The material is primarily from the Smithsonian museums and libraries and the Library of Congress. These collections were assembled over the 2020-2021 academic year with the support of a sabbatical and a generous Smithsonian Fellowship in Museum Practice through the Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access. Specific gratitude for extensive assistance goes to the Smithsonian Transcription Center, Museum of African American History and Culture, the US Postal Museum, the Asian Studies Collection, and the American Philosophical Society.