BackStory: Blasts from the Past: A History of Dynamite in the United States

Comprehension Questions

• Why were explosives important in the mid-19th century?
• How did Alfred Nobel's innovations change the world of explosives?

EDSITEment Resources

The Transcontinental Railroad was a major infrastructure project that relied heavily on the use of dynamite. Learn more with the lesson plan The Impact of the Transcontinental Railroad (grades 6-8).

Comprehension Questions

• What was Gutzon Borglum's original plan for creating Mount Rushmore?
• What kinds of labor needed to be brought together to create Mount Rushmore once dynamite was involved?
• What process did Luigi del Bianco use to create such recognizable sculptures?
• Why does it look as if the presidents are looking in different directions at different times of day?
• How do local Native American tribes, including the Lakota Sioux, view the lands where Mount Rushmore was created?

EDSITEment Resources

This segment helps pivot from a popular and triumphant narrative about the creation of Mount Rushmore to a reflection on the dispossession of Native Americans and the destruction of sacred lands. To continue this conversation, consider the EDSITEment Teacher's Guide on American Indian History and Heritage. More specific information about the desecration of Lakota Sioux lands can be found in the PBS article Native Americans and Mount Rushmore.

Comprehension Questions

• What problem did anarchists and other social movements face by the end of the nineteenth century?
• What were anarchists fighting? What are popular misconceptions of anarchism?
• What distinction does Lingg make between "disorder" and "opposition against the order of things"? Why is this significant?
• Why has Lingg's memory been suppressed in the wake of the Haymarket riot?
• According to Tim Messer-Kruse, what is the enduring symbolism of dynamite?

EDSITEment Resources

The Haymarket riot was one of many labor conflicts that erupted in the late nineteenth century as a consequence of poor working conditions and economic inequality. Learn more about the context for the riot and reflect on working conditions and the labor movement today with the EDSITEment lesson The Industrial Age in America: Sweatshops, Steel Mills, and Factories (grades 6-8).

Founded in 2008, BackStory is a weekly podcast that explores the historical roots of current events. Hosted by a team of historians of the United States, the show features interviews with other scholars and public historians, seeking to bring U.S. history to life. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the show do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Learn more at the BackStory website.