Most of you probably have some vague understanding that the 19th century was a while ago. You may believe that dead presidents served (some of whom are now on money), wars happened, people wrote stuff, and nothing cool existed because there wasn't any TV, Ipods, or the NFL. In fact, you may see the 19th century as so far removed from relevancy that it is hardly worth your time. This is the conception I would like to change. Even if you don't hold fast to the idea that the past is boring, you may not realize just how big of a connection we have to our olden days. In order to find this connection, today you will become anthropologists of the 19th century. You will be looking for the themes/strands of thought that permeated the century and still hold validity to this day. You will look at a variety of timelines with a myriad of information regarding the events, people, places, and entertainment (literature, music, etc.) of the 19th century. You will find the most defining moments of the 19th century and write them on our master timeline. If you find something that is vitally important to us understanding this century, I would like you to boldly write it on our ridiculously long sheet of paper. Once we have completed this and we seem to have most of the events recorded, we will begin our work in looking for patterns and thematic elements that guide the century from start to finish. Our final result from this anthropological exercise will be the "-isms" of the 19th century and how they were developed. Here are your resources on the Internet.

Link 1: The first timeline: a comprehensive look at the events and the literature that shaped them.
Link 2: A good look at literature in the middle of the century
Link 3: Inventions of the 19th century Part 1
Link 4: Inventions of the 19th century Part 2
Link 5: A timeline of African-American history in the 19th century part 1
Link 6: A timeline of African-American history in the 19th century part 2
Link 7: The most incredibly extensive look at the 19th century (There too much information here. It is well organized, so don't get lost in it. Know what you are looking for.)
Link 8: A simple timeline. Well organized.
Link 9: A resource for the literature of the 19th century. You can read the actual texts from these books. You don't need to spend too much time here, but it can be cool to look at.
Link 10: 3 poets from the 19th century. They influenced a few -isms of the day.
Link 11: A resource for the last decade of the century, including the music and movies of the time.