LaShante A. James
Blackmar, Elizabeth and Rosenzweig, Roy,
The Park and the People.
Ithica: Cornell University, 1992.
Blackmar and Rosenzweig provide a full scale history of Central Park and Central Park's people. Through this text, teachers have better understanding of New York's history and issues about the meaning of "public" in this democratic society.
Harris, Leslie,
In the Shadow of Slavery.
Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2003.
The experience of African Americans living in the South during the antebellum period is well documented. Harris' text offers documentation of African American presence in New York City over the course of two centuries.
Homberger, Eric,
The Historical Atlas of New York City.
New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2005.
This is a reference piece includes maps, drawings, photographs and text to document the five boroughs and how they change over time due to the arrival of various groups in New York City. The atlas can be useful in illustrating city's develop and adapt as diverse groups of people begin to settle there.
Kasson, John,
Amusing the Millions.
New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1978.
Kasson provides a great insight to early pop culture. In addition, literature during this time period often references Coney Island a means of entertainment; therefore, this text useful in building background knowledge.
Piess, Kathy,
Cheap Amusements.
Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1986.
Through the lens of public leisure spaces and activities,Peiss examines working class youth culture in turn-of-the-century New York. This text documents the new forms ofcommercialized public
leisure that became part of a larger working class culture. This text is helpful in terms of understanding how young people of the early 20
th
century amused themselves.