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Social Studies Curriculum Links

American History Resources

Cross-Era Resources   | Pre-Revolution   | The Revolution   | The New Nation
The Jeffersonian Period   | The Expanding Nation   |  The Civil War   | Reconstruction   |  Industrializing Nation
An Emerging World Power   | The Twenties   |  The Great Depression   | World War II
Post War Domestic Policy   | Post War Foreign Policy

General American History Resources

African American History
Africans in America Resources from the PBS series includes documents, essays, and teacher's resources.
American Memory Collections at the Library of Congress
The American Presidency
American Treasures from the Library of Congress
American Visions Companion to the PBS series on American art
Ask a Historian A web site of the National Park Service that connects students or teachers directly to historians via e-mail. Must have e-mail capabilities.
Black History: Exploring African-American Issues on the Web
California Heritage: Digital Image Access project  Thousands of digitized photographs from the historical archives of Bancroft Library of UC, Berkeley.
CLnet CLnet is an emerging digital library on Latinas/os in the United States
Color Landform Atlas of the United States Click on a state (such as Maryland) to see a map from 1895
Digital Images of Radicalism  An astounding collection of FREE pictures, documents and posters from various America protest movements housed by the University of Michigan. Search by alphabet or topic.
Divining America: Religion and the National Culture  The National Center for the Humanities thematic unit traces era by era the role religion has played in shaping our national culture.
Documents from the Avalon Project
From Revolution to Reconstruction (Hypertext approach to US History)
Chicano! Home Page
Distinguished Women of Past and Present
Historical and Cultural Atlas Resource from Oregon State System of Higher Education Interactive maps of US territorial expansion from 1783-1898, and slavery through 1860.
Historical, Social, Economic, and Demographic Data from the US Decennial Census, 1790-1860
Historical Text Archive
At Home In The Heartland  An outstanding site written for the 4-6 level about the history of the midwest. Organized by era. Contains interactive lessons, lesson plans, and primary source documents.
Hypertext American Resources  This rich site contains full text versions of such American classics as Incidents in the Life of A Slave Girl and Lewis and Clark's Journals. Hypertext documents contain highlighted links in the document that explain the meanings of words or highlight a historical point. Be sure to check out the WPA interviews of former slaves - some contain audio files!
Jackie Robinson and Other Baseball Highlights 1860 -1960  A Library of Congress exhibition. Great Original Source photographs. Well written background information.
Just the Artifacts  Web based lessons using artifacts from the Chicago Historical Society. Themes so far: Toys, Slavery, Chicago Fire, African-American history.
Making of America  Over 600 original source American publications from 1850 to 1900.
National Archives - The Digital Classroom  Resources for educators including several great original source lesson plans.
National Museum of American History  Includes virtual exhibits.
National Museum of American Jewish History
Panoramic Maps 1847-1909--Library of Congress
The Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection (The University of Texas at Austin)
Posters American Style  An online exhibition by the Smithsonian contains over 100 classic American posters.
The Quest for Equality - Women's History  From World Book, this site chronicles the history of women's suffrage, the rise of women's movements, and the struggle for equal rights.
Rare Map Collection
The Smithsonian Institution Home Page
Statistical Abstract of the U.S. 1998  The entire book with over 1,700 tables and graphs which present summaries of local, state, regional, national, and selected international data.
Teaching With Historic Places Order lesson packets created by the National Park Service that teach history via specific historic locations.
Time.com Celebrates Black History--Contents Page
U.S. Census Bureau Home Page
U.S. Historical Documents A thorough collection of primary source material gathered by the University of Oklahoma Law Center.
U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates 1774-1873  The Library of Congress' massive database on the first century of U.S. lawmaking.
Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1830-1930 An excellent collection of primary source documents.

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Pre-Revolution Period

The 1492 Exhibit
Betsy Ross Homepage
Colonial Maps
Colonial Williamsburg Home Page
Take a virtual tour of Colonial Williamsburg
Cultural Readings: Colonization and Print in the Americas   A well documented virtual museum exhibit. Contains many primary source documents for the study of Colonization.
The French and Indian War
Mayflower
Plimoth Plantation
Williamsburg On-Line Information on other attractions in the Williamsburg, Virginia area.

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The American Revolution

The American Revolutionary War Home Page Re-enacting the American Revolutionary War
Don't Wanna Slave No More: African-American Choices in the American Revolution  This PBS site can go with the video documentary but has four lesson plans that stand on their own (including original source material).
Liberty!   A companion to the recent PBS documentary. Included original sources, perspectives, timelines and an educational game.
The American Revolution  Another companion site to the Liberty! documentary above. Includes Essays and relevant links. Oriented more towards the higher levels.
Map of the Revolution
Soviet view of the American Revolution
Timeline of the Americn Revolution
The World of Ben Franklin

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A New Nation (1781-1800)

Archiving Early America Early documents and newspapers
The Federalist (searchable)
A Midwife's Tale  A companion site to the PBS series that tracks the life of Martha Ballard through her own words. Provides a female perspective to the early nation period. Includes excerpts from her diary, sound bytes, background information and a teacher's guide.
The Papers of George Washington

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Jeffersonian Period (1800-1824)

Discovering Lewis and Clarke  Very impressive site with maps, journal extracts, and many images.
Thomas Jefferson Papers
Thomas Jefferson Resources from the PBS series.
Lewis and Clark: A bitter crossing  Idaho Public Television's look at the near failure of the fabled journey in the Bitteroot Mountains. Frequently asked questions are answered by a historian and background is provided on natives and canoes. Also includes a nice set of related links.
The Historic Steps of Lewis and Clark  Traces the steps of Lewis and Clark in the format of an informative quiz.
Lewis and Clark on the Information Superhighway  An expansive listing of resources related to Lewis and Clark available on the web.
Lewis and Clark The PBS series, October '97.
Louisiana Purchase Treaty, 1803
Women in America, 1820 to 1842

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Expanding the Republic (1824-1850)

The Amistad Case: Original Source Documents  An original source lesson (middle - high school) provided by the National Archives.
Donner Party Online
The Gold Rush of 1849  PBS Series companion with teachers guide and facts for kids.
The Gold Rush  The Sacramento Bee celebrates the 150th anniversary of the discovery of gold in California.
The Gold Rush in the Wayback Machine   Take a trip through time with Discovery to the California Gold Rush of 1849.
At Home In The Heartland  An outstanding site written for the 4-6 level about the history of the midwest. Organized by era. Contains interactive lessons, lesson plans, and primary source documents.
Latino Views of the Mexican-American War and Texas Independence Alternative views of the expanding 1840's.
Oregon Trail: The Trail West  The most comprehensive listing of Oregon Trail resources. Below are just a few of these sites:
  • Pioneering the Upper MidwestAn online collection of 138 volumes portrays the states of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin from the seventeenth to the twentieth century.
    Tales of the Early Republic" - Jacksonian America
    The US-Mexican War (1846-1848) The site chronicles the events of the era through multiple viewpoints to provide an enlightened perspective on the conflict.
    Women in America, 1820 to 1842
    1846: Portrait of The Nation The National portait Gallery's description of the seminal year through various portraits.

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    The Civil War (1850-1865)

    54th. Mass. Volunteer Infantry, Co. I
    American Slave Narratives: An Online Anthology A collection of interviews with former slaves who discuss their lives before and after freedom. The site features photos and RealAudio sound clips from one of the original interviews.
    A Bittersweet Journey on the Underground Railroad
    Camp Life: Civil War Collections From Gettysburg An outstanding virtual exhibit of what life was like for Civil War Soldiers.
    The Civil War Center
    The Civil War Gazette A teacher created on-line lesson plan. Contains many nicely arranged links.
    The Confederate States of America Papers
    Documenting the American South: Narratives on Slavery
    Documenting the American South: Autobiographies, Diaries, and Memoirs of the Nineteenth Century South
    The Emancipation Proclamation
    The Fight for Equal Rights: Black Soldiers in the Civil War Part of the National Archives Teaching With Documents Series
    Frederick Douglass - American Visionary An online exhibit, provided by the National Park Service's Museum Management Program as part of its American Visionaries series, chronicles the history of Douglass, his ideas, and his influence
    The Fugitive Slave Act, 1850
    The Kansas-Nebraska Act, 1854
    Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project  Digital versions of documents, images, and even music related to Abraham Lincoln's life in Illinois.
    The Making of America  University of Michigan and Cornell University's collection of predominantly social history documents from 1850 to 1877. A huge collection for advanced research.
    Matthew Brady's Portraits A collection from the National Portarait Gallery.
    National Park Service Study of the Underground Railroad
    Aboard The Underground Railroad  A National Park Service travel guide to the underground railroad.
    National Underground Railroad Freedom Center  Contains a timeline dating, a list of major players and contributors of the Underground Railroad movement, and a list of related resources on each individual.
    The North Star: Tracing the Underground Railroad
    Selected Civil War Photographs Home Page
    Slavery: Just the Artifacts  Web based lessons using articfacts from the Chicago Historical Society.
    Soviet View of the US Civil War
    The Valley of the Shadow: Living the Civil War in Pennsylvania and Virginia
    What Do YOU See?  A model online lesson that trains students to observe Civil War photos. Sponsored by the Library of Congress American Memory Project and written by two MCPS teachers.

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    Reconstruction. The New South and the Last West

    Gold Rush Diary
    The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson Using text and graphics from Harper's Weekly, this site explains the key political issues behind Johnson's impeachment, details the legal and political arguments for impeachment, provides biographies and portraits for 28 key figures related to the trial, and chronicles Johnson's term as President.
    The Making of America  University of Michigan and Cornell University's collection of predominantly social history documents from 1850 to 1877. A huge collection for advanced research.
    Pioneer Spirit - Homesteading in the American west
    The West
    The West (New Perspectives) great documents and pictures

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    An Industrializing Nation

    Between a Rock and a Hard Place: A History of American Sweatshops 1820 - Present  Smithsonian's National Museum of American History creates a virtual exhibit that is packed with data hidden in pictures and charts. Brings the history to the present sweatshop dilema.
    Cartoons of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era
    Child Labor in America 1908-1912 High quality photographs of children dwarfed by the adult work world.
    Ellis Island from the History Channel
    Ellis Island Photographs (California Museum of Photography)
    How the Other Half Lives (Jacob Riis)
    Immigration articles from the Atlantic Monthly magazine
    Lower East Side Tenement Museum (New York City)
    On the Lower East Side  Observations of Life in Lower Manhattan at the Turn of the Century
    Prohibition in the US
    The Richest Man in the World: Andrew Carnegie
    John D. Rockefeller and the Standard Oil Company   Seven hyperlinked chapters cover nineteenth century oil industry.
    TR, The Story of Theodore Roosevelt
    Theodore Roosevelt: Icon of the American Century The National Portrait Gallery presents this visual biography of Theodore Roosevelt, focused on his adult life and political career, 1882-1919.
    U.S. Labor and Industrial History Audio Project  Contains a few Real Audio files of famous Labor Speeches at the bottom of the front page. Begins with speeches from a recent labor convention.
    Women's Suffrage

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    The U.S. Becomes a World Power (1850-1919)

    Anti-Imperialism in the United States, 1898-1935
    Cartoons of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era
    Hawaii's Last Queen
    Influenza 1918  PBS series companion includes teacher's guide and descriptions of the Flu that killed more Americans than the Civil War.
    The Spanish-American War in Motion Pictures  A collection of real life films digitized by the Library of Congress.
    World War I - Trenches on the Web  A thorough and interesting history of the "Great War" from many perspectives. This site will serve novices just as well as veterans. Be sure to check out the "tours" of the site if you are a first time user because it is a huge site.
    The World War I Document Archive  An extensive archive of primary source documents oriented towards the political and military aspects of the war. Well organized by year and nation.
    The Zimmerman Telegram An intercepted message sets a nation to war? This lesson is part of the National Archives Teaching With Documents Series.

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    United States in the 1920s

    The Harlem Renaissance  From Encyclopaedia Britannica, this site celebrates the intellectual creativity that blossomed in the African-American community in Harlem during the 1920s.
    History of Radio Archive
    The Kellogg-Briand Pact, 1929
    Harlem, 1900-1940: An African-American Community  Developed by the New York Public Library, this site includes an exhibit, archival photographs, timeline, and resources for teachers that include lessons to go with the photographs.
    Harlem: Mecca of the New Negro  Survey Graphic was a social work magazine of the 1920's. This site includes the entire edition of the magazine for March, 1925 which was focused on what is now termed the Harlem Renaissance. An outstanding source for primary materials.
    Prohibition in the US
    Radio Days  A site dedicated to preserving the culture of old time radio.
    Red Scare: An Image Database  Contains 137 photographs and political cartoons that illustrate US political history from 1918 to 1920.
    The Silent Comedy Quicktime Cavalcade  Classics of slapstick in short film clips.
    Woman Suffrage and the 19th Ammendment A National Archives resource including primary documents and lessons.

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    The Great Depression

    Color Photographs from the Farm Security Administration and the Office of War Information  An excellent resource from the American Memory project of the Library of Congress.
    FDR Library: via National Archives
    Hoover Dam: Lonely Lands Made Fruitful   The story of one of the massive federal works projects of the depression. Includes slide shows (requires Flash 2).
    Life History Manuscripts from the Folklore Project, WPA Federal Writer's Project An excellent resource from the American Memory project of the Library of Congress.
    Using Oral History To Teach  Another outstanding online lesson from the Library of Congress' American Memory Project. Uses oral histories from the WPA's American Life histories 1936-1940 series.
    New Deal Network
    FDR Political Cartoons Political cartoons from the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    Riding The Rails Companion site to the PBS series. Includes oral histories and a teacher's guide.
    Surviving The Dustbowl  Companion site to the PBS series. Includes eyewitness accounts, Real Audio interviews, and a teachers' guide.
    Voices From The Dustbowl  The American Memory project from the Library of Congress now has web access to songs and pictures from the migrant camps of 1940-41. Requires Real Audio to listen to the songs.
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    World War II

    A-Bomb WWW Museum ~ June,1995
    Guts And Glory  PBS' American Experience companion site examines D-Day and the Battle of The Bulge. Includes first person accounts.
    Japanese American Exhibit and Access Project  A very well designed exhibit and archive mainly centered on the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.
    Holocaust: A Teacher's Guide  A well written site the provides the essential information about the Holocaust.
    The Nizkor Project An extensive clearinghouse of information related to the Holocaust.
    Normandy, 1944  Encyclopedia Britannica's free multimedia treatment of the largest invasion of all time.
    Nuremberg War Crimes Trials Documents
    Okinawa: The American Years, 1945-1972  A site dedicated to this sometimes forgotten battle in the Pacific during World War II and the long occupation thereafter.
    Pearl Harbor Sites that feature the sights and sounds of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
    Powers of Persuasion: Posters on the Homefront A lesson from the Teaching With Documents Series from the National Archives. Includes links to many posters.
    Victory: Posters on the Homefront  National Museum of American History's virtual exhibit.
    The Way We Won:  America's Economic Breakthrough During World War II A four page article by historian Doris Kearns Goodwin.
    What did you do in the War, Grandma?  An excellent oral history project created by High School seniors in Rhode Island.
    World War II ArchiveLinks to many World War II sites from Mississippi State University.
    World War II Documents
    World War II Primary Source Materials  From Nazi-Soviet relations to the Pearl Harbor hearings, this site contains thousands of full-text government documents related to the war.
    World War II Poster Database  Over 300 full color original posters.
    World War II Sounds and Pictures
    World War II Texts and Links

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    Post War Domestic Policy

    Census Bureau Statistics on Voting and Registering 1964 - Present
    Martin Luther King, Jr. (Life Magazine)
    Martin Luther King, Jr. (Seattle Times)
    The Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project Includes a number of full-text primary documents (including the "I Have a Dream" speech and the "I've Been To The Mountaintop" sermon), a general biography, a chronology of King's life, and more.
    Oliphant's Anthem  A Library of Congress exhibit of political cartoons by Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Pat Oliphant covering domestic and foreign policy matters.
    Senator Joseph McCarthy
    The Myth of The Melting Pot  A Washington Post series of articles.
    Project Whistlestop A site created by the National Park Service and several Missouri School districts concerning Harry S Truman.
    Richard Nixon Audio Library
    Richard Nixon Video Library
    The Sixties Project and Viet Nam Generation
    Watergate 25 - from the Washington Post
    Voices of the Civil Rights Era

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    Post War Foreign Policy

    The Atomic Archive
    The Berlin Wall
    National Security Archive  A collection of declassified documents by George Washington University.

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    Last updated and links checked on February 9, 2002 by John L. Day
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