Information about American life in the 20th century.
This resource provides access the culture, history, and people of more than 500 Native American Nations through primary source documents, maps and charts, and images. Grades 5 and up.
This database contains reference books and magazines on Literature, History, Biographies, Science, and Social Studies. Grades 6 and up.
Digital History features resource guides by topic and period. Reference resources include classroom handouts, chronologies, encyclopedia articles, glossaries, and an audio-visual archive including speeches, book talks and e-lectures by historians, and historical maps, music, newspaper articles, and images. The site's Ask the HyperHistorian feature allows users to pose questions to professional historians.
Created by Millersville University, this site is part of text retrieval system that contains over 1100 text articles from magazines, journals, newspapers, speeches, official calendars and other sources relating to various encounter themes. Library of Congress 1492 Expo offers brief essays on What Came To Be Called "America," The Mediterranean World, Inventing America, Christopher Columbus: Man and Myth, and Europe Claims America. There are primary sources, artifacts, drawings, maps and more
Early America's Digital ArchivesThe Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities has produced a searchable collection of electronic texts written in or about the Americas from 1492 to approximately 1820. The Archive also features a collection of links to early American texts on the Internet. Open to the public for research and teaching purposes.
The Plymouth Colony ArchiveThis site focuses on Plymouth from 1620 to 1691 and has been selected as one of the best humanities sites on the web by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Includes fully searchable texts of early laws, court records, wills, and probates; analyses of the colony legal structure, domestic relations, early settlement, criminal records, and interactions of the Wampanoag people and the colonists; biographical and social network profiles of members of the colony; a study of social and legal relationships between indentured servants and masters; archaeological analysis of house plans and material culture; and fully searchable seventeenth century texts.
The Pilgrims and Plymouth Colony, 1620This is a detailed study guide for use by teachers, students, and enthusiasts. You can use the "Search this Site" field that will look for any topic within the 75 options. Also, clicking on the "Site Map" will produce an interactive map that allows for selection of any of the individual web pages. Duane Cline, the creator of the site, has written two books: Navigation in the Age of Discovery: an Introduction, and Centennial History: General Society of Mayflower Descendants and has twice been invited to serve as a Guest Curator at Pilgrim Hall in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Salem Witch TrialsThis site is a documentary archive of the Salem Witch Trials and features court records, personal letters, maps of the area and more. The Archive contains educational information, such as biographical profiles, a collection of images containing portraits of notable people involved in the trials, pictures of important historic sites, historical paintings and published illustrations taken from 19th and early 20th century literary and historical works. The Documentary Archive is created under the supervision of Professor Benjamin C. Ray, University of Virginia.
Famous American Trials: Salem Witch TrialsThis site includes transcripts of trial records and examinations of six accused witches and other relevant primary source documents. There is a chronology, selected images, map of Salem, Petitions of Accused Witches, an interactive game, and much more. The materials included in the Famous Trials website are original works of authorship, government records, works for which copyright protection has expired, works reprinted with permission, or works the webmaster believes are within the fair use protection of the copyright laws.
Virtual JamestownThe Virtual Jamestown Archive is an on-going digital research, teaching and learning project that explores the legacies of the Jamestown settlement and "the Virginia experiment." There are first-hand accounts and letters, interpretive essays, and more.
Explore American history with this collection of over 1,700 historically significant objects and documents. An image of each of these items appears on an Item Page accompanied by interpretive text available on age-appropriate levels. Museum staff authored the text content with review by teachers, school librarians, and nationally recognized scholars. This site is essentially a large library of primary resources, curricula, and interactive student activities mostly presented in age-appropriate, user-friendly formats.
The American Colonist's Library: A Treasury of Primary DocumentsA massive collection of historical works that contributed to the formation of American politics, culture, and ideals. Arranged in chronological sequence (500 B.C.-1800 A.D.). A very helpful scholarly resource.
LIBERTY! The American RevolutionPBS's assorted and diverse web exhibits supplement specific individual television series and generally include a resume of each episode, interviews (often with sound bites), a timeline , a glossary, photos, and links to relevant sites. Liberty explores the impact of the revolutionary era on the lives of African Americans.
NARA Exhibit Hall: The Charters of FreedomThe National Archives offers a copy of the U.S. Constitution and biographies of the document's fifty-five framers. The article "A More Perfect Union" is an in-depth look at the Constitutional Convention and the ratification process. "Questions and Answers Pertaining to the Constitution" presents dozens of fascinating facts about the Constitution.
Religion and the Founding of American RepublicPart of a special exhibit by the Library of Congress, this site provides an interesting mix of images, primary text, and background information on the role of religion in the European settlement of America. America as a Religious Refuge: The 17th Century looks at religious persecution in Europe that drove so many to British North America where settlers often established colonies often centered on passionate religious convictions. Religion in 18th-Century America concentrates on the nation’s first major religious revival, the Great Awakening, 1740-1745.
This Library of Congress site has plentiful primary source documents and an introduction to the abolitionist movement in America.
Democracy in AmericaAn interesting site that attempts to recreate the United States in 1831, complementing the full-text of Alexis de Tocqueville’s book, Democracy in America. The site "contains a virtual tour of America based on de Tocqueville's itinerary, on his and his friend Beaumont's letters and journals, on contemporaneous accounts of other foreign visitors.” It also has a section onAmerican women, 1820 - 1843, explores attitudes about race, religion, and everyday life. Produced by the American Studies Group at the University of Virginia.
Lewis and Clark and the Revealing of AmericaThe Library of Congress exhibition Rivers, Edens, Empires: Lewis and Clark and the Revealing of America, is running July 24 through November 29, 2003. The exhibition features the trek of the Corps of Discovery as a culmination in the quest to connect the East and the West by means of a waterway passage. The exhibition's epilogue focuses on the transcontinental railroad, which replaced the search for a direct water route with a "river of steel."
The Triumph of Nationalism: The House DividingThis National Humanities Center has produced this site on nationalism and sectionalism in the United States from 1815 to 1850. It features primary sources and the contributions of a dozen high school history teachers.
Civil War Resources from the VMI ArchivesThis site highlights collections of the Virginia Military Institute, including manuscripts and battle resource guides. Special topics include VMI's Civil War generals, Stonewall Jackson's resources, a war chronology, Robert E. Lee's funeral and more. Part of a series that also links to VMI’s National Expansion and Reform, and the Rise of Industrial America.
America in the 1890sA detailed look at the issues and personalities that dominated this era. Many primary source excerpts.
Crucible of Empire: The Spanish-American WarThis site offers a timeline of the major events before, during, and after the war; original 1890s sheet music popular during the War; photographs of the major figures involved; newspaper articles and headlines from 1890s newspapers; classroom activities for teachers and students; historical resources, including recent scholarship concerning the war, bibliographies, and links to other web sites; and a quiz designed to test visitor knowledge about the war and this colorful moment in American history.
The U.S.-Mexican WarPart of PBS Online, this bilingual (Spanish-English) site examines the Mexican-American War and includes a timeline, dialogues (essays), teaching resources and more.
Organized by decade through the 1990's, this guide offers a broad perspective on the twentieth century. Each decade is broken down into subjects, such as: art and architecture, music, fashion, and historic events. To further explore different subjects, there are lists of Web links which take you off site. There are also recommended books for further research. Try the Internet Quiz to test your history knowledge. (It is not interactive, but the answers are provided on another page). The information was brought together by reference librarians at Kingwood College Library in Texas. A useful resource in spite of many outdated links.
Decades in 20th Century AmericaAn American decades project is a perennial favorite of many high school history teachers. Librarians at the Alameda County (CA) Library put together this site with that assignment in mind. Students, or anyone else interested in American history and culture, will find a serviceable collection of print and online sources for each of the century's decades, as well as several that cover more than one decade. Annotated and regularly updated.
Clash of Cultures in the 1910s and 1920sA very attractive and informative site on cultural tensions, including prohibition, immigration, the KKK, the New Woman and the Scopes Trial. Produced by the Ohio State University History Department.
The 1920s ExperienceAnother broad introduction to the 1920s, this commercial site has much information and images on people, art, events, literature, music, and technology.
New Deal NetworkThe Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, in collaboration with the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, Marist College, and IBM, launched the New Deal Network (NDN). The site features 20,000 items: photographs, speeches, letters, documents, and exercises from the New Deal era.
Japanese American InternmentThis site offers many primary sources, maps, photos, links, and other resources regarding the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Topics include: Pre-War Intelligence, The Politics, An Exclusion Poster, The Camps, Memories, Shootings, Disillusionment, Timeline, Glossary, and Gallery. Content has not been updated since 2001, but site continues to be maintained.
The History of Televised Presidential DebatesProduced by the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago, this site focuses on the Kennedy-Nixon debates of 1960 and televised debate history to 1996. Features lesson plans and activities.
The Psychedelic '60'sProduced by the University of Virginia Library, this resource offers a wealth of historical information on 1960's America. Site focuses on "literary tradition and social change" with narratives and images of the Vietnam War, Beat poets, rock music, civil rights movement, Woodstock and more.
WatergateWell organized overview of the Watergate scandal
Revisiting WatergateA 1997 Washington Post supplement marking the 25th anniversary of the Watergate burglary. Features include bios of the key figures involved in the affair and discussion of the impact of the scandal.
This Library of Congress site has plentiful primary source documents and an introduction to the abolitionist movement in America.
Africans in America; The Terrible Transformation, 1450-1750Part of PBS's African-American Journey site, here you'll find part one of a rich collection of resources --images, documents, stories, biographies, commentaries-- on the experience of slavery in America. There is also a useful teacher's guide and activities for students. There are three other parts to explore: Revolution: 1750-1805, Brotherly Love: 1791-1831, and Judgment Day: 1831-1865.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers ProjectThis project out of Stanford University disseminates historical information about Dr. K and the social movements in which he participated. There are papers, speeches, sermons, book chapters, scholarly articles, a biography and a chronology
Rise and Fall of Jim CrowThis site explores segregation from the end of the Civil War to the onset of the Civil Rights Movement, uses interactive features that enable visitors to learn more about the history of Jim Crow in the United States and the real-life crusaders of the period who fought against it.
Separate Is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of EducationAn online companion to a Smithsonian National Museum of American History exhibition commemorating the 50th anniversary (May 17, 2004) of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision. The site traces the history of segregation, the battle for education, and the events leading to the historic decision. Includes an annotated bibliography, a teacher's guide, and a timeline of events leading up to the decision.
TIME.com: Black HistorySelected articles of interest relating to African-American history from the archives of Time Magazine.
We Shall Overcome: Historic Places of the Civil Rights MovementThis site is useful as a virtual tour or to plan a physical tour of several dozen houses, schools, churches, and buildings associated with civil rights activism and events. Brief text places each building in historical context. Also includes a reading list, Web resources, and supplemental information on key events and people. Searchable and browsable. From the U.S. National Park Service.
A website with links to the web pages of all 50 states.
Part of the American Memory collection, this site provides a general overview of American immigration and immigrants. There are student activities, educator guides, photos and links to useful resources.
Provides a succinct overview of the suffrage movement in words and pictures
Living the Legacy: The Women's Rights Movement 1848 - 1999Living the Legacy contains numerous articles about the history of the women's movement and current issues, a timeline, and list of relevant women's organizations. The website was created by the National Women's History Project, an educational nonprofit organization, for the 150th anniversary of the Women's Rights Movement.
