©2003 Center for Advanced
Technology in Education ( CATE )
College of Education, University of Oregon
Internet Sites for Teaching American History
with Primary Source Documents
This list has been compiled, edited, and formatted by Dr. Lynne Anderson-Inman and Philip Kessinger, Center for Advanced Technology in Education, College of Education, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR. Most of the Internet sites and their descriptions come from the following three resources:
Craver, K.W. (1999). Using Internet Primary Sources to Teach Critical Thinking Skills in History. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
LII: Librarian’s Index to the Internet. A searchable guide to the Internet with selections made by librarians for library and general public use. Directory of more than 10,000 Internet resources available at: http://www.lii.org/.
FREE:
Federal Resources For Educational Excellence.
A searchable collection of websites developed or co-developed by federal agencies
and organizations. Available at: http://www.ed.gov/free.
US History: General
Chronology of the
http://hamilton.law.ou.edu/hist/
Contains hundreds of primary sources about
Decades in 20th Century
http://www.aclibrary.org/teenroom/decades.asp
An 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. LII
Smithsonian Online Collections
http://www.si.edu/exhibitions/
The Smithsonian gateway to digitized images from its museums, archives, and libraries.
Currently more than 15,000 images have been digitized and described. The collection is
browsable by department and searchable by keyword, artist/maker, department, or year.
LII
Digital Librarian: A Librarian's Choice of the Best of the Web
http://www.digital-librarian.com/history.html
An extensive listing of Internet sites directly related to the teaching of American history arranged alphabetically. LII
America's Story
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/
Child-friendly Web site launched to mark the 200th anniversary of the Library of
Congress. Provides access to a broad array of primary sources on amazing Americans,
events in American history, the nation's states and capital, and American sports, hobbies,
pastimes, movies, and music. LII
Avalon Project at the Yale Law School
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/avalon.htm
Features primary source documents from all over the world
in law, history, and government from the eighteenth through twentieth centuries.
Includes Declaration of Independence, original state constitutions,
“Common Sense” by Thomas Paine,
The History Gateway at Kansas
Contains one of the largest collections of links to all history topics. This is an excellent history gateway site. Craver
AmDocs: Documents for the Study of American History
http://www.ku.edu/carrie/docs/amdocs_index.html
A directory of primary documents available on the Web. Browse by time period, beginning with 1492 and continuing into current times. Includes inaugural addresses, diary extracts, treaties, letters, speeches, and more. Maintained at the Anschutz Library, University of Kansas. LII
A Biography of
http://www.learner.org/biographyofamerica/
This telecourse, video series, and Web site explores United States history via 26 topics, each including interactive maps, key events, transcripts of the series, and Web links. Searchable. From the WGBH Educational Foundation. LII
History & Politics Out Loud
A collection of audio materials – some available for the first time – capturing significant
political & historical events & personalities of the 20th century. LII
The National Archives Learning Curve
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USA.htm
Produced by teachers with commercial support on a range of sources for the teaching of
American History. LII
History Firsthand
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/97/firsthand/main.html
Designed to help elementary students understand primary sources research. FREE
Historical Text Archive
http://historicaltextarchive.com/
Contains a banquet of primary sources that are accessible by continent, resources, and
topics such as war, women, and Native Americans. Craver
The Learning Page
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/index.html
Helps teachers use the Library of Congress' “American Memory”
website to teach about
American Memory
Sponsored by the Library of Congress, American Memory includes forty-one digitized collections filled with primary sources about various periods and events in American history. Craver
Duke University Special Collections Library
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/
Presents digitized collections from Duke University's Manuscript and Rare Book Departments about subjects such as papyrus, African American studies/ and women studies. Craver
Hanover Historical Texts Project
http://history.hanover.edu/project.html
Provides a vast array of primary sources divided by categories
such as 17th and 18th century
Historical Documents on the Internet
http://www.cssjournal.com/search.php/search::TEXTSEARCH/Terms::historical+documents/page::1/hpp::6/
This is an extensive gateway site to primary sources in history. It is accessible by
continent and also features a list of historical sites with
a major emphasis on
Craver
The History Channel
http://www.historychannel.com/
The History Channel features secondary and primary resources. Primary sources may be
in the form of great speeches that changed the world, first-person accounts, or a virtual tour of an ancient city. Craver
History of the
http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/
This is a well-organized site that lists large primary source databases within selected
historical periods and topics. Craver
History, Archaeology, and Classics
http://www.peachnet.edu/galileo/intemet/arts/history.html
A must bookmark for all history teachers, this site is a gateway to primary sources ranging from the American South to the Cold War. Craver
History and the World Wide Web
http://www2.arts.gla.ac.uk/CTICH/histlink.html
A good gateway to primary source Web pages, this site provides links to many history sites. LII
Librarians' Index To The Internet
History, including
RootsWeb.com
http://www.rootsweb.com/rootsweb/
Billing itself as "The Oldest & Largest FREE Genealogy Site," RootsWeb includes search engines and databases, family trees (over 70 million names), surname and geographical mailing lists, and message boards. The site also hosts other volunteer projects such as the Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild and Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness. Although it remains free to users, RootsWeb is now sponsored by Ancestry.com, whose databases (both free and pay) can also be searched from this site. LII
An American Time Capsule: Three Centuries of Broadsides and Other Printed Ephemera
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/rbpehtml/pehome.html
A collection of over 7,000 advertisements, catalogs, newspaper clippings, leaflets, menus, pamphlets, proclamations, programs, timetables, and other ephemera. Searchable by keyword, and browsable by author, title, genre, and originating location. Items "capture the experience of the American Revolution, slavery, the western land rush, the American Civil War, woman suffrage, and the Industrial Revolution from the viewpoint of those who lived through those events." From the American Memory Project, Library of Congress. LII
Scholarly Technology Group
http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/
All of Brown University's Web-based projects can be accessed from this site, including
such sites as The Victorian Web and World War II. Craver
This Day in History
http://www.historychannel.com/today/
Primary sources are not the sole focus of this site. Many, however, appear as part of the
information given about particular events in history. Craver
Personal Experience Accounts
http://www.justpublications.org/linklib/index.cgi
Accessible by categories such as contemporary daily life and general history, this site
provides links to various personal accounts and diary excerpts. Craver
Perseus Project
Includes a massive digital library of primary sources including US historical documents from California, the Upper Midwest and the Chesapeake region. A search engine facilitates access. Craver
POTUS
Presents background material, election results, cabinet members, and important events
about each
United States Historical Census Data
http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/census/
Includes census data from 1790 to 1970 that are searchable
by several variables. Craver
Presents digitized primary source documents and images from different periods of history that are in the National Archives collections. Craver
Vincent Ferraro Home Page
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/feros-pg.htm
Ferraro, a professor of international politics at Mount
Holyoke College, has amassed an impressive set of Web links pertaining to
international relations and
Wiretap Documents Server
http://wiretap.area.com/Gopher/Gov/
Includes a collection of historical documents that are in the public domain. Craver
Voice of the Shuttle History Page
Accessible by continent, country, and topic, this site is one of the best history gateways
for beginning any search for primary sources in any area of history. Craver
US History: Chronological
Early
Early
Includes primary source materials from eighteenth century
The Valley Forge Muster Roll
http://www.nps.gov/vafo/mropening.htm
About 30,000 men spent all or part of the winter of 1777-1778 with General Washington at the Valley Forge encampment. This database from the National Park Service attempts to list all those men. In addition to the searchable Muster Roll, this site contains an organizational chart of the Continental Army at Valley Forge and brief biographical information on Washington, his generals, and his aides-de-camp. LII
Intelligence in the War of Independence
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/warindep/frames.html
A history of the use of intelligence by the
Colonial Currency
http://www.coins.nd.edu/ColCurrency/
"Descriptions and images of paper currencies of early
Alexander Hamilton on the Web
http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/hamilton/
A "comprehensive guide and web directory to Alexander Hamilton, founding father, first Secretary of the Treasury, major author of the Federalist Papers and advocate of a strong central government." LII
Exploration and Migration: 1800-1860
Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/
This Web site is designed to accompany the Ken Burns documentary and includes expedition maps and journals, a timeline, opinions from historians, classroom resources, and more. Information on Sacagawea can be found in the list of the corps members. Related Web sites and a bibliography of other resources are also included. LII
Mountain Men and the Fur Trade
http://www.xmission.com/~drudy/amm.html
This searchable site, subtitled Mountain Men and the Fur Trade in the Rocky Mountain West, covers the period from 1800-1850. Included is the full text of diaries, narratives, and letters. LII
Old West
http://homepages.dsu.edu/jankej/oldwest/oldwest.htm
A directory of links on the "19th Century America west of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers" including Buffalo Soldiers, Cowboy Poetry, Firearms, Forts, Music, Stagecoaches, Trading Posts, Novels and Novelists, Reenactors, Ghost Towns, and much more. LII
The Oregon Trail
http://www.isu.edu/~trinmich/Oregontrail.html
Website created by Dr. Mike Trinklein (Idaho State University) and Steve Boettcher, creators of an award winning documentary of the same name aired nationally on PBS. Includes information about major sites along the trail, a collection of trail diaries, and a free online teachers’ guide.
End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center
http://www.endoftheoregontrail.org/.
Information about the Oregon Trail, local historic sites near the end of the trail, as well as emigrant biographies and diaries.
Donner Party
http://members.aol.com/DanMRosen/donner/
Created to honor the 150th anniversary of the Donner Party, this site provides an historical overview of the tragedy, plus a “daily log” of the emigrants' journey to California. The logs provide excerpts from diaries, letters, and oral accounts, as well as content from historians. Also provides links to information on publications, and other news pertinent to emigrant history. LII
Civil War: 1830-1865
The American Civil War
http://www.homepages.dsu.edu/jankej/civilwar/civilwar.htm
From Dakota State University, providing map, diary and letter links. Also includes links to stamps, photographs, museums and primary sources. LII
C.V.Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience: Civil War
http://starrcenter.washcoll.edu/history/civil_war.html
Find an extensive directory of links to information on the United States Civil War at this
site. See rosters and regimental histories, state and local studies, personal/private documents, biographical information, maps, military and documentary information. LII
Civil War at the Smithsonian: Collecting, Preserving, Remembering the National Experience
This site, produced by the National Portrait Gallery, provides information and pictures from the Smithsonian Institution‚s extensive collections on the United States Civil War. The collections represented include slavery and abolition, Abraham Lincoln, weapons, leaders, cavalries, navies, the surrender at Appomattox, and the life and culture of the time. A bibliography of resources and timeline of events relating to the war are also available. LII
So You Want to Learn About the Civil War?
http://www.nps.gov/pete/mahan/edintroduction.html/
This site helps students understand daily life for soldiers at Petersburg (VA), the supply center to the Confederate capital & site of the longest siege in American warfare. FREE
Valley of the Shadow
http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/vshadow2/
Provides primary source documents, images, sounds, and historical discussions about two counties that were 100 miles apart on opposite sides of the Mason-Dixon Line during the Civil War. Craver
Women Soldiers of the Civil War
http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1993/spring/women-in-the-civil-war-1.html
Article discussing and documenting several of the hundreds of women who served as soldiers in both the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War. From Prologue: Quarterly of the National Archives. LII
CWSAC Battle Summaries
http://www2.cr.nps.gov/abpp/battles/tvii.htm
A list of U.S. Civil War battles by state and campaign. Each entry gives the date and a description of the battle, the principal commanders, and estimated casualties. From Technical Volume II: Battle Summaries of the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission's (CWSAC) Report on the Nation‚s Civil War Battlefields. There is a link to the full report. LII
Gilded Age and WW I: 1900 - 1930
Temperance and Prohibition
Contains numerous primary sources about the temperance and prohibition movement in
Traveling Culture: Circuit Chautauqua in the Twentieth Century”
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award98/iauhtml/
Presents nearly 8,000 publicity brochures, ads, & talent circulars for more than 4,500 lecturers, teachers, preachers, statesmen & politicians, actors, singers & opera stars, glee clubs & concert companies, magicians, whistlers, & other performers who performed in these touring Chautauquas at the beginning of the 20th century. FREE
The Great War: Interviews
http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/historian/index.html
Includes comprehensive interviews with world-renowned historians about various aspects of World War 1. Craver
Depression and Dust Bowl: 1930s
AS@UVA: 1930s Project
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~1930s/front.html
A view of this important decade in American history is provided through "films, radio programs, literature, journalism, museums, exhibitions, architecture, art, and other forms of cultural expression." There is a year by year timeline. From the University of Virginia Department of American Studies. Searchable. LII
Riding the Rails: The Great Depression
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/rails/
At the height of the Great Depression, more than 250,000
teenagers were living on the road in
Migrant Labor Camp
http://www.oac.cdlib.org/dynaweb/ead/calher/drobish/
Photographs from the Harry Everett Drobish Papers, 1935-1936 "This collection of 63 photographic prints of various sizes documents migrant labor camps in California....Included are photographs of groups and buildings at the Arvin Migratory Labor Camp and other camps in Kern County, California. Also included are photographs of Hooverville in Sacramento, some taken by the California State Emergency Relief Administration." From the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley. LII
New Deal Network score: 1000
A research and teaching resource devoted to the public works and arts projects of the New Deal. At the core of NDN is a database of more than 20,000 photographs, political cartoons, and texts (speeches, letters, and other historic documents from the Depression and New Deal period). Includes an excellent annotated list of online resources for teachers and students. Searchable. LII
Dust Bowl Days
http://edsitement.neh.gov/lessonplans/dust_bowl.html
Lesson plans for teaching students about the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression "through photographs, songs and interviews with people who lived through the Dust Bowl." Designed for grades three to six. LII
Surviving the Dust Bowl
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/dustbowl/
This site examines the combination of farming techniques,
economic conditions, and an eight-year drought (1931-1939) in the southern
plains of the
Visions In the Dust: A Child's Perspective of the Dust Bowl
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/99/dust/intro.html
This classroom guide will help students understand "Dust Bowl history through the eyes of a child. Using Karen Hesse's Newbery Award-winning Out of the Dust as an introduction...students have the opportunity to identify with the personal experiences of youth in the 1930s. In addition, students examine primary source materials of the period to correlate the fictional text with actual visual, auditory, and manuscript accounts as found in the [Library of Congress] American Memory collections." LII
Hobo Signs and Symbols
http://www.slackaction.com/signroll.htm
This simple site lists 45 signs used by wandering hobos of the early part of the twentieth century to communicate. A town's openness to handouts, train and trolley stops, kind folks, safe water supply, doctors who didn't charge, and much other information was sent via these codes. LII
1940s and World War II
Normandy Exhibit
http://normandy.eb.com/normandy/
Contains a wealth of primary sources in the form of maps, images, first person accounts, battle plans, and documents about the D-Day invasion at Normandy,
U-Boat War
Filled with photographs, personal accounts, and biographical information about the submariners who commanded U-boats boats during World War 11, this site also documents war crimes committed by both the Allied and Axis powers. Craver
Rutgers Oral Histories Archives of World War II
http://fas-history.rutgers.edu/oralhistory/orlhom.htm
Rutgers University oral history archives from World War II. Includes interviews and photographs.
Primary Source Documents on the Holocaust
http://www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/eurodocs/germany.html
Includes numerous documents related to the Holocaust such as the Wannsee Protocol, eyewitness accounts, speeches, and much more. Craver
They Drew Fire: Combat Artists of World War II
http://www.pbs.org/theydrewfire/
Devoted to the combat artists of World War II, who "depicted the war as they experienced it." Features a gallery of works; profiles of artists (Howard Brodie, Manuel Bromberg, William Draper, Richard M. Gibney, Robert Greenhalgh, and Ed Reep); and information on the Army and Navy art programs, the Marine Corps combat correspondent program, Life and Yank magazines, and Abbott Laboratories. Online companion to PBS documentary of same title. LII
1950s
The Literature and Culture of the American 1950s
http://www.english.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/home.html
A "roughly alphabetical" listing of biographies, literature, essays, speech transcriptions, and articles relating to the 1950s. Some of the material is on other sites, but most of it is transcriptions of the original material kept on-site. Collected by Al Filreis, an English professor at the University of Pennsylvania. LII
The Cold War Era Civil Defense Museum
http://www.civildefensemuseum.com/
This virtual museum is "dedicated to the Civil Defense personnel
of the
1990s
Frontline: The Gulf War
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/gulf/index.html
Filled with maps, oral histories, chronologies, transcripts,
and graphics, this site is an outstanding primary source database for information
about the 1991 war with
US History Regional
East Coast
The Capital & the Bay
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/lhcbhtml/lhcbhome.html
Consists of 139 books – first-person narratives, early histories, historical biographies, promotional brochures, & photograph collections that capture this distinctive region as it developed between the onset of European settlement & the first quarter of the 20th Century. FREE
Southwest
Crossroads of Empire: Early Printed Maps of Texas and the Southwest
http://www.humanities-interactive.org/crossroads/exhibit26.html
A site about the discovery and exploration of the southwestern New World, Texas, and the neighboring region. Each map includes a description in English and Spanish. Includes a history of early mapmaking as well as images and backgrounds for explorers Cabeza De Vaca, de Soto, and Coronado. Also find classic images depicting California as an island, plus games, other learning activities, and related readings. LII
Web de Anza
Web de Anza provides students and scholars with primary source documents and multimedia resources covering Juan Bautista de Anza’s two overland expeditions from the Sonoran desert to northern California, leading to the colonization of San Francisco in 1776. Includes a Teachers' Center, with suggestions and lesson plans for teaching historical inquiry.
Interactive Santa Fe Trail (SFT) Homepage
http://www.ku.edu/heritage/research/sft/
Here's a site that will appeal to students, history buffs, and travelers. This site is loaded with links to maps, pictures, book lists and reviews, online books, travel planning resources, biographies, discussion groups, and other historical information about the Santa Fe Trail and the states passes through. Travel an online “cybertrail” through Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. LII
California
Web de Anza
Web de Anza provides students and scholars with primary source documents and multimedia resources covering Juan Bautista de Anza’s two overland expeditions from the Sonoran desert to northern California, leading to the colonization of San Francisco in 1776. Includes a Teachers' Center, with suggestions and lesson plans for teaching historical inquiry.
California Pioneer Project
Directory of resources for genealogical research in California. See the California Pioneer List for “settlers to California who migrated to or were born in California prior to 1880” (included in the 1880 California Census). LII
California Rails
http://photo.ucr.edu/california/projects/railroad/
Several dozen railroad photographs taken by Harry Pidgeon and Will Connell between 1913 and the 1940s, including images of wrecks, locomotives, and lumber camps. From the California Museum of Photography, at the University of California, Riverside. LII
Los Angeles Public Library: Photo Collection
http://www.lapl.org/catalog/photo_collectioninfo.html
A growing collection of thousands of digitized photos from the Los Angeles Public Library's archives. Most of the images in this database document the growth of Los Angeles and its communities, capturing various aspects of suburban life, local business, sports, agriculture, the motion picture industry, fashion, architecture, immigration, and much more. Features many photos of northern California and some photos of the California missions and other historical landmarks. Searchable. LII
San Francisco History
http://www.sfgenealogy.com/sf/history/sindex.htm
This treasure trove includes full texts of books on the city's history; contemporary news articles (largely from San Francisco newspapers); and reference works such as an annotated list of alcaldes and mayors, the first telephone directory, a 1910 street guide, and a history of the cemeteries. News articles cover such topics as “first families,” tunnels, and early city views. LII
San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection
This searchable database provides access to nearly 30,000 photographs covering San Francisco history from the 1850s to the present. The collection is strongest for the years leading up to 1965. The photos are digitized reproductions from the more than 250,000 photos in the San Francisco Public Library's Historical Photograph Collection. Besides searching the database, users can browse photos by subject. Information is also included on copyright, ordering, and using the images. LII
Before and After the Great Earthquake and Fire: Early Films of San Francisco, 1897-1916
http://rs6.loc.gov/ammem/papr/sfhome.html
Topics in this collection of twenty-six films include the
1906 earthquake, the Panama Pacific Exposition (1915), and a 1903 Chinese
funeral. Searchable by keywords, and browsable by subject and film title.
Also features brief information on early San Francisco history, an overview
of
San Francisco After the '06
http://photo.ucr.edu/california/projects/sf1906/
"Images from the days after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, including stereographs and anaglyphic (3-dimensional) views" of these topics: Destruction, People, Amidst the Rubble, The Hungry, The Homeless, and Recovery. From the California Museum of Photography at the University of California, Riverside. LII
Santa Cruz County Local History
http://www.santacruzpl.org/history/
More than 90 articles and 200 local newspaper accounts about
this California county's history have been put online by the Santa Cruz Public
Libraries. Many of the articles are illustrated with photographs from their
historical photograph collection, which contains more than 800 local photographs,
dating from the 1860s to the 1990s. LII
US History: Topical
Maps
"Map Collections, 1544-1999"
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/gmdhome.html
This searchable American Memory collection is also browsable by subject, creator, geographic location, and title. Cities and Towns includes individual buildings and panoramic views. Conservation and Environment maps “show early exploration and subsequent land use.” LII
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
An excellent example of how well digitization of images can be done. This ever-growing collection of thousands of images focuses on 18th and 19th century North and South American cartographic materials and includes "atlases, globes, school geographies, maritime charts, and a variety of separate maps including pocket, wall, childrens and manuscript maps." Images can be viewed in any browser. Advanced functionality is available via special software available for free download on the site. LII
Women's Rights
"Women, Their Rights & Nothing Less"
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/99/suffrage/intro.html
A lesson that uses primary documents to help students (Grades 9-12) learn about the women's suffrage movement that began in the 1840s & led to women's right to vote nationwide in 1920. FREE
Women's Rights: 1848 to the Present
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/womrts/
This site contains "articles, speeches, biographies and links relating to women's rights." Includes information on the 1847 Seneca Falls, New York conference "that set the stage to gain women in the United States the right to vote," brief profiles of prominent activists (Lucretia Mott, Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, Susan B. Anthony, Frances Willard, Carrie Chapman Catt, Alice Paul), and information on Domestic Violence Awareness Month (observed every October). LII
By Popular Demand: "Votes for Women" Suffrage Pictures, 1850-1920
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/vfwhtml/vfwhome.html
These thirty-eight pictures include individual portraits, photographs of suffrage parades, picketing suffragists, an anti-suffrage display, and cartoons. The images, which complement a collection of text documents, are both searchable and browsable. From the American Memory Project of the Library of Congress. LII
Roosevelt, Anna Eleanor -- 1884-1962
http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/elro/
Eleanor Roosevelt: American Visionary presents captioned biographical photographs of Eleanor, including her childhood, youth, and her participation in political and civil rights activities. There are pictures of her with presidents, friends, and famous people; photographs of the Roosevelt family, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Fala (a dog); a virtual tour of Val-Kill Cottage; a history of Val-Kill Industries; and images of furniture and personal items. From the United States National Park Service. LII
American Women's History: A Research Guide
http://frank.mtsu.edu/~kmiddlet/history/women.html
"American Women's History provides citations to print and Internet reference sources, as well as to selected large primary source collections. The guide also provides information about the tools researchers can use to find additional books, articles, dissertations, and primary sources." There are more than 1700 citations and more than 900 links to Web sites. From reference librarian Ken Middleton at Middle Tennessee State University Library. LII
African-American Experience
African-American Mosaic
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african/intro.html
Furnishes a Library of Congress research primary source guide to the study of African American history and culture. Craver
Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936-1938
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/resources/histday/spsource.html
This site contains more than 2,300 first-person accounts of slavery & 500 black-and-white photographs of former slaves. These narratives were collected in the 1930s as part
of the Federal Writers’ Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). FREE
Black Dispatches: Black American Contributions to Union Intelligence During the Civil War
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/dispatches/
"Black Dispatches" highlights the contributions made by African Americans to the intelligence efforts of the Union during the Civil War, describing the work of several slaves, both male and female, who acted as intelligence agents. According to the author, "Black Dispatches was a common term used among Union military men for intelligence on Confederate forces provided by Negroes." This article originally appeared in the Winter 1998-1999 edition of the CIA newsletter Studies in Intelligence. LII
Slaves and the Courts 1740-1860
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/sthtml/
This searchable collection contains over a hundred items
documenting legal cases "concerning the difficult and troubling experiences
of African and African-American slaves in the American colonies and the
Historical African-American Autographs from the Ramos Collection
http://www.kclibrary.org/sc/exhibits/autographs/splash.htm
"Autographs from prominent 20th-century African-American figures" including Mary McLeod Bethune, Arna Wendell Bontemps, Langston Hughes, Booker T. Washington, and others. Entries include links related to the individuals. From the Ramos Collection of the Kansas City (Missouri) Public Library. LII
Tulsa Race Riot of 1921
http://www.tulsalibrary.org/aarc/riot/riot.htm
This site has photographs, a brief overview, and selected
newspaper articles about "one of the most devastating race riots in the history
of the
Tulsa Race Riot Photographs
http://www.lib.utulsa.edu/Speccoll/tulsa_race_riot.htm
A collection of photographs "meant to provide a basic understanding of the events that took place during and after the [1921] Tulsa Race Riot." From the Department of Special Collections, McFarlin Library, University of Tulsa, Oklahoma. LII
Jackie Steals Home
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/98/robinson/intro.html
This site involves high school students in analyzing primary documents related to Jackie Robinson's breaking the colorline (when he stepped onto Ebbets field on April 15, 1947) to help students understand racial barriers not only in baseball & other sports, but in society. FREE
African American Perspectives: Pamphlets from the Daniel A.P. Murray Collection 1818-1907
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aap/aaphome.html
A collection of over 350 pamphlets, presenting "a panoramic and eclectic review of African-American history and culture, spanning almost one hundred years." Searchable by keyword, and browsable by subject and author (including Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, and Ida B. Wells-Barnett). Also contains a timeline of African American history (1852-1925), selected bibliography, and a virtual 1898 meeting of the National Afro-American Council. From the American Memory Project of the Library of Congress. LII
Douglass, Frederick -- 1817?-1895
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/doughtml/doughome.html
Frederick Douglass Papers at the Library of Congress collects 2,000 items about "Douglass's life as an escaped slave, abolitionist, editor, orator, and public servant." Searchable by keyword, and browsable by series (family papers, pamphlets, brochures, speeches, reports, broadsides, newspaper clippings, manuscripts, typescripts, articles, and maps). Includes biographical timeline, a family tree, links to full texts of Douglass's autobiographies, and related resources. From the American Memory Project of the Library of Congress. LII
African-American Newspapers and Periodicals: Freedom's Journal
http://www.shsw.wisc.edu/library/aanp/freedom/
Freedom's Journal was the "first African-American owned
and operated newspaper published in the
Look Back, Ponder, and Move On: Glimpses of the African-American Experience in Savannah, 1750-1900
http://www.kingtisdell.org/exhibit.htm
This exhibit traces the "journey" of African Americans in Savannah "from being bondspeople to citizens of the American Republic working and building their destiny along with other citizens." The Web site material includes information about education, religion, slavery and anti-slavery, free blacks, and advertisements for runaway slaves. There are over 100 historical images. Drawn from an exhibit first presented at The Beach Institute, Savannah, GA. LII
African American Labor History Links
http://www.afscme.org/about/aframlink.htm
Links to Web sites, journal articles, book excerpts, and film citations and reviews about the history of African Americans in the labor union movement, Martin Luther King, Jr. and the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers' Strike at which he was assassinated, and African American history in general. LII
African-American Sheet Music, 1850-1920: Selected from the Collections of Brown University
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award97/rpbhtml/
Over 1,300 pieces of music associated with antebellum black face minstrelsy, the abolitionist movement, the Civil War, and on into the twentieth century. Composers include James Bland, Ernest Hogan, Bob Cole, James Reese Europe, and Will Marion Cook. "Particularly significant in this collection are the visual depictions of African Americans which provide much information about racial attitudes over the course of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries." From the American Memory Project, Library of Congress. LII
From Slavery to Freedom: The African-American Pamphlet Collection, 1824-1909
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aapchtml/
A collection of about four hundred pamphlets "by African-American authors and others who wrote about slavery, African colonization, Emancipation, Reconstruction, and related topics. The materials range from personal accounts and public orations to organizational reports and legislative speeches. Among the authors represented are Frederick Douglass, Kelly Miller, Charles Sumner, Mary Church Terrell, and Booker T. Washington." From the American Memory Project of the Library of Congress. LII
Scottsboro: An American Tragedy
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/scottsboro/
Online companion to the acclaimed PBS documentary (of the same title) about the controversial 1931 Scottsboro, Alabama court trial of nine young African-American men. Features a timeline of the event and subsequent trials (including Supreme Court decisions), a map, information on related people and events, documents and reactions taken from the time of the incident, a bibliography, links, and a teacher's guide. Also contains a transcript of the film and an interview with the film's cinematographer, Tom Hurwitz. LII
Native American Experience
Native American Narratives
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/ebooks/subjects/subjects-natam.html
Collection of electronic books written by and/or about Native Americans. Of the narratives written by Native Americans the site includes Indian Boyhood by Charles Alexander Eastman (1858-1939), An Indian Boy’s Story by Ah-nen-la-de-ni (1903), An Indian’s Views of Indian Affairs by Joseph Young, and Impression of an Indian Childhood by Zitkala-Sa (1900).
Native American Authors
Section of the Internet Public Library, this website provides information on Native American authors with bibliographies of their published works, biographical information, and links to online resources including interviews, online texts, and tribal websites.
Traders: Voices from the Trading Post
http://www.nau.edu/library/speccoll/exhibits/traders/
The University of Northern Arizona's library is conducting
oral history interviews with over fifty Indian traders of the southwest
Edward S. Curtis’ North American Indian
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award98/ienhtml/curthome.html
One of the most significant & controversial representations of American Indian culture ever produced. FREE
Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties
http://digital.library.okstate.edu/kappler/
The first digitized volume of Charles J. Kappler's compilation
of laws, treaties, proclamations, and executive orders is available through
the Oklahoma State University Library. This first release contains the full
text of 380 treaties concerning Native American Indian tribes, organized by
year, and includes information relevent to Native American tribes in
California Indian Heritage
This resource is offered to help people "gain a greater knowledge of the rich history of California's Native Americans" and their contributions to our culture. It features a timeline, information on tribal groups and their way of life, a directory of California tribes (some with Web links), a discussion of Ohlone Indian remains found at Santa Clara in 1997, and links to other resources. From the Official Website of U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer of California. LII
Japanese-American Experience
Japanese American Relocation Digital Archives (JARDA)
This project indexes the holdings of a number of California repositories which document the experience of Japanese Americans in World War II internment camps. There are over "10,000 digital images [which] have been created [and which are] complimented by 20,000 pages of electronic transcriptions of document and oral histories." Although somewhat difficult to use, the results are richly rewarding for students and anyone else interested in these even ts. From the California Digital Library.
Suffering Under a Great Injustice: Ansel Adams's Photographs of Japanese American Internment at Manzanar
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aamhtml/
In 1943, Ansel Adams documented the Manzanar War Relocation Center in California and the Japanese Americans interned there. This site provides side-by-side digital scans of both Adams' 242 original negatives and his 209 photographic prints, collection highlights, Adams' book Born Free and Equal, a selected bibliography, and a chronology of Adams' life. From the American Memory Project of the Library of Congress. LII
Japanese American Relocation Digital Archive
http://www.usc.edu/isd/archives/arc/digarchives/jarda/
This searchable collection of over 200 photographs from the Los Angeles Examiner "documents the relocation of Japanese Americans in California principally during the period 1941-1946. Many of the photographs show daily life in the camps." From the Digital Archive of the Archival Research Center, University of Southern California. LII
Conscience and the Constitution
http://www.pbs.org/conscience/
Explores how 63 Japanese-Americans in 1944 "stood trial for resisting the draft at the concentration camp at Heart Mountain, Wyoming." Contains profiles of the resisters, a timeline of events, information on the trial and ostracism by the Japanese-American community, the role of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and spokesman Mike Masaoka, and the Fair Play Committee. Includes related documents, audio, video, and lesson plans. Online companion to PBS documentary of same title. LII
Social Issues Collection
http://content.lib.washington.edu/Socialweb/
A collection of "historical images primarily from Washington State organized around the following topics: Japanese and Chinese Americans; the World War II Japanese internment camps of Camp Harmony (Puyallup) and Minidoka (Idaho); labor and politics; prohibition; legislative assemblies; women; socialist colonies in Washington State; [and] leisure activities such as camping, hiking and mountaineering." Searchable by keywords and browsable by topic. From the University of Washington Libraries, Digital Collections. LII
Mexican-American Experience
Chicano
Provides several primary sources related to Chicano history in addition to a timeline, a bibliography, a list of related Internet sites, and ideas for stimulating class discussions.
Craver
Chavez, Cesar -- 1927-1993
http://www.sfsu.edu/~cecipp/cesar_chavez/chavezhome.htm
Viva Cesar E. Chavez! contains a biography, chronology, list of achievements, interviews, audio and text of speeches, photos, documents (including quotes), and links related to the president of the United Farm Workers who "gained attention as leader of a nationwide boycott of California table grapes" in 1968. Parts of this site are available in Spanish. From the Cesar E. Chavez Institute for Public Policy, San Francisco State University. LII
Law and Justice
http://www.oyez.org/oyez/frontpage
Past and current history of the U.S. Supreme Court. Includes information about all cases and justices, as well as a virtual tour of the U.S. Supreme Court Building. Full text documentation, oral arguments, and decisions pertaining to all U.S. Supreme Court decisions.
Famous Trials
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/ftrials.htm
Transcripts from trials such as Salem witchcraft trials, Scottsboro boys, Galileo and Socrates trials, Aaron Burr conspiracy trial and Susan B. Anthony trial. Including letters, testimony, trial record, arguments and decisions.
Slaves and the Courts 1740-1860
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/sthtml/
This searchable collection contains over a hundred items
documenting legal cases "concerning the difficult and troubling experiences
of African and African-American slaves in the American colonies and the
Scottsboro: An American Tragedy
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/scottsboro/
Online companion to the acclaimed PBS documentary (of the same title) about the controversial 1931 Scottsboro, Alabama court trial of nine young African-American men. Features a timeline of the event and subsequent trials (including Supreme Court decisions), a map, information on related people and events, documents and reactions taken from the time of the incident, a bibliography, links, and a teacher's guide. Also contains a transcript of the film and an interview with the film's cinematographer, Tom Hurwitz. LII
Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties
http://digital.library.okstate.edu/kappler/
The first digitized volume of Charles J. Kappler's compilation
of laws, treaties, proclamations, and executive orders is available through
the Oklahoma State University Library. This first release contains the full
text of 380 treaties concerning Native American Indian tribes, organized by
year, and includes information relevent to Native American tribes in
Free Expression Network (FEN)
http://www.freeexpression.org/
Making an effort to gather and archive censorship news, this Web site provides information about relevant First Amendment issues, court cases, legislation, volunteering, advocacy, and more. There are categorized links to similar organizations, news groups, and discussion lists. LII
America
A Garment Worker's Legacy: The Joe Fishstein Collection of Yiddish Poetry
http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/fishstein/
This digital version of a 1998 exhibition allows the world
to see the catalog of a remarkable collection of Yiddish books that belonged
to Joe Fishstein, an active member of the International Ladies Garment Workers
Union. The 2300 works are mostly poetry; there are also photographs, union
memorabilia, early twentieth-century postcards, and theater programs. Fishstein's
hand-made dust jackets kept everything in mint condition. Searchable. From
McGill University Libraries. LII
America at Work, America at Leisure: Motion Pictures from 1894-1915
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/awlhtml/
A collection of 150 motion pictures illustrating "work,
school, and leisure activities in the
Inside an American Factory: Films of the Westinghouse Works, 1904
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/papr/west/
A collection of 21 films "showing various views of Westinghouse companies" and their operations. Most of the films feature the Westinghouse Air Brake, Machine, and Electric and Manufacturing Companies, located in Pennsylvania. Searchable by keywords, and browsable by subject and title. Includes information on the company, working conditions, and founder George Westinghouse. Also features a timeline and a selected bibliography. From the American Memory Project of the Library of Congress. LII
Traveling Culture: Circuit Chautauqua in the Twentieth Century
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award98/iauhtml/
Presents nearly 8,000 publicity brochures, ads, & talent circulars for more than 4,500 lecturers, teachers, preachers, statesmen & politicians, actors, singers & opera stars, glee clubs & concert companies, magicians, whistlers, & other performers who performed in these touring Chautauquas at the beginning of the 20th century. FREE
Taking the Long View: Panoramic Photographs 1851-1991
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/pnhtml/pnhome.html
"Approximately four thousand images featuring American cityscapes, landscapes, and group portraits." Searchable by keyword and browsable by subject, creator, state, and country. Subjects include "agricultural life; beauty contests; disasters; engineering work such as bridges, canals and dams; fairs and expositions; military and naval activities, especially during World War I; [and] the oil industry." Includes a brief history of panoramic photography and a bibliography. From the American Memory Project of the Library of Congress. LII
Immigration and Migration
New York, NY, Ellis Island -- Immigration: 1900-1920
http://cmp1.ucr.edu/exhibitions/immigration_id.html
Over twenty stereoscopic photographs from the early twentieth century "document[ing] immigration through the most famous point of entry, Ellis Island." Originally issued by the Keystone View Company, Underwood and Underwood, the H.C. White Company, and other publishers. From the California Museum of Photography, at the University of California, Riverside. LII
Hobo Signs and Symbols
http://www.slackaction.com/signroll.htm
This simple site lists 45 signs used by wandering hobos of the early part of the twentieth century to communicate. A town's openness to handouts, train and trolley stops, kind folks, safe water supply, doctors who didn't charge, and much other information was sent via these codes. LII
Immigration/Migration: Today & During the Great Depression
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/98/migrate/intro.html
This site is a 4-week American history unit for high school. Students conduct oral history
interviews, analyze photos, evaluate the relevance & accuracy of primary & secondary
sources, discuss changes immigration & migration over time, & more. FREE
Migration Information Source
http://www.migrationinformation.org/
This site offers "fresh thought, authoritative data, and global analysis of international migration and refugee trends" and chronicles global migration movements. Global Data contains charts and tables for several countries dating back to 1990 and Country Profiles contains articles on various countries' immigration and emigration policies, experience, patterns, and forecasts. There are also U.S. Historical Trends, relates links, and a glossary. LII
US Governmental Agencies
National Security Archives
This site furnishes significant research and documents about nuclear weapons issues and their history that have been declassified or requested through the Freedom of Information Act. Craver
Tax History Project
Established "to provide scholars, policymakers, students, the media and citizens with information about the history of American taxation." Site draws documents from files at the National Archives, Roosevelt and Truman Presidential Libraries, the White House, Congress, and the U.S. Treasury, and includes tax returns for former presidents Clinton, Bush, Reagan, Carter, Nixon, and Franklin Roosevelt; posters about bonds and filing taxes; a tax history virtual museum; and cartoons about paying taxes. LII
http://images.usace.army.mil/main.html
The planning and building wing of the US Armed Forces highlights this site with a searchable archive of free images depicting current and historic Corps projects. There are thousands of photos of engineering challenges such as hydroelectric dams, emergency response and environmental clean-up operations, harbors, fish ladders, levees, and wetlands under preservation. The Advanced Search link allows users to choose subject, location, mission type, or project name. LII
US Military History
History of Women In the Military
http://www.womensmemorial.org/historyandcollections/about.html
This site has several articles on the role of women in the U.S. military from the Revolution on, including essays on Black, Asian-American, and Native American women in the armed forces; a narrative of the struggle for racial equality by Army veterans Sarah Louise Keys and her attorney, Dovey Johnson Roundtree; and an article on military women honored on U.S. postage stamps. From the Women In Military Service For America Memorial Foundation, Inc. LII
Army Nurse Corps History: 100 Years of Army Nursing (1901-2001)
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/anc/anchhome.html
This site traces the role of nurses in the U.S. Army from
the Spanish American War to current times. It includes articles, photographs,
a slide presentation, photographs and biographies of all the superintendents
and chiefs of the corps, and the Prayer of an Army Nurse. From the
Veterans History Project
http://www.loc.gov/folklife/vets/
A project by "the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to collect and preserve audio- and video-taped oral histories, along with documents such as letters, diaries, maps, photographs, and home movies, of America's war veterans and those who served in support of them during World War I, World War II, and the Korean, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf wars." The Project Kit includes "information and forms you need to participate as a volunteer interviewer." LII
CWSAC Battle Summaries
http://www2.cr.nps.gov/abpp/battles/tvii.htm
A list of U.S. Civil War battles by state and campaign. Each entry gives the date and a description of the battle, the principal commanders, and estimated casualties. From Technical Volume II: Battle Summaries of the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission's (CWSAC) Report on the Nation‚s Civil War Battlefields. There is a link to the full report. LII
U.S.
POTUS
Presents background material, election results, cabinet members, and important events
about each
Washington, George -- 1731-1799
http://georgewashington.si.edu/
George Washington: A National Treasure presents the first
"Jefferson, Thomas -- 1743-1826"
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/jefferson/
This online exhibition follows Thomas Jefferson's intellectual growth through his writings in the manuscript collection of the Library of Congress and on loan from other, libraries. LII
Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826
http://etext.virginia.edu/jefferson/
Search or browse the Thomas Jefferson Digital Archive of over 1,700 letters, manuscripts, and public papers. The site also provides the full text of 1,750 manuscript documents related to the construction of the University of Virginia, a recently revised edition of a biography originally published eight years after Jefferson's death, 2,700 quotations from his writings, as well as links to other Jefferson collections and organizations. LII
John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library and Museum
This site is dedicated to the "study and understanding of
President Kennedy's life and career and the times in which he lived; and to
John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library: The Reference Desk
http://www.jfklibrary.org/refdesk.htm
Online material related to John F. Kennedy, including a biography; major speeches; speeches of his brothers Robert and Edward; sound files; photographs; executive orders; eulogies; an "accurate listing" of the music played at his funeral; and more. It is "comprised of information frequently requested from the library's main research room." Some of the resources are provided by the library; others by links to outside sources. LII
Nixon White House Tapes
http://www.c-span.org/executive/presidential/nixon.asp
The audio clips on this site are selected from "approximately 3700 hours of recordings... between President Nixon, his staff, and visitors at locations in the Oval Office; the President's Executive Office Building hideaway office; the Cabinet Room; various White House telephones at the Oval Office, EEOB and the Lincoln Sitting Room; and at various Camp David locations." Includes a brief history. LII
Jimmy Carter Library and Museum
http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.org/
The library portion of This site contains "manuscript and audiovisual historical materials documenting the life and presidency of Jimmy Carter and Federal government policies and programs during his Presidency (1977-81)." Content (some contained in Links to Related Sites) includes articles, diaries, exit interview transcripts, biographical information, bibliographies, and descriptions of historical materials. LII
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
The Resources section contains texts and transcripts of interviews, speeches, and public papers from Ronald Reagan's 1980-1988 presidential term. Find also images and biographical information. There are lists of White House staff exit interviews, movies he and Nancy Reagan acted in, their pets, things named after him, and other miscellanea. Sections on newly released material list dozens of documents (content not on site though). LII
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/americavotes/
Memorabilia from the Duke University Special Collections Library This exhibit "illustrates the nation's presidential elections in letters, sheet music, leaflets, buttons, and bumper stickers." Browsable by candidate (Adams, Harrison, Clay, Taylor, Buchanan, Davis, Tilden, Hancock, Cleveland, McKinley, T. Roosevelt, Smith, F. D. Roosevelt, Taft, Pogo, Eisenhower, Stevenson, Kennedy, Nixon, Goldwater, Johnson, Carter, Sanford, Ford, Anderson, Reagan, Mondale/Ferraro, Dukakis, Clinton, Dole, Gore, Bush), and parties (Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, Greenback, Know-Nothing). LII
Block, Herbert
http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/herblock/
Herblock's History: Political Cartoons from the Crash to the Millennium features the work of Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Herb Block. He is best known for caricatures of American presidents from Herbert Hoover to Bill Clinton and for his work during the Watergate investigation. The site includes a biography of Herblock and his own writing on political cartooning. An exhibit from the Library of Congress. LII
Last updated
August 6, 2005