1. 204 History Resources on the Internet
Bill Kerney – bkerney@hotmail.com
Distance Education Consultants / Anodyne Professional Development
The following is a compiled list of a large number of web sites found to have high value in
teaching history. The sites have been annotated with either a sentence or paragraph explaining
either their purpose, or what makes their site exceptional. This list (currently at 204 web sites!) is
maintained by Carol Kerney, CEO of Distance Education Consultants, who makes a habit of
collecting historical web sites.
Note: This list is for you (teachers) to review, to possibly incorporate into your lessons. Be sure
to follow your district’s internet use policy before deciding to make use of them in the classroom.
Also, due to the dynamic nature of the internet, some of the links below might be out of date, or
point at incorrect resources.
Internet Websites:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/today.html
“Today in History” features a different person or event in history
each day. Past features include Frederick Douglass, Woodrow
Wilson, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Banneker, Rosa
Parks, Samuel Slater, Louisa May Alcott, Radio City Music Hall, the
Wright brothers' first flight, the Bill of Rights, the Gadsden
Purchase, the Federal Reserve System, the Wounded Knee massacre,
Pearl Harbor and more. An excellent resource to start a classroom day with.
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook12.html
Internet Modern History Sourcebook for American
Independence includes information on the French and
Indian War, Benjamin Franklin, the role of Native
Americans and information on slavery in those days.
http://www.earlyamerica.com
A versatile site that includes a searchable database of different events and
personalities of the Revolution, containing a number of primary sources,
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution.html
National Archives web site on the Constitution, including a scanned copy of the Constitution, a
transcript, and information on the Bill of Rights and the delegates.
http://revolution.h-net.msu.edu/resources.links.html
A long, dry, list of valuable Internet resources in colonial and
Revolutionary America and the early Republic.
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/road.html
This is an interactive game that will test the student’s

2. knowledge of the Revolution.
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/Tremain/tremaintg.html
This is a supplementary unit to the book Johnny
Tremain that helps the students investigate the people
and times of the American Revolutionary war in and
around Boston, Massachusetts.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/42bunker/42bunker.htm
"The Battle of Bunker Hill: Now We Are at War" tells how this
American Revolution battle spurred colonial unity & sparked the
formation of the Continental Army.
(Created by the National Park Service as part of the “Teaching With Historical Places” project.)
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/21boott/21boott.htm
"Building America's Industrial Revolution: The Boott Cotton Mills
of Lowell, Massachusetts" features one of the oldest surviving
textile mill complexes in the U.S. Learn how technology
revolutionized the textile-manufacturing industry, and, in turn,
affected mill architecture, city planning, & transportation.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/36liberty/36liberty.htm
"The Liberty Bell: From Obscurity to Icon" presents maps, readings,
& images to help show historical & cultural elements that shaped
the symbolic meaning of the Liberty Bell.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/16acadia/16acadia.htm
"Life on an Island: Early Settlers Off the Rock-Bound Coast of
Maine" examines the difficult lives & environment of everyday
people on several of the 5,000 islands off the coast of Maine. It
features stories about family life & includes a business ledger,
personal journal, & other documents.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/locke/locke.htm
"Locke & Walnut Grove: Havens for Early Asian Immigrants in
California" looks at the contributions of early Asian immigrants to
the development of California's economic & agricultural industries.
The site also identifies obstacles encountered by Asian cultural
groups in America & describes life in Walnut Grove & Locke during
the late 19th & early 20th centuries.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/walker/walker.htm
"Two American Entrepreneurs: Madam C.J. Walker & J.C. Penney"
features the life stories of two business people who lived the
American Dream & who helped make that dream a reality for others in
their communities. It tells how Walker, an African American woman,

3. & Penney, a former tuberculosis patient, built from scratch their
multi-million dollar businesses.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/11andersonville/11andersonville.htm
"Andersonville: Prisoner of War Camp" examines the conditions of
Camp Sumter (in Andersonville, Georgia), the largest & most
notorious of prisoner of war camps during the Civil War.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/69bentonville/69bentonville.htm
"The Battle of Bentonville: Caring for Casualties of the Civil War"
shows how battlefield medical care developed during the Civil War,
particularly in the Union Army.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/72mill/72mill.htm
"The Battle of Mill Springs: The Civil War Divides a Border State"
focuses on this key battle to demonstrate how both the Union & the
Confederacy attempted to win the loyalty of the citizens of
Kentucky. The site presents maps, readings from Northern &
Southern perspectives, drawings & photographs about the battle,
weather, and weapons.
http://www.nps.gov/pete/mahan/lessonplans.html
"Civil War Lesson Plan" explores the culture of the U.S. prior to
the Civil War. It looks at the experiences of Southerners &
Northerners, causes of the Civil War, people who fought in the
siege of Petersburg, & perceptions of this period as reflected in
poetry, music, & literature.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/12manassas/12manassas.htm
"First Battle of Manassas: An End to Innocence" focuses on the
5,000 people who perished -- Northern & Southern troops, as well as
private citizens -- at Manassas (or Bull Run), the first conflict
of the Civil War. Personal stories, maps, photographs, &
activities help show how this battle shocked the nation into
realizing that the conflict was not some romantic adventure & that
it might prove longer & more costly than anyone could have
imagined.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/71hudson/71hudson.htm
"The Siege of Port Hudson: Forty Days & Nights in the Wilderness of
Death" describes the struggle for control of the vital Mississippi
River during the Civil War. It discusses the tactics, theories, &
ramifications of this battle between the North & the South. The
site features maps, firsthand accounts, & photographs, as well as
lessons & activities.

4. http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/crandall/crandall.htm
"From Canterbury to Little Rock: The Struggle for Educational
Equality for African Americans" highlights two historic places &
the role each played in the effort toward creating equal
educational opportunities for African Americans.
http://www.nps.gov/history/museum/exhibits/tuskegee/
"Legends of Tuskegee" links to three sites that look at the
achievements & impact of Booker T. Washington, George Washington
Carver, & the Tuskegee Airmen. In addition to general historical
information, it includes snapshots of original documents & objects
from the three museums & narratives that tie the three sites
together.
http://www.nps.gov/archive/gewa/ed/67/previsit/67erosion.htm
"How Math & Science Changed George Washington's Life" examines
Washington's pioneering work as an 18th century surveyor. Learning
activities in the teacher guide & student workbook focus on
surveying land & reinforce skills in math, geography, & science.
These materials -- as well as pre-visit classroom activities, a
park visit, & follow-up activities -- reflect the National Science
Education Standards.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/62wash/62wash.htm
"The Washington Monument: Tribute in Stone" looks at George
Washington's life, his impact on our nation, & the design & history
of this famous memorial. Students are invited to evaluate proposed
plans for the monument & other historical maps, diagrams, &
information.
http://www.nps.gov/tuma/KidsKorner.html
"Kid's Korner at Tumacacori National Historical Park" is a place
where children can learn about customs & games of the first
Europeans who came to southern Arizona & the native people who
lived there in the 1600s. The site includes instructions for
making adobe bricks, constructing a pump drill, creating a Native
American calendar, & other activities.
http://www.nps.gov/yell/kidstuff/index.htm
"Yellowstone National Park's Just for Kids" offers a scavenger hunt
of the Yellowstone website, online & printer-friendly coloring
books, & an area where children can test their knowledge about our
first national park.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/47misty/47misty.htm
"Camp Misty Mount: A Place for Regrowth" features a recreational

5. demonstration area in western Maryland where land had been
purchased during the 1930's to be transformed into a productive
recreation area that would help put people back to work during the
Great Depression.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/stieglitz_a.html
"American Masters: Alfred Stieglitz" presents an essay, timeline,
video clips, & interviews examining this photographer, artist, &
art impresario. Stieglitz was a powerful force in the arts of the
early 20th century & an important interpreter of emerging modern
culture. This website is a companion to first full-length film biography
of the photographer, “Alfred Stieglitz: The Eloquent Eye.”
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award98/ienhtml/curthome.html
"Edward S. Curtis's North American Indian" is one of the most
significant & controversial representations of American Indian
culture ever produced. Issued in a limited edition from 1907-1930,
the publication continues to influence the image of Indians in
popular culture. In over 2000 photos & narrative, Curtis portrayed
the traditional customs & lifeways of 80 Indian tribes.
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/
"The Empire That Was Russia" shows photographs of a lost world --
the Russian Empire on the eve of World War I & the coming
revolution. Medieval churches & monasteries, railroads &
factories, & daily life & work of Russia's diverse population are
among the subjects. The photos were taken by Sergei Mikhailovich
Prokudin-Gorskii (1863-1944), who, in the early 1900s, formulated a
plan for a photographic survey of the Russian Empire that won the
support of Nicholas II. Between 1909-1912, & again in 1915, he
completed surveys of 11 regions, traveling in a specially equipped
railroad car provided by the Ministry of Transportation. (LOC)
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/97/firsthand/main.html
"History Firsthand" is designed to help elementary students
understand primary sources. Students learn how archival
collections are organized, how to interpret artifacts & documents,
how to use primary sources to tell a story, & how to do online
research.
http://www.hpol.org/
"History & Politics Out Loud" offers a collection of audio
materials -- some available for the first time -- capturing
significant political & historical events & personalities of the
20th century. Materials range from formal speeches to private
phone conversations conducted from the White House. Speakers

6. include Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson,
Martin Luther King, Richard Nixon, & others.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/collections/stage/ndintro.html
"The New Deal Stage: Selections from the Federal Theatre Project,
1935-1939" includes photographs, stage & costume designs, &
notebooks pertaining to productions of "Macbeth," "The Tragical
History of Dr. Faustus," & "Power," a topical drama of the period.
Full scripts for 68 other plays are also available, along with
administrative records of the Federal Theatre Project.
http://www.spanamwar.com/medical.htm
Medicine in the Spanish War.
http://thomas.loc.gov/
Search engine for legislation passed by Congress.
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/jefferson/jefflife.html
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/mtjhtml/mtjhome.html
Life at Monticello, and the papers of Thomas Jefferson.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/curtis_e.html
"American Masters: Edward Curtis" offers an essay, timeline, &
other information about this photographer who took more than 40,000
images & recorded rare ethnographic information from over 80
American Indian tribal groups, ranging from the Eskimo or Inuit
people of the far north to the Hopi people of the Southwest. This
is the companion website for a PBS film about Curtis, "Coming to
Light."
http://www.pbs.org/ancestorsintheamericas/index.html
"Ancestors in the Americas," a companion website for the PBS series
by the same name, explores the history & stories of Asian
Americans. A timeline shows events that shaped Asian American
history, & a resource section allows further exploration of the
Asian American experience. The site includes guides with
discussion questions for teachers & an online discussion.
http://www.marquette.edu/cuap/
"Children in Urban America" shows how children experienced city
life during the last century & a half. The site features hundreds
of documents & images about children in Milwaukee County,
Wisconsin, drawn from newspapers, government, & other official
records, oral histories & memoirs, & other sources.

7. http://www.newsreel.org/nav/title.asp?tc=CN0041
"Goin' To Chicago," the companion website to a documentary film by
the same title, provides essays, letters, a teachers' guide, &
other information about the migration of African-Americans from the
rural South to the cities of the North & West.
http://www.ashp.cuny.edu/LM/
"The Lost Museum" explores P.T. Barnum's American Museum, which
epitomized popular entertainment & education in the U.S. for nearly
a quarter of a century. The museum -- which also articulated major
issues confronting American culture, society, & politics -- was
destroyed in 1865 in one of the most spectacular fires in New York
City's history.
http://www.carts.org/
"Cultural Arts Resources for Teachers & Students" features
resources & best practices for combining oral history & community
study with dance, theater, music, & visual arts. This site also
presents curricular materials from City Lore, an organization that
sponsors artist residencies in schools & staff development for
teachers in New York & other cities.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/collections/jr/jrintro.html
"Jackie Robinson & Other Baseball Highlights, 1860-1960" presents
34 images & descriptions of early baseball, famous players, & more.
It includes a print of Union soldiers playing baseball in a Confederate
prisoner of war camp, a photo of the Brooklyn Atlantics
(a team that dominated early baseball by winning championships in
1861, 1864, & 1865), & what is believed to be the first photo of a
softball. Links are provided to "Baseball, the Color Line, &
Jackie Robinson" & a collection of 2,000 baseball cards. (LOC)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/garvey/
"Marcus Garvey: Look for Me in the Whirlwind," the companion
website for a film by the same title, presents interview clips, a
timeline, an online forum of scholars, information about people &
events in the film, & a teachers' guide about this immigrant
laborer who, in the early 1900s, rose to lead the largest black
organization in history, was taken to prison in handcuffs, & was
eventually deported.
http://www.americanradioworks.org/features/jim_crow/index.html
"Radio Fights Jim Crow" looks at a series of radio programs aired
during World War II in an effort to mend racial & ethnic divisions
in America.

8. http://www.pbs.org/ralphbunche/
"Ralph Bunche: An American Odyssey," the companion website for a
film by the same title, chronicles the life & legacy of this
mediator & U.N. diplomat who was the first person of color anywhere
in the world to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/99/american/intro.html
"What Is an American?" invites students to read life histories from
the interviews of everyday Americans conducted between 1936-1940 &
consider to what extent Jean de Crevecoeur's definition of an
American holds true today. In "Letters from an American Farmer,"
published in 1782, Crevecoeur wrote that an American, if he were
“Honest, sober & industrious,” prospered in a welcoming land of
opportunity.
http://www.crfc.org/americanjury/index.html
"The American Jury: Bulwark of Democracy" is designed to help
students, teachers, & citizens understand the American jury system
& its role in American legal, social, & political life. It
features lessons, information, & resources developed by the
Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago with high school teachers
& in cooperation with national experts & scholars on the jury
system.
http://www.federalreserveeducation.org
"Federal Reserve Education" describes the history & structure of
the Federal Reserve, the central bank of the U.S. founded by
Congress in 1913 to provide a safer, more flexible, & more stable
monetary & financial system. The site examines the Federal
Reserve's monetary policy, its services & products, & its role in
supervising banks. Lessons, quizzes, newsletters, & a teachers'
guide are among the instructional resources on the site, designed
to supplement high school & college economics & social studies
classes. The site also provides an order form for "The Fed Today"
video & links to interactive sites showing images of currency at
points in our nation's history, the change in the value of a dollar
since 1913, & more.
http://www1.va.gov/opa/iga/liberty/index.asp
“Lessons of Liberty” encourages schools to invite veterans into
classrooms before & after Veterans Day, November 11, 2001, to share
their experiences. The website for this initiative, announced by
President Bush on October 30, suggests activities that schools &
communities can use to observe Veterans Day. It also offers a
Teacher's Guide that includes statistics on America's wars,
guidelines on how to display the flag, a history of Veterans Day, &

9. more. Fourteen essays examine national symbols & customs such as
the U.S. flag, the Pledge of Allegiance, taps, gun salutes, & the
American Bald Eagle.
http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/
"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity: Exploring the French Revolution"
is an introduction to the French Revolution & an archive of
important documentary evidence from the Revolution, including more
than 300 texts, nearly 250 images, & a number of maps & songs. Ten
essays explore the major topics in the history of the revolution,
including its social causes, the fall of the monarchy, women & the
revolution, the story of Napoleon, & the legacies of the
Revolution. Teachers can use this website to contrast the French
Revolution with the American Revolution.
http://www.pbs.org/kcet/publicschool/
“School: The Story of American Public Education” is the companion
website for a documentary that chronicles the development of public
education in America from the late 1770s to the 21st century. It
provides photos, stories of innovators, & more.
http://pbs.org/amex/lincolns/
“The Time of the Lincolns,” a companion website to the film
"Abraham & Mary Lincoln: A House Divided," examines the context &
conflicts surrounding the Civil War. Topics include the partisan
politics of the time, the battle for abolition, the Underground
Railroad, African American troops, & women's rights. The site
offers soldiers' letters, newspaper articles, & other primary
sources, along with a teacher's guide.
http://www.nwrel.org/teachlewisandclark/home.html
"Updating the Lewis & Clark Journals" represents an effort to
document today's views of selected Lewis & Clark journal entries
using the methods & standards of 21st century scientists &
scholars. Among topics examined by students: the Teton Incident
(a meeting between Lewis & Clark & Teton Sioux), mapping
instruments of the expedition, & Nez Perce Appaloosa horses.
http://www.hammondmuseumofradio.org/marconi.html
Radio Museum
http://www.civiced.org/wethepeople.html
"We the People... The Citizen & the Constitution" helps elementary
& secondary school students understand the history & principles of
our constitutional government. The program focuses on the U.S.
Constitution & Bill of Rights & fosters civic competence &

10. responsibility. Upon completion of program, classes are encouraged
to participate in simulated congressional hearings that allow
students to demonstrate their knowledge of the Constitution & the
Bill of Rights.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/vvhtml/vvhome.html
Creative Americans - Carl Van Vechten
http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/tri012.html
West Side Story and My Fair Lady
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/today/jan15.html
Martin Luther King
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/today/jan14.html
The Treaty of Paris Ratified
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/wpaintro/wpahome.html
American Life Histories (from American Memory of the Library of Congress)
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/wpaintro/exinterv.html
Excerpts from Federal Writing Project – Interviews of 10,000 People
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/98/local/intro.html
"All History is Local: Students as Archivists" tells how students
at the Arkansas School for Mathematics & Sciences analyzed archival
materials, developed digital collections, & made their projects
available online in the Arkansas Memory Project. This learning
activity, modeled after the Library of Congress's American Memory
project, is designed so that teachers & students from other states
& communities may adapt it to create their own local history Memory
Projects.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/97/world/home.html
"Around the World in 1896" is a lesson in which students take a
trip around the world in 1896 using an online collection of 900
images. The collection includes photos of railroads, elephants,
camels, horses, sleds & sleighs, sedan chairs, rickshaws, & other
types of transportation, as well as city views, street & harbor
scenes, landscapes, & people in North Africa, Asia, Australia, &
Oceania.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award98/ichihtml/hayhome.html
"Chicago Anarchists on Trial: Evidence from the Haymarket Affair,
1886-1887," showcases more than 3,800 images of original
manuscripts, broadsides, photographs, prints, & artifacts relating

11. to the violent 1886 confrontation between Chicago police & labor
protesters that was a pivotal setback in the struggle for American
workers' rights.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award99/ncuhtml/csbchome.html
"The Church in the Southern Black Community, 1780-1925," traces how
African-Americans in the South experienced Protestant Christianity
& transformed it into the central institution of community life.
Coverage begins with white churches' conversion efforts & depicts
the contradictions between the egalitarian potential of evangelical
Christianity & the realities of slavery. It focuses, through slave
narratives & observations by African American authors, on how the
black community adapted evangelical Christianity, making it a
metaphor for freedom, community, & personal survival.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpcoop/nhihtml/cwnyhshome.html
"Civil War Treasures from the New-York Historical Society" offers
images of recruiting posters for New York City regiments of
volunteers, stereographic views documenting the mustering of
soldiers & of popular support for the Union in New York City,
photography showing the war's impact, & drawings & writings by
soldiers on both sides.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/broad/intro.html
"The Constitution: Counter Revolution or National Salvation?" casts
students in the role of politically active citizens in 1787, when
the Federal Convention in Philadelphia presented the nation with a
new model of government. Students, using primary documents from
American Memory, produce a broadside in which they argue for or
against replacing the Articles of Confederation with the new model
-- the Constitution.
http://www.cendi.gov/publications/04-8copyright.html
Frequently Asked Questions about copyright law
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/99/links/intro.html
"Creating Hypertext Dialogues Drawn from Narrative History
Collections" invites students to use documents from "California As
I Saw It: First Person Narratives, 1849-1900," to create
hyperscripts depicting the motivations, expectations, fears, &
realizations of immigrants who settled California between 1849 &
1900. Students' hyperscripts are online written dialogues that
include links to illustrative written materials, images, & sound
files from American Memory collections. (Library of Congress)
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/99/migrant/intro.html

12. "Figuring Somepin 'Bout the Great Depression" is a lesson in which
students examine songs, interviews, & photos of migrant farm
workers in California during the Great Depression & then create a
scrapbook from the point of view of a migrant worker. Students use
photos & recordings of migrant workers to create captions, letters,
& songs. This lesson may be particularly useful when students are
learning about the Great Depression or reading "The Grapes of
Wrath."
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/doughtml/doughome.html
"The Frederick Douglass Papers" presents the papers of the 19th-
century African-American abolitionist who escaped from slavery &
then risked his own freedom by becoming an outspoken antislavery
lecturer, writer, & publisher. The first release of the Douglass
Papers contains 2,000 items (16,000 images) that span the years
1841 to 1964 & relate to Douglass's life as an escaped slave,
abolitionist, editor, orator, & public servant.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/sfbmhtml/sfbmhome.html
"Samuel F. B. Morse Papers at the Library of Congress, 1793-1919,"
presents 6,500 items that document Morse's invention of the
electromagnetic telegraph, his participation in the development of
telegraph systems in the U.S. & abroad, his career as a painter,
his family life, his travels, & more. Included in this collection
are correspondence, letterbooks, diaries, scrapbooks, printed
matter, maps, & drawings.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award99/miemhtml/svyhome.html
"Sunday School Books: Shaping the Values of Youth in Nineteenth-
Century America" presents 170 Sunday school books published in
America between 1815 & 1865. They document the culture of
religious instruction of youth during the Antebellum era &
illustrate thematic divisions that preoccupied 19th-century
America, including sacred & secular, natural & divine, civilized &
savage, rural & industrial, adult & child. Among the topics
featured are history, holidays, slavery, African Americans, Native
Americans, travel & missionary accounts, death & dying, poverty,
temperance, immigrants, & advice.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wwghtml/wwghome.html
"Woody Guthrie & the Archive of American Folk Song: Correspondence,
1940-1950," highlights letters Guthrie wrote in the early 1940s
after moving to New York City, where he pursued broadcasting &
recording careers, met artists & social activists, & gained a
reputation as a songwriter & performer. The site includes a
biographical essay, a timeline of Guthrie's life, & an encoded

13. finding aid of Guthrie materials at the Library of Congress.
http://regentsprep.org/Regents/global/themes/science/index.cfm
History of Science and Technology
http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/
Texas Beyond History. Learn archeology within the context of one state. Texas Beyond History
starts with a site map to archeological sites around Texas. The Kids
area has activities and even a link to an expert, Dr. Dirt. For
teachers, there are lesson ideas in the arts, mathematics, literature,
and history & social studies.
http://www.smithsonianjazz.org/
"Smithsonian Jazz" celebrates Jazz Appreciation Month, April, by
offering sound clips, information about jazz events, a directory of
jazz societies (by state & country), links to other jazz websites,
& four online "classes" featuring Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald,
Louis Armstrong, & Benny Carter.
http://www.nga.gov/feature/thenandnow/thenandnow.htm
"West Building: Then & Now" celebrates the 60th anniversary (March
2001) of the opening of the National Gallery of Art. An online
photo essay shows how the West Building & its environs have changed
over the years. (NGA)
http://americanhistory.si.edu/kids/santos/
"You Be the Conservator" invites students to play the role of a
museum conservator, discovering clues about an historical object
in order to preserve or restore it. In the featured activity, the
object is a "santo," a painted woodcarving of a saint in the
Catholic Church.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/NR/travel/amana/index.htm
"The Amana Colonies" looks at the historic utopian society
established in the 1850s along the Iowa River by German-speaking
settlers from a religious group known as the Community of True
Inspiration. The group, which originated in Himbach, Germany, in
1714, created a communal system of seven villages, each with mills,
shops, homes, communal kitchens, schools, & churches. This website
looks at the group's history, beliefs, buildings, & more.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/ashland/
"Ashland, Oregon: From Stage Coach to Center Stage" highlights 32
historic places in this community located 14 miles north of
California at the foot of Mt. Ashland. These places together

14. illustrate the development of Ashland from a small transportation &
farming center founded in 1852 into a community with a strong
cultural identity.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/feature/asia/
"Asian-Pacific Heritage Month" provides information about the
historical contributions of Asian & Pacific peoples in the U.S. &
territories. It includes links to Pacific Islander heritage &
Asian American heritage websites.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/NR/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/70prairie/70prairie.htm
"The Battle of Prairie Grove: Civilian Recollections of the Civil
War" helps students place the Battle of Prairie Grove in the
context of Arkansas' role in the Civil War. Photos & readings from
eye witness accounts of the battle depict the harsh realities of
Civil War & its effects on both soldiers & civilians.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/NR/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/40stones/40stones.htm
"The Battle at Stones River: The Soldiers' Story" provides
readings, maps, & visual representations of this battle near
Murfreesboro, Tennessee, which was the second bloodiest battle
fought west of the Appalachians during the Civil War.
http://historywired.si.edu/index.html
"HistoryWired: A Few of Our Favorite Things" offers a virtual tour
of selected objects not on display in the National Museum of
American History. Artifacts are presented in a dozen categories,
including the arts, commerce, home, leisure, medicine, military,
people, politics, science, & technology. Among the artifacts: the
portable lap desk on which Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration
of Independence, George Washington's camp chest & military uniform,
the Star-Spangled Banner, an African American tenant farm house,
the first commercially available personal computer, & Thomas
Edison's electric pen.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/99/edison/intro.html
"Thank You, Mr. Edison: Electricity, Innovation, & Social Change"
is a lesson in which students learn about the invention of the
phonograph, the impact of electricity on Americans, & Thomas
Edison's role in the electrification of America.
http://americanhistory.si.edu/kids/buffalo/
"Tracking the Buffalo: Stories From a Buffalo Hide Painting" puts
students in the role of historians as they examine a buffalo hide
painting & click on areas that reveal clues to the painting's
story. The story helps students understand the role of the buffalo

15. in the lives of the northern plains American Indians.
http://memory.loc.gov:8081/ammem/award99/mymhihtml/mymhihome.html
"Westward by Sea: A Maritime Perspective on American Expansion,
1820-1890" presents letters, business papers, photos, maps, ship
logbooks, & narratives that can help students understand the story
of American's travel by sea to settle California, Alaska, Hawaii,
Texas, & the Pacific Northwest. Themes illustrated by these
materials, selected from Mystic Seaport's collection, include
whaling, life at sea, the California Gold Rush, & native
populations.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/00/lincolnm/intro.html
"What Are We Fighting for Over There? Perspectives on the Great
War" is a unit in which students use primary documents to develop
an understanding of the World War I era, including how the U.S.
prepared for & participated in the war & how the war foreshadowed
the role of the U.S. as a world power of the 20th century.
http://americanhistory.si.edu/kids/springer/
"You Be the Historian" invites students to examine clues &
determine what life was like for a family that lived in New Castle,
Delaware, during the 1700s. Students also discover what historians
in the next century might learn about us if they found our homes
the way they are today.
http://www.nps.gov/history/NR/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/56arnold/56arnold.htm
"Boston's Arnold Arboretum: A Place for Study & Recreation"
provides readings, maps, & lesson ideas about the first arboretum
in the U.S., which opened to the public in the 1880s. This site,
though focused on a place devoted to the study of trees, can help
students learn how 19th-century urban conditions influenced the
development of parks & how to research the history of parks in
their own communities.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/64Bryce/64Bryce.htm
"Bryce Canyon National Park: Hoodoos' Cast Their Spell" looks at
the history of this area in Utah known for its hoodoos --
limestones, sandstones, & mudstones that have been carved by
erosion into spectacular spires, fins, & pinnacles.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/NR/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/50carnegie/50carnegie.htm
"Carnegie Libraries: The Future Made Bright" tells the story of how
Andrew Carnegie donated over $40 million from his fortune made in
the railroad & steel industries to build more than 1,600 libraries

16. across America. Photos, maps, tables, & drawings of "Carnegie
libraries" help tell the story.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/NR/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/45chatham/45chatham.htm"Chatham
Plantation: Witness to the Civil War" recounts what
happened at this plantation overlooking Fredericksburg, Virginia.
The house served as a headquarters & communications center for
generals & commanders. When General Irvin McDowell was housed
there, President Lincoln visited to confer with about strategy.
Later in the war, the house served as a hospital where Clara Barton
& Walt Whitman tended to wounded soldiers. Four major battles were
fought in the countryside surrounding Chatham.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/NR/travel/delaware/index.htm
"Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor" features 46 historic
places along a 150-mile stretch from Bristol to Wilkes-Barre,
Pennsylvania, the birthplace of the anthracite coal industry. This
National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary illustrates
the history of an extraordinary 19th-century transportation system
-- mountain railroads, rivers, dams & canals -- devised to move
anthracite from mine to market.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/37hancock/37hancock.htm
"Fort Hancock: A Bastion of America's Eastern Seaboard" is a lesson
that uses this fort, built in the late 1800s to defend New York
Harbor, as a base for examining issues in U.S. defense policy &
military preparedness in the late 1800s.
http://www.free.ed.gov/displaydate.cfm
The Department of Education maintains a list of educational resources!
http://www.carnegie.org/sub/kids/carnegie.html
Biography of Andrew Carnegie
http://www.carnegie.org/sub/kids/legacy.html
Carnegie’s Philanthropy
http://www.museum.upenn.edu/new/research/research_projects.shtml#american
North American Historical Archaeology from the University of Pennsylvania
http://home.att.net/~mforder/
Ephemeria from the 1800s, including primary sources such as train schedules, photographs, and
baseball results from 18th century
http://www.ellisislandrecords.org/
Search Ellis Island immigration records

17. http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/langacad/compdemo/index.htm
A WebQuest about democracy in America
http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/connection/
The White House kids’ page
http://www.memorialhall.mass.edu/
"American Centuries: Views from New England" features 1,800 objects
& documents from Memorial Hall Museum & Library, located in Old
Deerfield, MA. The site includes instructional units (everyday
life in a New England town & graveyard-centered research); a mini-
encyclopedia of important people, places, & events in New England;
& interactive web activities (scavenger hunt). One exhibit looks
at family life, land, Native Americans, African Americans, &
newcomers at 3 turns of the century: 1700, 1800, & 1900.
http://www.pbs.org/americanrootsmusic/
"American Roots Music" is the website for the PBS series by the
same name. It includes summaries of episodes, oral histories,
information about songs & artists, & more.
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/civil-rights-act/
"The Civil Rights Act of 1964 & the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission" provides a summary, history, & teaching activities
related to the EEOC & this historic law, which forbade
discrimination on the basis of sex & race in hiring, promoting,
& firing.
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/day-of-infamy/
A Date Which Will Live in Infamy" shows the typewritten draft of
the December 8, 1941, speech in which Franklin Roosevelt asked
Congress to declare war on Japan. The draft shows Roosevelt's
hand-written edits, including his change of the phrase "a date
which will live in world history" to "a date which will live in
infamy." Students can also listen to the beginning of the speech.
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/fdr-fireside/
"FDR's Fireside Chat on the Purposes & Foundations of the Recovery
Program" displays the text of one of Franklin Roosevelt's fireside
chats with the American people. In this July 24, 1933, radio
broadcast, he addressed issues of the Great Depression & described
what industry, employers, & workers could do to bring about
economic recovery.
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/fdr-inaugural/

18. "FDR's First Inaugural Address: Declaring 'War' on the Great
Depression" shows photos from that time. It includes Franklin
Roosevelt's first inaugural address, in which he said, "I shall ask
the Congress for the one remaining instrument to meet the crisis
[the Depression] -- broad Executive power to wage a war against the
emergency, as great as the power that would be given to me if we
were in fact invaded by a foreign foe."
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/barbed-wire/
"Glidden's Patent Application for Barbed Wire" presents the drawing
& description that helped Joseph Glidden, a farmer from De Kalb,
Illinois, win a patent for barbed wire in 1874. Glidden's design
remains today the most familiar style of barbed wire. This site
also examines the considerable impact of barbed wire on the
economy, society, & politics in the West.
http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/
"North American Slave Narratives" is a collection of more than 250
memoirs, autobiographies, & narratives from individuals who were
slaves. An African king who was sold into slavery, the dress maker
for Mary Todd Lincoln, the servant of Robert E. Lee during the
Civil War, & the nurse of George Washington are included, as are
stories of Sojourner Truth, George Washington Carver, Booker T.
Washington, & others. These firsthand accounts describe the
conditions of slavery & a number of slave escapes to freedom.
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/369th-infantry/
"Photographs of the 369th Infantry & African Americans During World
War I" highlights an all-black regiment that rose to fame at a time
when the Army, federal workers, & other parts of society were
segregated. The 369th Infantry, also known as the "Harlem
Hellfighters," was among the first regiments to arrive in France in
1917 after the U.S. declared war on Germany. The regiment spent
191 days in combat, longer than any other American unit, & emerged
as one of the most decorated regiments during the Great War.
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/election-cartoons/
"Political Cartoons Illustrating Progressivism & the Election of
1912" offers teaching activities, four political cartoons, & a
narrative about reforms proposed by three major presidential
candidates in 1912: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, &
Woodrow Wilson. (NARA)
http://library.uncg.edu/slavery_petitions/
"Race & Slavery Petitions" is a collection of more than two dozen
legislative & county court petitions that were filed in southern

19. states between the American Revolution & the Civil War. Tens of
thousands of southerners petitioned their legislatures for redress
of grievances during this time. These petitions show the complex
nature of race & slavery.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/5johnstown/5johnstown.htm
"Run for Your Lives! The Johnstown Flood of 1889" commemorates the
most devastating flood in the U.S. in the 19th century & the
greatest national catastrophe in the post-Civil War era. At 4:07
on the chilly, wet afternoon of May 31, 1889, the inhabitants
Johnstown, Pennsylvania, heard a low rumble that grew to a "roar
like thunder." Some knew immediately what had happened: the South
Fork Dam, after a night of heavy rain, had broken. The break sent
a 36-foot wall of water rolling at 40 miles per hour toward
Johnstown, a town of 30,000 people. More than 2,200 people were
killed.
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/sow-seeds/
"Sow the Seeds of Victory! Posters from the Food Administration
During World War I" tells how Herbert Hoover, as head of the new
U.S. Food Administration, convinced Americans to conserve food
during the Great War. Homeowners were urged to sign pledge cards
to conserve food. Many observed wheatless Mondays, meatless
Tuesdays, & porkless Saturdays. This website includes posters that
helped carry one of the messages of Hoover & the Wilson
administration: that "Food will win the war."
http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/revwar/vafo/vafooverview.html
"Valley Forge" looks at this famous campsite that marked a turning
point in the American Revolution. By the fall of 1777, General
Washington had suffered more defeats than victories. He sought a
winter campsite that would allow observation of the British army
without exposure to surprise attack. In December, he led 12,000
men into Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, for a 6-month encampment while
the British camped 20 miles away in Philadelphia. The winter was
severe. Nearly 2,000 American soldiers died of disease. But the
Continental Army learned discipline & organization here that,
coupled with French assistance on land & sea, helped turn the tide
of the war.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/feature/wom/
"Women's History Month" showcases historic properties listed in the
National Register, National Register publications, & National Park
units commemorating the events & people, the designs & achievements
that help illustrate the contribution of women to our nation's

20. history.
http://www.yiddishradioproject.org/
"Yiddish Radio Project" preserves recordings from the golden age of
Yiddish radio (1930s-50s). Online exhibits include "Yiddish
melodies in Swing," the history of Yiddish radio, "Rabbi Rubin's
Court of the Air," radio dramas of Nahum Stutchkoff, "Levine & His
Flying Machine," & commercials on Yiddish radio. Audio clips
accompany each exhibit.
http://www2.cr.nps.gov/tps/walkthrough/index.htm
Walk Through" is designed for learning about the preservation of
historic buildings. Examples show how to evaluate historic
buildings from a distance, up close, & inside. The aim is to
inform decisions about where buildings can be altered & which
visual elements need to be preserved.
http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/tps/walkthrough/
"Working on the Past in Local Historic Districts" tells about
"local preservation ordinances" -- what they are, how they work, &
how they are making a difference for some of the 2,300 local
historic districts.
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/fdr-churchill/
"Documents Related to Churchill & FDR" examines the friendship &
working relations that developed between U.S. President Franklin
Roosevelt & British Prime Minister Winston Churchill beginning in
1940. Their relationship was crucial in the establishment of a
unified effort to deal with the Axis powers.
http://www.duke.edu/~ldbaker/classes/AAIH/caaih/ibwells/ibwbkgrd.html
Ida B. Wells, muckraker, anti-lynching advocate
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/indexjs.html
The Presidents – American Experience. The companion web site for the PBS program.
http://thefilmvault.com/directory.html
Fashions – circa 1900. The International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union was formed in 1900 in
the heart of New York City’s garment district. The “international” came from the many
immigrants that flooded the U.S. during the end of the 1800’s and the beginning of this century.
Sewing skills learned at the knee of a grandmother were now bringing in money to help keep
families alive.
http://www.thefilmvault.com/fashions/index.html
Fashions from 1900 to 1928.

21. http://www.teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=278
Letter from Abigail Adams to John Adams 1776.
http://www.teachingamericanhistory.org/institutes/2002/founding_readings.html#2
Lecture on the Declaration of Independence.
http://www.ed.gov/programs/teachinghistory/resources.html
Resources for the Teaching American History Grant program, as compiled by the Department of
Education.
http://www.wmol.com/whalive/workshop.htm
Activities – writing skits, other history activities.
http://www.wmol.com/whalive/cww.htm
Play – Civil War women.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/mussmhtml/
"Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music" contains more than 15,000 pieces of historical
sheet music registered for copyright during 1820-1860 & more than 47,000 pieces registered
during 1870-1885. It includes popular songs, operatic arias, piano music, sacred & secular
choral music, solo instrumental music, method books & instructional materials, & music for
band & orchestra. The collection is searchable by author, subject, & song title.
http://www.lewisandclark200.org/
This is a web portal to information about the famous expedition that set out nearly 200 years ago
to find & map a transcontinental water route to the Pacific Ocean. The journey of Lewis & Clark
& their 33-member party across the continent is shown on a current U.S. map (alongside today's
cities & highways) with descriptions of historical places along the trail. The site provides maps,
timelines, & classroom activities, as well as the letter of instruction from Thomas Jefferson &
biographical information about Corps of Discovery members & American Indian tribes they
encountered. This website is the result of a partnership among 32 federal agencies &
organizations.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/life/
"Life in the White House" presents a history of the White House in celebration of the
100th anniversary of the West Wing. Video tours of the Oval Office, Cabinet Room, Diplomatic
Room, & other rooms are narrated by the First Lady, the President's Chief of Staff, the Vice
President, & others, including the President himself.
http://www.ourdocuments.gov/
"Our Documents" features 100 milestone documents in U.S. history. Each week, the website
highlights 3 documents, beginning with the Lee Resolution of June 7, 1776, & ending with the
Civil Rights Act of 1964. Speeches, treaties, Supreme Court cases, patent designs, &
Constitutional amendments are among the 100 documents that changed the course of history &
helped shape our national character. Images of documents are accompanied by transcriptions &

22. historical interpretations. The website, part of a history & civics initiative announced by
President Bush on September 17, 2002, includes information about competitions for students &
workshops for teachers. Teachers are invited to develop & test a classroom lesson on one or
several milestone documents.
http://www.lewis-clark.org/
A very thorough guide to the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
http://www.monticello.org/
The main website for Monticello
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/bluewebn/
The Blue Web’n Project, one of the largest educational resources on the internet.
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/
History Matters – survey course for US History on the web
http://www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites/people.html#d
http://www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites/people2.html
Recommended websites compiled by the American Library Association.
http://www.glencoe.com/sec/socialstudies/index.html
Social Studies online
http://www.worldwar1.com/rep.html
War posters from the Great War
http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/schools/leems/histfic.html
WebQuest of the Civil War in Historical Fiction
http://edsitement.neh.gov/
EDSITEMENT – “The best of” humanities web sites
http://www.nps.gov/malu/
"Martin Luther King Jr., National Historic Site" features Atlanta's Auburn Avenue, the
neighborhood where the civil rights leader was born & raised. "Sweet Auburn," as it came to be
called, became the center of African American life in Atlanta between 1910 & 1930. Photos &
maps of the neighborhood are provided. King's role in the civil rights movement is also
examined.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/shaker/
"Shaker Historic Trails" presents 15 places that together reveal the legacy of one of the most
compelling religious & social movements in American life. Three essays trace the growth of the
United Society of Believers, or Shakers, from its founding by a group of dissenting Quakers in
1747 to its membership of 6,000 people just before the Civil War. The Shakers established 19
official communities from Maine to Kentucky based on the principle of establishing "heaven on

23. earth" through the practice of communitarian social organizations, pacifism, celibacy, gender
equality, & the public confession of sin. Photos, maps, and itineraries are provided.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/santaclara/
"Santa Clara County: California's Historic Silicon Valley" features 28 historic places that
illustrate how this fertile valley blossomed from small agricultural towns linked by railroad into a
center of technological innovation. Located south of San Francisco, the history of Santa Clara
County is rich with stories of Spanish & Mexican settlement, the Gold-Rush era, post-war
suburbanization, the race to the moon, & the invention of the silicon chip. The website includes
essays, photos, maps, and itineraries.
http://www.gilderlehrman.org/
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, including good resources on the “Age of
Lincoln”
http://www.gilderlehrman.org/institute/public_virtual.html
Gilder-Lehrman Virtual Museums
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/7attu/7attu.htm
"Attu: North American Battleground of World War II" is the site of the only land battle on the
North American continent during World War II. In June 1942, Japanese forces invaded Attu &
other Aleutian islands. Americans feared the islands would be used as a staging area to attack
the mainland. The U.S. had to regain the Aleutians at all costs.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/79oriskany/79oriskany.htm
"The Battle of Oriskany: Blood Shed a Stream Running Down" tells how long-standing
prejudices & the Revolutionary War unleashed massive bloodshed among inhabitants of New
York's Mohawk Valley. Located in rich farmland & at a strategic point in a fur trade route, the
valley had been settled by Dutch, German, Irish, Scotch, & British immigrants who had
prospered from productive farms & lucrative trade. As war broke out, everyone had to choose
sides: Rebel or Tory. It was not easy for many, including the Iroquois Confederacy, which could
not agree. Five hundred years of unity among the Six Nations was broken. On August 6, 1777,
as Rebels crossed a ravine preparing to attack a British camp, they were ambushed by Seneca
Tories. Thus began the battle where neighbor fought neighbor & a quiet ravine became a bloody
slaughterhouse.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/81columbus/81columbus.htm
"Chicago's Columbus Park: The Prairie Idealized" presents the story of Jens Jensen, who
immigrated from Denmark to the U.S. in the 1880s, took a job as a Chicago street sweeper, was
promoted to gardener, & rose to renown as a landscape architect. Jensen aimed to portray "the
soul of the landscape" & developed the "Prairie style," incorporating regional trees & flowers in
idealized settings of groves, streams, limestone outcroppings, & flat fields. His crowning
achievement was Columbus Park, a 150-acre park of wildflowers, waterfalls, stepping stone
paths, & a river 7 miles from downtown Chicago.

24. http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/99condon/99condon.htm
"Coffeyville, Kansas: The Town That Stopped the Dalton Gang" recounts the bank robbery
attempt that made Coffeyville famous in 1892. Bob Dalton's gang had been robbing trains,
stealing horses, & looting gambling houses in the Midwest. But Dalton wanted more. He
claimed he would "beat anything Jesse James ever did -- rob two banks at once, in broad
daylight." This is the story of his attempt to do so & the response he met from the citizens of this
small southeastern Kansas town. When the dust had settled, more than half a dozen citizens
& four of the five outlaws lay dead.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/80homestead/80homestead.htm
"The Freeman School: Building Prairie Communities" examines a once common feature on the
American West landscape: the one-room schoolhouse. This particular one-room school,
originally known as the Red-Brick School House, served the community of Blakely Township,
Nebraska, from 1872 to 1967. When closed, it was the oldest continuously used one-room school
in Nebraska. It served not only as a school, but also as a church, meeting hall, polling place, &
social & political center of the community.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/hardin/
"Hardin County, Iowa" presents 26 historic places -- barns, civic buildings, churches, railroad
depots, schools, & libraries -- that depict the history of this county, known as the "Heart of the
Heartland."
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/96ranchos/96ranchos.htm
"Hispano Ranchos of Northern New Mexico: Continuity & Change" features the small
subsistence farms, or ranchos, created by "Hispanos," early Spanish settlers of New Mexico,
during the 1800s in the mountain valleys of the Pecos & Mora rivers. Houses were built from the
same adobe used to construct Indian pueblos & Spanish missions, with decorative details added
based on architectural fashions brought to New Mexico after it became a U.S. territory in
1851. Irrigation ditches were dug & regulated by rules dating back centuries. The website
provides an historical view of this region during the 19th century & of the Hispanos' cultural
heritage & how they adapted to change.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/97hopewell/97hopewell.htm
"Hopewell Furnace: A Pennsylvania Iron-making Plantation" focuses on one of the 65 small
ironworks operating in southeast Pennsylvania during the American Revolution. The Hopewell
Furnace, located in forested hills & valleys along French Creek in Berks County, operated from
1771 to 1883. The furnace was the center of a self-contained hierarchical community of 200-300
people, all of whose work was related to the production of iron. Hopewell produced shot &
cannon for Continental forces during the Revolution; between 1825 & 1844, it supplied various
iron products to eastern cities, including the popular "Hopewell Stove." This website offers a
glimpse into the early days of the iron & steel industry, which played a central role in the growth
of America as an industrial nation.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/85bellamy/85bellamy.htm
"Joseph Bellamy House: The Great Awakening in Puritan New England" examines the life &
times of the Reverend Joseph Bellamy (1719-1790), a leading preacher, author, & educator in

25. New England. At the age of 20, Bellamy became the minister in Bethlehem, Connecticut, in
1740. He & other ministers, including Jonathan Edwards, spent most of 1741-1742 riding about
New England delivering impassioned sermons to bring sinners back to the fold of the church.
The movement, known as the Great Awakening, appealed particularly to working class people &
spread throughout the northern & central colonies. Through his sermons & writings, Bellamy
linked traditional Calvinist doctrine with reformers' belief that the "call of the gospel was to
everyone without exception." He molded religion to fit people instead of vice versa -- an
approach many of his colleagues opposed vehemently.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/lexington/
"Lexington, Kentucky: The Athens of the West" highlights 29 places that illustrate the
transformation of the city from a small frontier post during the Revolutionary War into a center
of economic, intellectual, & political activity. Photos, maps, & essays are included.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/46montpelier/46montpelier.htm
"Memories of Montpelier: Home of James & Dolley Madison" describes the setting, main house,
& grounds of the home of our fourth President & "father" of our Constitution. It also looks at
daily life in this 19th century home on a 5,000-acre plantation in the Piedmont of Virginia. The
Madisons received many visitors. In fact, it was not uncommon for them to have as many as 25
guests requiring both room & board.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/82springwood/82springwood.htm
"Springwood: Birthplace & Home to Franklin D. Roosevelt" is the only place in the U.S. where a
President was born, maintained a lifelong connection, & lies buried. The estate, located in Hyde
Park on the Hudson River (New York), is where Roosevelt was raised & where he & his wife,
Eleanor, raised their five children. From the time of his first political election, he delivered his
acceptance speeches from the portico of this house. Cabinet members, heads of state, royalty,
congressmen, senators, & Secret Service stayed at the house during his presidency.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/77troosevelt/77troosevelt.htm
"Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site: Birthplace of the Modern
Presidency" examines the career of our 26th President -- the conditions under which he became a
vice presidential candidate, the assassination of President McKinley, the home where TR was
hastily inaugurated in 1901, & the influence he exerted on the nation & the presidency. His
inauguration marked a turning point in the role of the presidency, launching a change in national
policy & propelling the U.S. into world affairs.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/94rivers/94rivers.htm
"These Honored Dead: The Battle of Rivers Bridge & Civil War Combat Casualties" recounts a
battle in a cold, rainy swamp in South Carolina during the last year of the war. In contrast to
major campaigns & battles, this small battle presents the war on a human scale. Through maps,
illustrations, photos, & descriptions, one can comprehend the entire battlefield & tactics used
there. Excerpts from letters help students see the war & its effects from the perspective of
individual commanders & soldiers.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/89manzanar/89manzanar.htm

26. "The War Relocation Camps of World War II: When Fear Was Stronger Than Justice" looks at
the causes & consequences of President Franklin Roosevelt's executive order, signed two months
after the attack on Pearl Harbor, that moved nearly 120,000 Japanese & Japanese Americans into
10 isolated relocation centers. The website provides an excerpt from the executive order as well
as headlines from newspapers, a 1942 notice of "instructions to all persons of Japanese ancestry,"
a description of life in the relocation centers, maps, photos of a typical barracks room & mess
hall, & more.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/revwar/morr/morroverview.html
"American Revolutionary War: Morristown National Historic Park" describes the mansion and
environs where General Washington & his aides were headquartered for 200 days. It was here in
the Ford Mansion that he met with officers, scouts, spies, statesmen, and foreign diplomats. His
troops -- the Continental Army of over 10,000 soldiers -- were encamped on the windswept hills
& farmland nearby, where they built a "log-house city" of more than 1,000
structures. Washington had selected this site in Morristown, NJ, for strategic reasons. From
here, he could keep an eye on the British wintering in & around Manhattan Island. He could
guard roads that connected New England with Philadelphia (the Revolutionary capital) & move
troops swiftly to any threatened point. Also, Morristown's rugged hills & mountains & broad
swamps provided a defensive advantage.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/90midway/90midway.htm
"The Battle of Midway: Turning the Tide in the Pacific" examines a pivotal World War II
battle. In the spring of 1942, after victories in the Pacific & southeast Asia, Japan was preparing
to establish a toehold in the Aleutian Islands, occupy & convert Midway into an air base for
invading Hawaii, & lure the U.S. Pacific Fleet into a final battle & finish it off. The Japanese
fleet depended on radio codes that codebreakers in Hawaii & Washington, D.C., worked around
the clock to interpret. This website tells how they broke the code & how the U.S. Pacific Fleet
ended Japan's seemingly unstoppable advance across the Pacific.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/91glorieta/91glorieta.htm
"The Battle of Glorieta Pass: A Shattered Dream" examines the Civil War battle known as the
"Gettysburg of the West." Texans invaded this mountain valley, intent on conquering New
Mexico. Victory here would be a necessary prelude to detaching the western states from the
Union & expanding the Confederacy to the Pacific Ocean. They were met along the canyon &
ridge on March 26, 1862, by volunteers from Colorado. A three-day battle ensued, culminating
with the Confederates retreating to Texas & Confederacy hopes of expanding west shattered.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/86bostonparks/86bostonparks.htm
"The Emerald Necklace: Boston's Green Connection" recounts the creation of a series of parks in
Boston in the 1880s. At that time, Boston was crammed with buildings & people. It was
overcrowded, noisy, & dirty. City officials, concerned about the health & well-being of
Bostonians, hired Frederick Law Olmsted, who had designed Central Park in New York, to
create a park system. He developed & wove together a series of small parks -- gardens,
waterways, meadows, tree museums, & others -- into what became known as Boston’s Emerald
Necklace.

27. http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/84mountauburn/84mountauburn.htm
"Mount Auburn Cemetery: A New American Landscape" describes the country's first large-scale
designed landscape open to the public. The cemetery, established four miles outside Boston in
1831, stood in stark contrast to the barren, crowded burial grounds in the city. Providing ample
space in a tranquil, natural setting, Mount Auburn attracted not only mourners, but city dwellers
wanting to experience nature, as well as tourists & students. It inspired many offspring -- other
rural cemeteries, the first public parks, & the first designed suburbs in the 19th century. It
marked a major shift in the way we bury our dead.
http://jeffersondavis.rice.edu/
"Papers of Jefferson Davis" features more than 40 letters & speeches written by the man best
known as president of the Confederacy during the American Civil War. Davis was also a
Mexican War hero, member of the Senate & House of Representatives, & secretary of war under
Franklin Pierce. After the Civil War he became a symbol of the Lost Cause. The website
provides extensive information on Davis & his family & numerous images.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/93saratoga/93saratoga.htm
"Saratoga: The Tide Turns on the Frontier" examines the turning point in the American
Revolution: two battles that demonstrated to France that the ragtag Continental Army could win
against Britain's better trained, disciplined troops. Within months of the Battles of Saratoga,
France signed accords with Ben Franklin & other American envoys in Paris recognizing
America's Declaration of Independence & pledging full military & financial support. France's
allies, Spain & Holland, also entered the conflict in support of the U.S. The victory at Saratoga
turned the American Revolution into a global war that Britain could not win.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/83savannah/83savannah.htm
"Savannah, Georgia: The Lasting Legacy of Colonial City Planning" describes the establishing
of Georgia as a colony in America & the design of the settlement. When a friend in jail for debt
died there, General James Oglethorpe, a member of the House of Commons, asked Parliament
for an investigation into the suffering of debtors in London jails. A committee concluded that a
colony should be established in America for the poor. Oglethorpe led a sea voyage of 114 men,
women, & children who hoped for a better opportunity in America. He also designed the
settlement layout to reflect both egalitarian principles & classical standards of fortress
construction. Savannah remains one of the few surviving colonial city plans in the U.S.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/92uva/92uva.htm
"Thomas Jefferson's Plan for the University of Virginia: Lessons from the Lawn" tells the story
of the creation of the University of Virginia. After serving as President, Jefferson continued
advocating for a statewide system of education in Virginia, hoping to extend education beyond
the elite to the common man. Although the Virginia legislature refused to fund a plan for
primary & secondary education, when it approved funding in 1818 to establish a state university,
Jefferson immediately drew architectural plans for his ideal university. It would be "an
academical village" where professors would have their own separate houses ("pavilions"). The
curriculum would focus on scientific knowledge, unlike at other universities, where preparation
of clergy for the church was the focus. The library would be located at the center of the
university -- a revolutionary concept because libraries were not important features of other

28. institutions where learning was based on students' recitation of facts memorized from professors'
lectures. When construction at the site in the countryside west of Charlottesville began,
Jefferson made the four-mile trip on horseback from his home, Monticello, almost every day to
oversee the work. The importance Jefferson attached to this work was reflected in the epitaph he
wrote for his grave marker. He omitted the fact that he'd served as President of the U.S., noting
instead that he was author of the Declaration of Independence, author of the Statute of Virginia
for Religious Freedom, & father of the University of Virginia.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/28thurmond/28thurmond.htm
"Thurmond: A Town Born from Coal Mines & Railroads" recounts the story of the New River
Gorge area in West Virginia. It is mountainous & remained sparsely populated & largely
inaccessible until 1873, when the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Company laid track through the
gorge. Coal mining companies, towns, & camps appeared almost overnight to mine the coal
deposits. One of these towns, the railroading town of Thurmond, reached its peak as the major
revenue producer for the C&O Railroad during the early 1900s -- a time when coal was king.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/78vanderbilt/78vanderbilt.htm
"Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site: Monument to the Gilded Age" describes this Hyde
Park estate that includes a palatial Beaux-Arts mansion, stunning views of the Hudson River &
Catskill Mountains, & over 600 acres of landscaped property. The mansion was built in 1895-8
by Frederick Vanderbilt, an heir of the fortune created by Cornelius "Commodore"
Vanderbilt. Cornelius, at the age of 16, borrowed $100 from his parents, purchased a periauger
(a flat-bottomed sailing barge), & began a ferry service now known as the Staten Island
Ferry. Cornelius built a shipping empire, bought up small railroads, & at his death in 1877, was
worth $105 million, a larger sum than in the U.S. Treasury at the time. Heirs to his fortune,
including grandson Frederick, lived like European royalty, redefining what it meant to be rich in
America. The Hyde Park estate came to symbolize the enormous wealth accumulated by a
privileged few during the Gilded Age.
http://library.thinkquest.org/27411/letter.htm
Letters from the Civil War (ThinkQuest)
http://library.thinkquest.org/27411/
Civil War Resources (ThinkQuest)
http://www.nps.gov/vick/vcmpgn/vcmpgn.htm
"The Campaign for Vicksburg, 1863" describes the effort by Major General Grant & his Union
Army of Tennessee to capture Vicksburg, Mississippi. Taking Vicksburg, President Lincoln
said, was the key to ending the Civil War. It was the key to his administration's regaining
control of the lower Mississippi River, which had been lost when southern states seceded &
Confederate forces closed the river. Regaining control of this area & the river, the most
important economic feature of the continent, would allow the rich agricultural produce of the
Northwest to reach world markets. It would also split the South in two.

29. http://www.nps.gov/ncro/educ/park/nama.htm
"Creation of the National Mall" looks at the grounds that serve as the setting for the Washington
Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, & Franklin Roosevelt Memorial, as well as
the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, D.C. War Memorial, & Korean War Veteran's Memorial. The
Mall, known as "America's Common," is a place where Americans gather to exercise our
democratic rights, reflect on our great leaders & pivotal events, & celebrate the birth of our
nation. This website includes a history of the Mall & a timeline of key dates in its evolution.
http://www.ourdocuments.gov/content.php?page=sourcebook3
"Our Documents: Teacher Sourcebook" is designed to help teachers use in the classroom 100 of
the most important documents in our nation's history. The 100 milestone documents appear on a
timeline, along with descriptions telling why they're important. Key themes are discussed --
rights & responsibilities, individuals & society, state & federal power, & commerce &
regulation. Guidelines suggest ways to use primary sources as teaching tools. An essay recounts
what happened at the Constitutional Convention. Three indepth lesson plans are provided on
Thomas Jefferson & the Louisiana Purchase, Alexander Graham Bell & Thomas Edison, &
Brown v Board of Education. The 80-page sourcebook accompanies the National Initiative on
American History, Civics, & Service announced by President Bush in September 2002.
http://www.nps.gov/stli/teachercorner/index.html
"Statue of Liberty: Teacher's Corner" features the 305-foot monument that stands in New York
Harbor as a symbol of political freedom & democracy. The copper statue, a gift from the people
of France, was built by Frederic-August Bartholdi in Paris & was dedicated in the U.S. in
1886. This website identifies 11 symbolic elements in the monument & describes seven
individuals responsible for its construction.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/tguide/1index.html
Slavery web site (history of slavery)
http://www.balboapark.org/
History of 1915 and 1935 expositions in Balboa Park
http://www.antislavery.org/homepage/antislavery/history.htm
Slavery International – including slavery today
http://www.history.rochester.edu/class/douglass/part3.html
Frederick Douglass – The Rochester Years
http://www.future.state.gov/
"Future State" is the U.S. State Department's website for youth. It offers lesson plans on
terrorism, Vietnam, & the Cuban Missile Crisis & information about more than 50 international
issues. "Careers Representing America," games, & "Meet the Secretary of State" are among the
features. Links are provided for learning about current events, geography, & the environment.

30. http://www.loc.gov/folklife/vets/
"Veterans History Project" is collecting oral histories, letters, diaries, & photos of America's war
veterans & those who supported them. The project includes participants in World War I, World
War II, & the Korean, Vietnam, & Persian Gulf wars. Students, citizens, & organizations are
invited to contribute using the Project Kit, which provides all information & forms needed to
interview a veteran. Libraries, museums, & civic groups can read about model veterans projects
& start a project in their community.
http://www.neh.gov/wtp/bookshelf/index.html
"We the People Bookshelf" invites schools & libraries to apply to receive 15 thematically related
books that depict universal themes & key moments in American history. The 2003-4 theme is
courage. The deadline is October 22, 2003.
http://www.plimoth.org/
Plymouth Village
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/lhtnhtml/lhtnhome.html
"American Notes: Travels in America, 1750-1920" provides 253 narratives describing travels in
the colonies & the U.S. The collection includes works by authors not widely known as well as
by Matthew Arnold, James Fenimore Cooper, Dickens, Washington Irving, Sir Charles Lyell,
Robert Louis Stevenson, & other major figures. The collection is searchable & can be browsed
by not only by author & title, but also by subject.
http://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/
"Benjamin Franklin" explores Franklin's life as a writer, inventor, diplomat, businessman,
musician, scientist, humorist, civic leader, international celebrity, abolitionist, & genius. This
companion website to the PBS documentary includes information on his experiments, role as a
founding father, his diplomatic work, & his community work. Lesson plans, a timeline,
interactive science experiments, a kite building exercise, & other resources are also available.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpcoop/moahtml/ncphome.html
"The Nineteenth Century in Print: the Making of America in Books &
Periodicals" presents digitized books & periodicals published in the U.S. during the 19th
century. The collection includes 23 popular magazines & more than 1,500 books that illuminate
themes central to American life in the mid- to late 19th century, including the Civil War, slavery
& abolition, religion, education, self-help & self-improvement, travel & westward expansion, &
poetry.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wrighthtml/wrighthome.html
"The Wilbur & Orville Wright Papers" documents the Wright brothers' lives & their work that
led to the world's first powered, controlled, & sustained flight. Nearly 50,000 digital images are
provided -- diaries, scrapbooks, drawings, photos, & more. Learn about the Wright brothers'
boyhoods & early business ventures. See the famous glass-plate negative of the "First Flight" at
Kitty Hawk on December 17, 1903. Read letters & diaries in which they recount the work
leading up to that day.