AMDOCS: Documents for the Study of American History

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Logo, AMDOCS
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Provides links to approximately 390 documents, most of which are related to the nation's political, diplomatic, military, and legal history. Arranged chronologically, the site begins with excerpts of Christopher Columbus' journal of 1492 and ends, at present, with President George W. Bush's May 1, 2003 address announcing the end of major combat operations in Iraq [update: documents reach from around 800 to 2007]. Includes speeches, statutes, treaties, court decisions, memoirs, diaries, letters, published books, and even a few songs. The site, created by Lynn Nelson, Professor Emeritus of History, University of Kansas, is valuable especially for high school and college students who need easy access to many of the canonical documents in American history.

Historical Society of Topsail Island and Missiles and More Museum [NC]

Description

The Historical Society of Topsail Island operates the Missiles and More Museum. The Missiles and More Museum contains exhibits addressing Operation Bumblebee, Osprey aircraft, Camp Davis, natural history, Native American life, and pirates. Operation Bumblee was a circa 1946-1948 confidential guided missile testing program under the U.S. Navy, while Camp Davis served as an important air training center for World War II.

The society offers interactive and traditional exhibits, monthly lectures, and school and group museum tours. Reservations are required for lectures and museum tours.

Historic Blakeley State Park [AL]

Description

The 3,800-acre Historic Blakeley State Park contains Native American mounds; a Civil War battlefield, site of the clash at Fort Blakeley; and an 1814 ghost town. The 1865 Battle of Blakeley was actually fought after the General Lee's surrender of the Confederate Army, and is considered the last major Civil War action. The park owns and operates a passenger boat, the Delta Explorer, which is used to provide tours.

The site offers more than 10 miles of trails, two-hour ecological boat tours, and guided tours. School tours aboard the Delta Explorer are welcome.

Winterville Mounds [MS]

Description

The Winterville Mounds comprise the remains of a religious and ceremonial center used by an unidentified Native American population between circa 1000 and 1450. After 1450, the site appears to have been entirely abandoned. The people who made use of the mounds were a scattered farming culture located throughout the Yazoo-Mississippi River Delta basin. A few high-ranking individuals appear to have lived near the mounds.

The site offers exhibits.

Douglas County Museum of Natural & Cultural History [OR]

Description

Douglas County traverses an amazing variety of terrain, from the snowcapped peaks of the Cascade mountains to the Pacific Ocean. The Douglas County Museum of Natural & Cultural History chronicles human history in Douglas County, from the Umpqua tribe which first settled the area 10,000 years ago until the present day, and also pays special attention to the history of mining, fishing, farming, and logging, all of which have been an integral part of the Douglas County economy.

The museum offers exhibits, guided tours, outreach programs, and special events such as presentations and lectures. The website offers visitor information, a history of the museum, information regarding museum programs, and an events calendar.

The Village Green Heritage Center [CA]

Description

The Village Green Heritage Center presents the history of the Palm Springs area, California. The center is located in two historic structures. The 1884 McCallum Adobe, built for the area's first permanent settler of European descent, houses vernacular items, textiles, Native American artifacts, artworks, and photographs. The 1893 Little House, built of used railroad ties, is set to period.

The center offers period rooms and exhibits.

American Literature on the Web

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Image, "Ralph Waldo Emerson"
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Provides thousands of links to information on and texts by more than 300 American writers from 1620 to the present. Users can search in five chronological periods for links to timelines, author's sites, related resources, music and visual arts, and "social contexts." Also contains specific categories for electronic text collections, U.S. History, American Studies, poetry, movements and genres, Southern literature, women writers, literary theory, reference works, and "minority literature/multi-cultural resources," including categories for African-American, Asian-American, Jewish-American, and Latino/Latina writers. Authors represented include famous literary figures such as Louisa May Alcott (1832-88), Anna Bradstreet (ca. 1612-72), Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950), Emily Dickinson (1830-86), and Ralph Ellison (1914-94); important public figures, such as William Byrd (1674-1744) and Frederick Douglass (1818-95); and lesser-known figures, such as John Woolman (1720-72) and Amelia Edith Barr (1831-1919).

Offers images of many writers, links in Japanese, a section devoted to Canadian authors, a master list of authors in alphabetical order, and "two site-specific search engines" for word searches of this site and others. Last updated in December 2001, many links are no longer operable; however, as a gateway, it offers an abundance of usable links in a well-designed format for those needing resources on American writers and their times.

Saline Area Historical Society [MI]

Description

Saline was first settled due to its natural salt springs. Local Native American tribes had harvested salt from the salt springs for centuries before the French discovered the springs in the 18th century. The local river was dubbed the Saline River after the French word for salt.

The society hosts several exhibits and lectures throughout the year, and also offers walking tours of Saline, Michigan, and a giftshop. The website offers visitor information, a brief history of Saline, information about the events and exhibits offered by the society, an events calendar, and online access to the gift shop.

Mille Lacs Indian Museum [MN]

Description

The Mille Lacs Indian Musuem is dedicated to showcasing the history and heritage of the Millie Lacs Band of the Ojibwe American Indians. The museum houses numerous exhibits tracing the Band's journey to settle in Northern Minnesota, telling the story of their existence during American westward expansion, and showcasing the lives and culture of the Band today. The museum also hosts a spacious crafts room which serves as a demonstration area for traditional cooking, basketry, and beadwork.

The site offers visitor information, an events calendar, and several photographs of the museum and museum "trading post."

Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site [MN]

Description

"Amid the prairie grasses are islands of uncovered rock, where American Indians left carvings —petroglyphs— humans, deer, elk, buffalo, turtles, thunderbirds, atlatls and arrows. They tell a story that spans 5,000 years. The glyphs served many functions, including recording important events, depicting sacred ceremonies, and emphasizing the importance of animals and hunting." The Jeffers Petroglyphs Historical Site is dedicated to preserving the petroglyphs for future generations and showcasing them for the current generation.

The site offers historical information, visitor information, and an events calendar.