Folsom Historical Society and Museum [CA]

Description

The Society's Museum focuses on exhibits exploring Folsom's native people; the discovery of gold and the formation of mining camps; ethnic groups who contributed to this area; the formation of the town and the growth and establishment of the railroad, prison, and powerhouse; and later efforts at gold mining. The Museum's Pioneer Living History Center allows visitors a look at Folsom's past through vehicles; machines; equipment; and replicas of a miner's shack, blacksmith shop, carriage shed, and more.

The society offers educational and recreational events; the museum offers exhibits, tours, and educational programs.

Southwest Museum of the American Indian

Description

"The galleries at the Southwest Museum of the American Indian are closed to the public at this time. However, the Museum Store is open on Saturdays and Sundays and we will continue to offer great programs and events throughout the year.

The galleries are closed due to extensive rehabilitation of the building and conservation of its rare collection of Native American artifacts, with the goal of moving most of the collection to a new state-of-the-art home by 2009. Plans call for the infrastructure improvements to the Southwest Museum to be completed by 2010, when the building will be open for a new cultural use, fulfilling founder Charles Lummis' vision and belief that all indigenous peoples be understood."

Japanese-American Internment Camps During World War II

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Photo, Japenese Mother and Son at Topaz, from the collection George G. Murakami
Annotation

This online exhibit captures daily life in two World War II Japanese Internment camps in America from 1942 to 1946 through 38 photographic images from the camps. The Tule Lake camp in northern California was one of the most infamous camps in which prisoners frequently conducted strikes and demonstrations to demand their release. The 28 photographs in the Tule Lake section, drawn from the Special Collections Department of the University of Utah's J. Willard Marriott Library, are grouped into four themes: Living, Labor, Education, and Buildings. They document the arrival, work, schools, homes, and businesses of the more than 18,000 Tule Lake residents. The ten camp photographs from Topaz, Utah, donated by George G. Murakami, an American from Berkeley, California, who was interned at Topaz, are a more personal account of internment. These images include 1944 and 1945 graduation announcements from the Topaz Camp High School as well as photographs of Murakami's friends and the school football team. Also included is an image of a 1990 letter from President George Bush to former internees. This site is somewhat limited in selection and scope and does not include captions or descriptive notes for the selected photographs; but for those researching the lives of Japanese Americans during World War II, this site offers a compelling glimpse into their everyday lives.

Voices of Civil Rights

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Photo, Protesters on Beale Street, 1968
Annotation

This website represents the initial effort to create an archive of stories about the civil rights movement (both historical and contemporary), including essays, interviews, project updates, and special reports. While the site is under construction, currently there is already substantial material available, most of which is organized into one of five sections.

An interactive "Timeline" serves as in introduction to the Movement, highlighting major events and accomplishments. "Stories" allows visitors to read more than 100 personal stories about America's civil rights history (10 stories include audio excerpts). Visitors can peruse the section devoted to the contemporary civil rights movement and its historical legacy. Here visitors can listen to interviews about the promise of equal education with Wade Henderson, Executive Director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, as well as many other activists. Students and teachers will find this site a convenient collection of primary accounts of the Civil Rights Movement, including the Chicano Movement and the National Organization of Women.

History of the Cherokee

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Logo, History of the Cherokee website
Annotation

Created by a tribal member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. From five sections--History; Images and Maps; Genealogy: Cherokee and other Native Americans; Books and Newspapers; and Related Links--users can access excerpts from 12 historical texts; 18 images dealing with Cherokee history; and seven maps. In addition, the site provides a bibliography of 18 books and newspapers on Cherokee history; information on seven relevant booksellers; and 43 links on such topics as Cherokee genealogy, language, and tribal organizations. A useful starting point for those interested in Cherokee history and culture.

Federal Resources for Educational Excellence: History & Social Studies

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Portrait, George Washington
Annotation

This megasite brings together resources for teaching U.S. and world history from the far corners of the web. Most of these websites boast large collections of primary sources from the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, the National Archives and Records Administration, and prominent universities. There are more than 600 websites listed for U.S. history alone, divided by time period and topic: Business & Work, Ethnic Groups, Famous People, Government, Movements, States & Regions, Wars, and Other Social Studies. While most of these websites are either primary source archives (for example, History of the American West, 1860-1920) or virtual exhibits, many offer lesson plans and ready-made student activities, such as EDSITEment, created by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

A good place to begin is the (Subject Map), which lists resources by sub-topic, including African Americans (67 resources), Women's History (37 resources), and Natural Disasters (16 resources). Each resource is accompanied by a brief annotation that facilitates quick browsing.

Who Killed William Robinson?

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Text, "Who Killed William Robinson?"
Annotation

The deaths of William Robinson and two other black men on the British colony of Salt Spring Island (British Columbia) between 1867 and December 1868--attributed by an all-white jury to an aboriginal man--are examined in this site, which offers inquests, trial records, newspaper accounts, diary entries, maps, private correspondence, and artists's depictions and reconstructions. Through these hundreds of images and documents--which together constitute a social history of ethnically and racially-mixed Salt Spring Island--students may pursue explanations for Robinson's murder, and, more broadly, relations among white colonists, black settlers, and aboriginal peoples. Also gives four links and a 39-title bibliography for further research. A "teacher's guide" is available upon request. The authors are affiliated with the history department at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. Useful for student-teacher explorations into race relations in 19th-century Canada.

Tobacco Archives

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Image, Philip Morris USA, 1987
Annotation

This archive offers more than 26 million pages of documents related to research, manufacturing, marketing, advertising, and sales of cigarettes. It was designed to provide free access to documents produced in States Attorney General reimbursement lawsuits against the tobacco industry. This site consist of links to databases that contain images of documents from the files of Philip Morris Incorporated, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Brown and Williamson Tobacco Corporation, Lorillard Tobacco Company, The Tobacco Institute, Inc., and The Council for Tobacco Research. Each company website is separately maintained and provides users with detailed instructions on how to view and print documents. Among the millions of documents, users will find print ads, marketing materials from the early 1900s, correspondence, reports, periodicals, and numerous scientific research studies. Those interested in tobacco use among racial or ethnic groups and women, the health risks of tobacco, and tobacco issues in the media will find this site very informative.

Native American Heritage Museum State Historic Site

Description

Visitors to the Museum can share in the journey of the Great Lakes Indian tribes who were forced to emigrate to Kansas in the 1800s, adapting their traditional Woodlands cultures to the rolling prairie landscape. At the Museum, once a Presbyterian mission built in 1845 to educate Iowa and Sac and Fox children, you will find quillwork, baskets, and other artwork of present-day descendants of emigrant tribes. Through the interactive exhibits, Native Americans tell stories in their own words.

The site offers exhibits, tours, and educational and recreational programs.