AMDOCS: Documents for the Study of American History

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Logo, AMDOCS
Annotation

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.

The Hideout [WI]

Description

The Hideout, created in the early 1920's, was the retreat of notorious crime syndicate leader Al Capone (1899–1947). The site includes the main lodge, which contains period furnishings; gun tower for protecting the site when in use by Capone; jail cell; bunk house; and an added museum about the 1920's.

The site offers exhibits and a guided tour.

The Jonathan Corwin House [MA]

Description

The Jonathan Corwin House, also known as The Witch House, served as the residence of Jonathan Corwin (1640-1718), magistrate and judge in the Salem Witch Trials. The court in which he worked issued the death sentence to 19 individuals, none of which would admit to the crime of witchcraft. The home itself dates to before 1675, and is the only residence in Salem with a direct connection to the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Topic covered include the trials and the daily life, decorative arts, and architecture of the period.

The house offers period rooms, guided tours, and self-guided tours.

National Archives and Records Administration: Pacific Alaska Region [WA]

Description

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Pacific Alaska Region, Seattle, currently holds 38,000 cubic feet of original documents from federal government field offices in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho and a large microfilm collection of federal documents from across the remaining United States. Also provided are expert staff and volunteer assistance while using these and NARA’s vast online resources, including free access to popular commercial websites featuring millions of NARA documents online.
The facility offers an archival research room and microfilm research room, as well as free public access computers and is open to the public on a daily basis, except for federal holidays. The research rooms are open on the second Saturday of each month as well.
Other offerings include workshops on using the National Archives resources, historical topics, and general and online genealogy. Additionally, for educators, NARA offers topic specific teacher workshops upon request.

Old Constitution House State Historic Site [VT]

Description

The Old Constitution House State Historic Site commemorates the 1777 signing of the Vermont constitution.The Vermont constitution was far reaching—the first to prohibit slavery, establish universal voting rights for all males, and authorize a public school system. This document guided the Republic for 14 years until 1791, when Vermont was admitted to the Union as the 14th state. An exhibit recounts the writing of the most progressive constitution of its time, and examines its effect on the politics of the nation. The site includes the tavern where the document was originally adopted.

The site offers period rooms and an exhibit.

Contemporary Supreme Court Approaches to Constitutional Interpretation, Part Two

Description

Professor Ralph A. Rossum examines the ways in which recent and current U.S. Supreme Court Justices interpret or seek to interpret their duties and the founding documents of the U.S. He looks at what precedents and interpretations of the Founders' intent are incorporated in contemporary justices' thought.

This lecture continues from Contemporary Supreme Court Approaches to Constitutional Interpretation, Part One.

Burbank Police and Fire Museum [CA]

Description

The Burbank Police and Fire Museum preserves and showcases the past of the Burbank Police and Fire Departments. The museum includes exhibits on all aspects of police and firefighting work.

The museum offers a variety of exhibits, ranging from uniforms to a vintage fire engine, viewable by appointment only; tours for school groups can be arranged. The website offers a brief history of the museum, along with descriptions of all displays and artifacts currently on display in the museum.

Liberty, Checks and Balances, and the Constitution, Part One

Description

Idaho State University Political Science Professor David Gray Adler examines what he describes as the great constitutional crisis of the day: the usurpation and abdication of constitutional roles by President and Congress. Building his argument on the concerns of the Framers, Dr. Adler points to the endangerment to liberty posed by the erosion of checks and balances.

Audio and video options are available.

Diversity, Urbanization, and The Constitution, Part One: The Great Migration, Urbanization, and the Constitution

Description

Eric Arnesen, Professor of History and African American Studies at the University of Chicago addresses the interplay between the African-American experience between Reconstruction and the Great Migration, the U.S. Constitution, and shifting democratic ideals.

Audio and video options are available.