Housing and Houselessness: A Guide for Pre-Service Teachers
Help students understand the how policy and structural forces have shaped how people in the U.S. access housing.
For Us the Living
A series of five primary source based learning modules that encourage high school students to explore American history through the stories found in Alexandria National Cemetery.
The Montgomery Bus Boycott: They Changed the World
How was the 1955–1956 Montgomery Bus Boycott covered in Montgomery? Take a look with this archive from a Montgomery newspaper!
The March on Milwaukee Civil Rights History Project
Wisconsin teachers, bring the Civil Rights Movement home to your students with this archive of primary sources.
Defining Dred Scott
Who was Dred Scott, and what was the significance of his case?
Film Review: Prohibition
Historian Tona Hangen takes a look at Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s three-part documentary on Prohibition.
Homicide in Chicago 1870-1930
Covering urbanization and industrialization? This homicide index can help students understand social changes and tensions associated with both.
Key Concepts in Historical Thinking
Improve your historical analysis skills by learning about different types of causes and evidence.
African American History Month: Civil Rights Worldwide
These African American civil rights activists affected more than the U.S.
Japanese American Internment: Executive Order 9066
How did the World War II internment of Japanese Americans happen? Historian Frank Wu examines Executive Order 9066.
Bill of Rights Institute
What would life be like without freedoms we take for granted—of the press, right to assembly, and more?
Guampedia
Guam is often left out of discussions of U.S. history. Remedy the situation!
Idea of America
The U.S. was formed on ideals, but how do these ideals manifest in reality? Are they ever at odds?
Red Cross: Exploring Humanitarian Law
Humanitarian law and history are hardly mutually exclusive.
National Constitution Center: Explore the Constitution
Looking for resources on the Constitution? What better place to look than a center dedicated to its legacy?
The Supreme Court
The Supreme Court is the final law of the land. Uncover its intricacies with this resource from PBS.
Joe Hill
Union strikes. Murder. Itinerant songwriting. The life of martyr Joe Hill could hardly have been more dramatic or mysterious.
Texas Archive of the Moving Image
Watch some Texas history, submit your own, or learn to make local documentaries.
From Slavery to Freedom: The African-American Pamphlet Collection, 1822-1909
Peruse an extensive collection of pamphlets related to African-American life leading up to, during, and following the Civil War.
Taking the Mystery out of Copyright
If you need a succinct copyright overview for your students, this is a place to start.
Center on Congress
What is Congress? Why should anyone care?
American Resistance to a Standing Army
Americans of the 18th century took a much dimmer view of the institution of a professional army than current views of the U.S. military.
In Pursuit of Freedom
Frederick Douglass approached the abolition of slavery from within the confines of the Constitution.
The Conspirator in the Classroom
With the new film, The Conspirator, out in theaters, here are a few resources to help you explore the story of Mary Surratt and America’s first presidential assassination.
Divided Allegiance
Being born in the United States was not always a guaranteed path to citizenship.
National History Day Project: The Civil Rights Act of 1964
Learn more about the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
On Gendering the Constitution
The agitation among women’s rights activists over the language of the 14th Amendment.
The Salem Witch Trials
Absolving the guilty and punishing the innocent. Historian Elizabeth Reis looks at primary sources recording testimony in witchcraft trials.
Virginia Memory
Are you a Virginia educator teaching VA state history? My your task easy! Explore the Library of Virginia’s 70 collections of digitized primary sources.
Selling a Slave
The obstacles and restraints on disposing of one’s human “property.”
Separation of Church and State
The Constitution states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
Teaching the Bill of Rights
Daunted by teaching the Bill of Rights and its complex vocabulary to students? Middle-school teacher Christine Valenti explains how she introduces her students to the Amendments.
Burr-Hamilton Duel
Was it illegal? Was it dishonorable? Was it a duel or was it murder?
Lone Wolf v Hitchcock
Part of a series of laws that displaced Native Americans from land allotted to them through treaties with the U.S. government.
Intertwined Development: Railroads and Political Parties
The influence of the booming rail system on the growth and development of three political parties in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Remembering All Veterans
Veterans Day is for everyone who fought for the U.S.—including those who volunteered in the face of prejudice.
Constitution Day 2010
Explore these online Constitution Day resources for September 17 and throughout the year.
Textbook Twisters: Salem Witch Trials
Burn the witch! Discover how historical coverage of the Salem Witch Trials has changed over time.
Dueling Logic
Pistols at noon, or handbags at dawn? Decode the Code of Honor by answering these questions on dueling etiquette.
United We Stand: Industry and Famous Strikes
Stand up (or sit down) for better working conditions! Test your knowledge of strikes in U.S. history.
Yo, Ho, Ho and a . . . Bushel of Oysters?
Shellfish pirates stole from the rich to feed themselves—and make a little money on the side.
Turning Turtle: Shipwrecks and Disasters at Sea
The ship’s on her beam-ends and all’s lost! Test your knowledge of maritime disasters.
Fly Away Jim Crow
Equality requires more than a Proclamation. Try to answer these questions on Jim Crow.
My Lai Massacre Political Cartoon
Professor Meredith Lair examines a 1971 political cartoon and what it says about U.S. reaction to the My Lai Massacre and the trial of Lt. Willam Calley.
Jefferson versus Hamilton
Their differing philosophies of government set the stage for the permanent growth of political factions.
Politics of a Massacre: Discovering Wilmington 1898
This site contains sources covering and reacting to the deplorable 1898 massacre in Wilmington, NC.
Lincoln Archives Digital Project
Surf an animated timeline of Abraham Lincoln’s life and times.
Watergate and the Constitution
To indict or not to indict? Watergate raised complicated questions concerning Constitutional interpretation.
Woman Suffrage and the 19th Amendment
Relive the dream of the women’s vote through roleplay or interfacing with primary documents.
The Progressive Era
Explore the ins and outs of turn-of-the-century labor law, business, housing, and immigration.
Laboring to Bring Forth Child Labor Statistics
How many children were at work on the eve of World War II? What types of jobs did they hold?
Massive Resistance through Political Cartoons
Watch 4th-graders analyze cartoons about Virginia and Brown v. Board of Education.
Duluth Lynchings Online Resource: The Tragic Events of June 15, 1920
Leading up to the civil rights movement in a high school class? Explore 700 primary sources that examine one 1920 case of fatal racism.
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Everyday you read about local crime in the newspaper, but are the rates really going up?
The 4th Estate as the 4th Branch
The peculiar power of the press in America . . . what is the role of the media?
With or Without Slavery?
Forcing the issue in Bleeding Kansas. The Lecompton Constitution, slavery, and children born to slaves.
Supreme Court of the United States
From John Jay to Sonia Sotomayor, the Supreme Court is the final word in law.
Voting Rights and the 14th Amendment
How did women suffer no suffrage through the 14th Amendment?
Slave Receipts
What do slave receipts reveal? Ever considered using similar documents to teach?
U.S. Secret Service
How did the Secret Service begin protecting our leaders and solving crimes?
Land of (Unequal) Opportunity
460 documents and images on civil rights in Arkansas, from before, during, and after the civil rights movement.
Cherokee Law of Blood
A Cherokee Nation Supreme Court document reveals the fluidity of racial identity.
Famous American Trials: "The Scottsboro Boys" Trials 1931-1937
Explore the infamous Scottboro case through a variety of primary source documents and images.
Trial of The Chicago Seven
Explore radical activism and 1960s culture through the trial of the Chicago Seven.
Impeachment Trial of Andrew Johnson
Learn about Andrew Johnson’s impeachment through contemporary accounts and resources.
U.S. Electoral College
Uncover the inner workings and history of the US Electoral College. Click here to explore!
History of Presidential Elections Site
Provides a wealth of information on US presidential elections, with a particular focus on the 2000 election.
17th-Century Colonial New England
Explore the history of 17th century New England and, more specifically, the Salem Witchcraft Trials.
Finding Precedent: The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
Search this archive from the Harper’s Weekly for a firsthand view into Andrew Johnson’s impeachment.
Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS), 1945-1972
Peruse this collection of recently declassified foreign policy documents.
September 11, 2001: Attack on America
How does a nation react, legally and politically, to international terrorism?
University of Missouri-Columbia: Digital Library Collections
A hodge podge of history: England, Missouri, and the greater U.S.
Colonial Williamsburg
Experience life in Colonial Williamsburg without visiting Virginia.
Cleveland Digital Library
Explore the history of “the forest city.”
Urban Planning, 1794-1918: An International Anthology
How did WWI affect urban development? How did it impact housing and business in the cities?
African Americans in Massachusetts
Compare perspectives on educational desegregation. How did it affect the community?
Nineteenth-Century Texas Law Online: Gammel's The Laws of Texas
Delve into Texas law from early colonization through 1897.
Afro-Louisiana History and Genealogy, 1718-1820
Consider assigning contextual reports on the lives of individual slaves.
History of American Education Web Project
Explore the history of education within the U.S, through writings and images.
The Hartford Black History Project
Follow the formation of the African American community in the city of Hartford, CT
Lesson Plans Library
Hundreds of lesson plans, right at your fingertips. Incorporate them in the classroom.
AMDOCS: Documents for the Study of American History
One convenient source for major historical U.S. documents.
Remembering Herblock
View political cartoons by Herbert Block, father of the term, “McCarthyism.”
Science, Technology, and the CIA
Project “Acoustic Kitty,” anyone? With different code names for missions, the CIA has shielded some vital information from the public.
History Through Deaf Eyes
What has the U.S. deaf population experienced?
American Originals Part II
Introduce students to 25 documents selected by the National Archives for their historical importance.
Democratic Vistas: The William Clyde DeVane Lecture Series
Look to the past to consider the prospects of democracy in the U.S.
Agents of Social Change: 20th-Century Women's Activism
Source documents to help you approach 20th-century feminism.
Regional Oral History Office
Explore California oral histories, or learn to conduct your own interviews.
Jo Freeman.com
Explore women’s political history and activism from the 1960s onward.
Papers of John Jay
Read the correspondence of lesser known founding father John Jay.
Civics Online
Gain inspiration for new ways to approach political history.
The 19th Century in Print: Books
What were people reading around the time of the Civil War?
The Texas Constitutions Digitization Project
When was Texas part of Mexico? The U.S.? Separate?
Conversations with History
Brush up on your understanding of international relations with these interviews.
Brooklyn Daily Eagle Online (1841-1902)
Explore the history of Brooklyn, 1841 through 1902, with historical newspaper issues.
St. Louis Circuit Court Historical Records Project
Explore the largest collection of freedom suits available to U.S. researchers.
Oneida Indian Nation: Culture and History
Meet the Oneida, and discover their role in the Revolutionary War and War of 1812.
Crime and Justice Data Online
What crimes are most common? What is the demographic composition of the police force?
The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden
Unsure how to teach presidential history in an engaging manner? Try these activities and lessons.
A More Perfect Union
Was Japanese American internment constitutional? Explore the Japanese American experience.
Woman's Legal History Biography Project
How many female lawyers can you think of in U.S. history?
With an Even Hand: Brown v. Board at Fifty
Examine the events which led to and the aftermath of Brown v. Board of Education.
Brown v. Board of Education 50th Anniversary Digital Archive
Explore Brown v. Board of Education through interactive activities and personal recollections.
Civil Rights Movement Veterans
Access the human stories of the civil rights movement.
Federal Trade Commission
Keeping businesses on the straight and narrow. Discover more about the Federal Trade Commission.
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives
Did you know that there is a specific law enforcement agency for firearm recovery?
Federal Judiciary
Can’t tell an affadavit from an acquittal? Learn the legal lingo.
NativeWeb: Resources for Indigneous Cultures Around the World
A unique website designed to foster communication regarding all of the planet’s native peoples.
The Digital Classroom
An informative introduction to the practice and excitement of historical research.
WestWeb: Western Studies and Research Resources
This gateway site provides a wealth of resources pertaining to the American West.
Words and Deeds in American History
View primary documents that helped to shape America’s history.
American Originals
Explore 14 significant and compelling documents from the National Archive Holdings.
The Lindbergh Case: The Trial of the Century
Relive media coverage of the famous Lindbergh Trial through this Hunterdon County Democrat database.
Slavery and the Making of America
An extensive glimpse into slave life and the history of slavery in the United States.
Freedom Now! An Archival Project of Tougaloo College and Brown University
Immerse yourself in the historical struggle for the African American vote in Mississippi.
The History Box
Have a question about New York City or state history? More than 750 articles available.
Portal to Texas History
Texas educators, looking for primary resources on state history? Search this portal for thousands of images and documents drawn from Texas-based archival collections.
Las Vegas: An Unconventional History
Why is Las Vegas one of the world’s most popular destinations? How has it changed?
New Jersey Public Records and Archives
Familiarize yourself with New Jersey history using images, maps, and official documents.
Teaching Future Historians: U.S. History Lesson Plans Using Primary Documents
A diverse array of Antebellum, Civil War, and Gilded Age lesson plans for your convenience.
Illinois During the Gilded Age
Listen to, read, and sing sources from the Gilded Age canvassing women, religion, and more.
Thar's Gold in Them Thar Hills: Gold and Gold Mining in Georgia, 1830s-1940s
Gold mining, though often portrayed as lawless, was, in some cases, big business.
Native American Constitution and Law Digitization Project
Tie civics into units involving Native American history using relevant full-text legal documents.
LexisNexis
Search news articles, court cases, journals, broadcast transmissions, polls, data compilations, magazine articles, and more.
Early Recognized Treaties with American Indian Nations
Inspect nine early land dispute treaties between the Native Americans and the British or U.S.
U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency
How did recreational drug use grow into a U.S. drug culture? How did it become such a hot topic and a social concern?
McKinley Assassination Ink: A Documentary History
Explore the assassination of President McKinley and the social context thereof.
Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse
Review litigation studies ranging from mental health facilities and jail conditions to equal employment.
Early American Imprints, Series II: Shaw-Shoemaker, 1801-1819
Uncover novels, readers, hymnals, almanacs, diaries, maps, treaties, and more from between 1801 and 1819.
Madison: Celebrating 150 Years
Learn about Madison, WI, from early settlement through its time as the “queen of bootleggers.”
The Case of Sacco and Vanzetti
Criminal history, the Jazz Age, and the Red Scare all in one legal case. Understand the early 20th century through the Case of Sacco and Vanzetti.
The Adoption History Project
Did you know that adoption was only recognized as a legal U.S. operation in 1851?
Supreme Court Nominations
How many “yeas” and “nays” on the path to being a Supreme Court justice?
National Security Archive: The Pentagon Papers
In 1971, the “Pentagon Papers” formed the center of a legal debate over freedom of speech. Follow the Supreme Court’s process and decisions.
Papers of Justice Tom C. Clark
Tom C. Clark served as Supreme Court Justice from 1949 to 1967, a time of legal shift and reform. Learn more about cases from these years from his papers.
Supreme Court Historical Society
The U.S. Supreme Court has shaped American ideals into practice since 1789, but how much do you know about this influential institution?
Landmark Supreme Court Cases
Intimidated by teaching legal history? Find resources for thinking about and teaching 17 pivotal U.S. Supreme Court cases at this site, designed for educators.
Legal Information Institute: Supreme Court Collection
Decisions made by the U.S. Supreme Court change history—explore historical and present-day cases on this website.
Marbury v. Madison
Constitutional or not? Read about this 1803 landmark court case deciding issues of judicial review.
James Madison's Failed Amendments
Apportionment in the House of Representatives and pay raises for Congress fell by the wayside—at least temporarily.
Presidential Death During the Election Process
Unforeseen events and potential crises forced politicians and lawmakers to devise backup plans for presidential and vice-presidential elections.
"Join or Die"
Think the “Join or Die” snake first appeared during the American Revolution? Think again!
Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research
Social science data offered to member colleges and universities here covers a range of sociological and political areas.
Eugenics Archive
Traces the history of the eugenics movement in the United States.
African-American Perspectives: Pamphlets from 1818-1907
Pamphlets and documents from 1875 to 1900 highlight African American leaders and organizations.
Samuel J. May Anti-Slavery Collection
With over 300,000 pages available for full-text searching, this is one of the richest collections of anti-slavery and Civil War materials in the world.
Race and Place
Discover connections between race and place in this archive documenting the effects of Jim Crow on a Virginia town.
Oral History Digital Collection
In full-text narratives, more than 2,000 people from northeast Ohio discuss issues significant to the state and the nation.
Native American Documents Project
Four collections of data and documents address Federal Indian policy in the late 19th century.
Emma Goldman Papers
Learn more about Emma Goldman, radical and feminist activist, through this collection of primary and secondary sources.
American Radicalism Collection
From the Ku Klux Klan to the IWW, examine 129 historical documents from radical organizations.
Alcohol, Temperance, and Prohibition
More than 1,800 primary sources provide a window into the Temperance Movement and Prohibition.
Slaves and the Courts, 1740-1860
Delve into the complex history of slavery and the law with this collection of primary sources.
Dred Scott Case
Follow the proceedings of the Dred Scott case with facsimiles and transcriptions of 85 legal documents.
Television News of the Civil Rights Era
View contemporary coverage of the Civil Rights Movement from two Roanoke, VA television stations.
Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project
Primary and secondary sources document the minority struggle for civil rights in Seattle’s history.
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
A variety of primary sources and background essays explore the 1911 fire, a hallmark tragedy of the industrial age.
Chicago Anarchists on Trial: Evidence from the Haymarket Affair, 1886-1887
The court proceedings surrounding the Haymarket Affair look at the event that led to the first “Red Scare” in America.
Territorial Kansas Online
Primary and secondary sources examine the growing divisions in Kansas and the nation prior to the Civil War.
Slavery in New York
Nine galleries explore the history of slavery in New York City.
Evolution of the Conservation Movement, 1850-1920
Documents the birth of the conservation movement through published works, manuscripts, images, and motion picture footage.
Century of Lawmaking: Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1873
Covers Congressional documents from the nation’s founding through early Reconstruction.
Kentuckiana Digital Library
Collects photographs, texts, and oral histories drawn from 15 Kentucky colleges, universities, libraries, and historical societies.
Colonial Connecticut Records, 1636-1776
Explore the 15-volume Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut, from April 1636 to October 1776.
Africans in America
Trace the history of Africans in America through Reconstruction, with 245 images, maps, and documents.
Teach Women's History Project
Provides teaching and reference materials on the women’s rights movement of the past 50 years.
Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600-2000
Offers 45 mini-monographs on U.S. women’s history, each organized around an analytical question concerning a social movement.
Tangled Roots
Primary sources point out cultural connections between the experiences of African and Irish Americans.
Marchand Archive
Memorializes Roland Marchand with more than 6,100 images, including more than 2,000 advertisements, and 48 lesson plans drawn from his collection.
Legacy Tobacco Documents Library
Houses more than 40 million pages from more than seven million tobacco industry documents.
CIA Electronic Reading Room
Digitally serves thousands of formerly secret documents in compliance with Freedom of Information Act requests.
Historical Thinking Matters
Presents four guided investigations—on the Spanish-American War, the Scopes Trial, Social Security, and Rosa Parks—designed to teach students to read primary sources and construct historical narratives.
Densho: The Japanese American Legacy Project
Explore this archive of over 110 video interviews on Japanese American incarceration during World War II.
1896: The Presidential Campaign
Follow the contentious election of 1896 with close to 100 political cartoons related to the presidential campaigns.
Freedmen's Bureau Online
Read about crimes committed in the former Confederate states between 1865 to 1868.
Virtual Jamestown
Experience firsthand accounts of Jamestown and colonial history, dating from 1570 through 1720.
Plymouth Colony Archive Project
Documents and analytical essays emphasize the social history of Plymouth Colony from 1620 to 1691.
Watergate Revisited
The Washington Post looks back at the Watergate scandal in this exhibit of primary sources.
Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties
Digitizes Indian Affairs, a seven-volume compendium of treaties, laws, and executive orders relating to U.S.-Indian affairs from 1778 to 1970.
Brown v. Board of Education
Examine segregation and desegregation through summaries and the court’s opinions for two major cases.
Civil Rights in Mississippi Digital Archive
150 oral history interviews and 16 collections of documents address the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi.
Ansel Adams's Photographs of Japanese-American Internment at Manzanar
Ansel Adams’s photographs preserve life at the Manzanar War Relocation Center during World War II.
Salem Witch Trials: Documentary Archive and Transcription Project
Examine the verbatim transcripts of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials.
Geography of Slavery in America
Provides transcriptions and images of more than 4,000 newspaper advertisements for runaway slaves and indentured servants between 1736 and 1803.
Our Documents
Presents 100 milestone documents in American history, from the Richard Henry Lee Resolution of June 7, 1776, to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Gifts of Speech: Women's Speeches from Around the World
More than 400 speeches by women—politicians, scientists, and celebrities.
Documents in Law, History, and Government
Houses more than 3,500 full-text documents addressing the legal, economic, and political history of the U.S.
Oyez: U.S. Supreme Court Multimedia
Showcases primary sources from more than 3,300 Supreme Court cases since 1955.