Rethinking the Revolution: Black Americans, Liberty, the Problem of a Single Narrative
The integral role of Black Americans to the Revolutionary War is often overlooked. Discover the fuller story here.
Piscataway Park and Tobacco Farming
In 1700s Maryland and Virginia, farmers lived and died by the quality of their tobacco. Teachers tour Maryland’s Piscataway Park, learning about farmers’ struggle against their environment to grow and cure the perfect crop.
Touring Monticello
Tour Monticello with TAH teachers and learn about the history behind Thomas Jefferson’s home.
Monticello: Jefferson's Experiment
TAH teachers get an introduction to Monticello as Thomas Jefferson’s ’laboratory.'
Reading Place with the National Building Museum
What does architecture say about the past and the present? TAH teachers learn strategies for close examination of buildings in Washington, DC.
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.
Open Parks Network
View over 1 million images from U.S. national parks and historic sites.
Children's Lives at Colonial London Town
Invite young students into colonial history with the stories of children from three very different families.
The Thomas Jefferson Building: Secret Messages
What messages are hidden in art and architecture? Explore the Library of Congress’s Jefferson Building in this online activity.
Sakura: Cherry Blossoms as Living Symbols of Friendship
Discover the rich history of DC’s cherry trees and what they reveal about U.S./Japan relations.
Probing Probate
How do we know what people in the past owned and valued?
Maryland Historical Society Collections Online
Whether you’re bolstering your teaching of local history or the War of 1812, the MHS has artifacts to help.
ExplorePAhistory
Explore this education- and tourism-centered website for lesson plans for teachers, as well as dozens of thematic topics in Pennsylvania history.
Frederick Douglass National Historic Site Virtual Museum Exhibit
What was life like in abolitionist Frederick Douglass’s home in Washington, DC? The NPS takes a look.
American Turning Point: The Civil War in Virginia
Meet Virginians from the 1860s, and learn about their lives.
1804 Inventory
What can an inventory tell you about daily life in Delaware in 1804? Curator Barbara Clark Smith asks this document four questions.
1853 Daguerreotype
What does an 1853 daguerreotype have to say? Plenty, says Frank Goodyear, particularly about tourist culture and the rise of railroads and photography.
e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia
There’s far more to West Virginia than stereotypes suggest. Why not take some time to explore the state?
Massive Resistance Political Cartoons
Watch J. Douglas Smith discuss the Massive Resistance policy enacted by U.S. Senator, Harry F. Byrd, Sr., in 1956.
John Smith Map
Watch Smithsonian curator Barbara Clark Smith discuss John Smith’s Map of Virginia published in London in 1612.
Elizabeth Schaefer on a New Approach to President Lincoln
Summer is the time for professional development! Eighth-grade teacher Elizabeth Schaefer reports on her professional development experiences at DC’s Lincoln’s Cottage.
Bland County History Archives
Looking for proof that students can handle extensive local history projects? You’ve found it.
Throughout the Ages
Looking for a primary source website created especially for elementary teachers?
Elizabeth Glynn's Student-Led Monuments and Memorials Tour
Let your students go out on a limb, and they might just exceed your expectations.
Roosevelt's Tree Army
The work of the Civilian Conservation Corps in central New York State.
The Art of Migration
What can artistic renderings tell us about the Great Migration?
The Ways West
How emigrants traveled from Pennsylvania to Illinois in 1830.
Targeting Content and English Language Objectives
Integrating English Language Development (ELD) standards and objectives into your lesson planning can strengthen both your students’ understanding of history and their language skill levels.
Why Should Teachers Use ELD Objectives?
Great Expectations for the Civil War
Many believed the Civil War would be a short, bloodless battle. The reality of the drawn out combat led many soldiers in the North and South to desert the military to return home to farm and family.
Burr-Hamilton Duel
Was it illegal? Was it dishonorable? Was it a duel or was it murder?
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.
Trade Routes and Emerging Colonial Economies
The direct and indirect impacts of various trade routes during the 16th through 19th centuries.
Breaking the Confederate Line at Antietam
Hour by hour account of how Union Generals moved on the battlefield at Sharpsburg.
The Cost of Industrialization
Use the Triangle Shirtwaist fire to examine the benefits and costs of industrialization.
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.
Lower East Side Tenement Museum
From 1863 to 1935, this tenement building housed working immigrant families. View photographs of their lives, and engage in interactive learning opportunities.
Conococheague
How do you pronounce (and spell) Conococheague and how do we know?
PhilaPlace
Pennsylvania educators, or teaching urban history? Explore two neighborhoods in Philadelphia using an interactive map and more than 1,240 primary sources.
Refugees from the American Revolutionary War
Neighbor against neighbor, brother against brother, father against son.
Forebears’ Furniture
How would a 1790 Pennsylvania farmhouse have been furnished?
Mundane Lives and Extreme Adventures
What were the primary concerns of English colonists in early 17th-century America?
Wisconsin Historical Society: Freedom's Journal
All 102 issues of the first African American newspaper conveniently presented in PDF format.
The Underground Railroad
Travel the Underground Railroad with this interactive website.
September 11, 2001: Attack on America
How does a nation react, legally and politically, to international terrorism?
Jacob Lawrence: Exploring Stories
Frame your lessons on the Great Migration with the life and works of Jacob Lawrence.
Streetscape and Townscape of Metropolitan New York City, 1860-1942
See uncommon photograph subjects for the turn-of-the-century, such as street peddlers.
Working in Paterson: Occupational Heritage in an Urban Setting
How does an industrial past shape current work and play? How does it affect what professions still exist in cities?
Encyclopedia Britannica: The 1911 Edition
Find out what people thought of everything from ablation to vinegar in 1911.
Student Voices from World War II and the McCarthy Era
Imagine traveling from a university to work on a farm.
Record of Officers and Men of New Jersey in the Civil War, 1861-1865
Search this Civil War roster for data on the service of New Jersey soldiers.
Historic USGS Maps of New England
Explore New England’s topography with more than 1,100 topographical maps, covering all of New England and parts of New York.
Characteristics of Census Tracts in Nine U.S. Cities, 1940-1960
How many hospital beds did New Orleans have in 1960? Was it able to accommodate the poor and sick?
Historical Map and Chart Collection
Teaching exploration? Why not introduce your students to nautical charts?
Brooklyn's Eighteenth-Century Lott House
Conduct your own “virtual dig” of a Dutch farmhouse.
We Shall Overcome: Historic Places of the Civil Rights Movement
Which locations, open for visitation, are most relevant to the civil rights movement?
Labor Arts
What role has art had in the depiction and reality of U.S. labor?
William Gedney Photographs and Writings
See American life through Gedney’s eyes and European and Indian life through American eyes.
Papers of John Jay
Read the correspondence of lesser known founding father John Jay.
The 3Cities Project
Examine the nexus of representation, modernity, and urban life.
Brooklyn Daily Eagle Online (1841-1902)
Explore the history of Brooklyn, 1841 through 1902, with historical newspaper issues.
Across the Generations: Exploring U.S. History through Family Papers
Experience Caucasian, middle-class Northeastern life through the collections of four families.
Access to Archival Databases
Delve into more than 85 million records related to U.S. history.
Pittsburgh City Photographer
See Pittsburgh, PA, the way it appeared as early as the 1890s.
Harrisburg's Old 8th Ward
Visit the businesses and meet the people of Harrisonburg, PA’s 8th Ward.
Alexander Hamilton: The Man Who Made Modern America
How much do you know about the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury?
A Civil War Soldier in the Wild Cat Regiment
Follow Capt. Reynold’s life, from childhood photos to his stint as a Union soldier.
Education by Design: Using Visual Aids
Seek inspiration from classroom visual aids of the past.
What Exit? New Jersey and Its Turnpike
Travel through history with the New Jersey Turnpike.
Freedom Bound: The Underground Railroad in Lycoming County, PA
How did the Underground Railroad work? Listen to an insider’s story.
Bethlehem Digital History Project
Imagine life as a Moravian in Bethlehem, PA.
Washington As It Was: Photographs by Theodor Horydczak, 1923-1959
Early 20th century Washington is captured in this collection of 14,350 photographs by Theodor Horydczak.
Architecture and Interior Design for America: 1935-1955
Explore early 20th century architecture and interior design with this expansive photo gallery.
The Lindbergh Case: The Trial of the Century
Relive media coverage of the famous Lindbergh Trial through this Hunterdon County Democrat database.
Archiving Early America
Explore the early history of America with reproductions of important documents and newspapers.
New Jersery History Partnership Project
Use New Jersey during the American Revolution as a national microcosm.
Brooklyn in the Civil War
What role did Brooklyn play in the War Between the States?
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers
What happened between 1880 and 1910 in the area where you live?
The History Box
Have a question about New York City or state history? More than 750 articles available.
Historic Pittsburgh
Acquaint yourself with Pittsburgh history through full texts, images, maps, census data, and lesson plans.
Folkstreams
View streaming videos on American folk culture from fox hunting to Zydeco.
Invincible Cities
Visual depictions of post-industrial urban decay in California and New Jersey.
New Jersey Public Records and Archives
Familiarize yourself with New Jersey history using images, maps, and official documents.
Documenting Our Past: The Teenie Harris Archive Project
View African American life in Pittsburgh between 1930 and 1970.
Harlem History
Explore the politics, neighborhoods, culture, and arts of Harlem.
Frank Lloyd Wright: Designs for an American Landscape 1922-1932
Check out five design schemes created by Frank Lloyd Wright, but never implemented.
Native American Constitution and Law Digitization Project
Tie civics into units involving Native American history using relevant full-text legal documents.
Unified Vision: The Architecture and Design of the Prairie School
View Prairie School works by famed architects and designers Wright, Sullivan, Elmslie, Purcell, and Maher.
The Dick Thornburgh Papers
Explore the positions and words of a former PA Governor and Attorney General.
Panoramic Maps, 1847-1929
Did you know that between 1840 and 1929 many maps were not drawn to scale?
The Sonic Memorial Project
Known for the 9/11 tragedy, the World Trade Center possesses a broader social history.
Teaching with Historic Places
Looking for new ideas on how to teach with the historic places in your community?
Which Native American Tribes Allied Themselves with the French?
Historians endeavor to uncover Native American perspectives.
Another Kind of American Idol
Explore the history of America’s most iconic image—the American flag. But remember: lip-syncing is not allowed!
Are There Instances of Raids Similar to the Boston Tea Party?
From South Carolina to Maine, colonists protested the Tea Act of 1773.
Who Earned a Medal for Cutting Costs by Starving Confederate Prisoners?
Almost two million dollars allocated to feed prisoners was returned to the U.S. Treasury.
National Register of Historic Places Travel Itineraries
Explore the historic sites in more than 50 cities and towns across the U.S.
Centennial Exhibition, Philadelphia 1876
Primary sources from Philadelphia’s 1876 Centennial Exhibition provide a view of the U.S.’s industrial development.
William P. Gottlieb: Photographs from the Golden Age of Jazz
Explore writer-photographer William P. Gottlieb photographs of 1938–1948 jazz culture.
Alexander Graham Bell Family Papers
Alexander Graham Bell’s work and interests extended far beyond the invention of the telephone. Explore his papers here.
Child Labor in America, 1908-1912: Photographs of Lewis W. Hine
Sixty-four photographs taken by Lewis W. Hine between 1908 and 1912 document child labor conditions.
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
A variety of primary sources and background essays explore the 1911 fire, a hallmark tragedy of the industrial age.
SIRIS Image Gallery
Access close to 140,000 images from the Smithsonian Institution.
Slavery in New York
Nine galleries explore the history of slavery in New York City.
Picturing America
Presents 27 iconic works of art as examples for the use of art and primary sources in history classrooms.
Using Maps as Primary Sources
A 4th-grade teacher shows strategies for encouraging and supporting student analysis of maps.
American Shores: Maps of the Middle Atlantic Region to 1850
Explore the mid-Atlantic region with more than 1,852 maps created before 1850.
Small-Town America: Images from the Robert Dennis Collection, 1850-1920
More than 12,000 stereoscopic photographs depict life in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut small towns and rural areas from 1850 to 1920.
American Family Immigration History Center
Records of more than 25 million passengers and crew who passed through Ellis Island 1892-1924.
Daguerreotype Portraits and Views, 1839-1864
Examples of early photographs preserve the likenesses of cities, famous figures, and other subjects.
September 11 Digital Archive
Records the user-contributed histories of people affected by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the American Civil War
Take a closer look at the Civil War with this extensive database that offers a comparison of two Shenandoah Valley counties—Augusta County, VA and Franklin County, PA.
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.
Accessible Archives
Presents articles from 18th- and 19th-century newspapers, magazines, and books, with a focus on the Mid-Atlantic region.