Digital Public Library of America
Search more than 4,500,000 primary sources from across the country from one website!
The History of Vaccines
Do you remember when everyone got chickenpox as a kid? Your students might not! Learn about how vaccination has changed lives.
Penn Museum Online Collections
Exploring the material culture of Native Americans in North and South America? Search this museum’s online collections for artifacts!
After Slavery
Does your textbook make Reconstruction sound simple? Explore the real pain and complexity of Reconstruction with primary sources focusing on the Carolinas.
Civil War in Art
Why did the painter frame Lincoln in greenery? Learn about interpretations of the Civil War through period and recent works of art.
Clio Visualizing History
This site offers a grab bag of digital history exhibits. Definitely worth perusal.
Japanese American National Museum Collections
Looking for ways to grow awareness of injustice of Japanese internment? This site likely has the perfect primary source for your needs.
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.
Creating the United States
Even the Founding Fathers wrote rough drafts! Interact with early versions of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights.
All Hands on Deck
Get classroom attention by using the “swashbuckling” history of the USS Constitution as a knowledge vehicle.
Witness and Response: September 11 Acquisitions at the Library of Congress
If you’re searching for 9/11 materials, this website offers easy access to materials across the Library of Congress’s collections.
Conrad W. Chapman: A Confederate Soldier's Paintings of the Defense of Charleston
Chapman spent more than 20 years painting Civil War Charleston after his stint in the Confederate Army.
Digital Resource Guide for the Labor Archives of Washington State
Making labor history access less of a chore.
Guampedia
Guam is often left out of discussions of U.S. history. Remedy the situation!
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.
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?
September 11, 2001, Documentary Project
Access children’s pictures and Italian oral histories regarding 9/11, among other sources.
9/11 Memorial
What does our choice of memorial design say about the U.S. today?
HERB: Social History for Every Classroom
Find a wide variety of classroom resources focused on social history, from classroom activities to primary sources.
Throughout the Ages
Looking for a primary source website created especially for elementary teachers?
Yale Digital Commons
A wheeled pull toy depicting Nixon with a crown? If you’re looking for a unique object to bring up in class, start with the digital commons.
New York Philharmonic Digital Archives
Sift through the music and entertainment of the past.
Shaping the Constitution
What role did Virginia play in defining the U.S. and upholding rights we now consider basic and essential?
Taking the Mystery out of Copyright
If you need a succinct copyright overview for your students, this is a place to start.
Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858
Compare Republican and Democrat accounts of the great debates.
Slavery in Canada
Slavery in Canada? Who were these people? What were their lives like?
HSI: Historical Scene Investigation
Ever wanted to be Sherlock Holmes? Look at history the way a detective looks into crime.
Children and Youth in History
Bring history home to young students with sources they can relate to—and prompt older students to think about the construction of concepts like “child” and “teenager.”
Laura Jernegan: Girl on a Whaleship
Make whaling, a rich part of New England history, relevant to young students with the diary of a six-year-old at sea.
Union or Secession: Virginians Decide
Trace Virginia’s route to secession in the Civil War with more than 200 primary sources.
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.
Indiana Historical Society Digital Image Collections
Indiana educators, looking for visual primary sources? Search more than 38,000 photographs from the 19th century to the present.
Wisconsin State Historical Society Online Collections
Wisconsin educators, search the online collections of the oldest American historical society for primary sources.
Milwaukee Art Museum Collections
Teaching Milwaukee state history, or looking to make a connection between art and social studies? Peruse more than 20,000 works of art in these online exhibitions.
Missouri Digital Heritage
Missouri teachers looking for primary sources, look no further. Explore this portal for resources from libraries, universities, archives, and heritage sites throughout the state.
Annie Oakley
Annie Oakley could shoot 6 holes in a playing card before it touched ground. Invite this sharpshooter into your classroom!
The Social Museum Collection at Harvard University
More than 6,000 images related to U.S. social conditions and institutions.
U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1994
More than 355,000 items produced by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, from 1817-1994.
Toolbox Library: Primary Resources in U.S. History and Literature
Eight “toolboxes” enable secondary teachers to enhance existing U.S. History units.
Savannah Images Project
A useful local history project which focuses on the history of Savannah and the Georgia coastline.
Thomas Jefferson Papers
The largest collection of original Jefferson documents in the world. Really, we’re serious.
Virginia Historical Society
View the Virginia Historical Society’s extensive collection of materials documenting Virginia history.
Famous American Trials: Salem Witchcraft Trials
An ideal website for researching basic information regarding the Salem Witch Trials.
Liberty! The American Revolution
The companion site to a PBS documentary, this website is a useful resource for scholars of the American Revolution.
African Americans in the Harmon Foundation Collection
A collection of 20 portraits by African American artists from the Harmon Foundation.
Wilbur and Orville Wright Papers
Read about Wilbur and Orville Wright’s triumphs and setbacks as they experienced them.
Spain, The United States, and The American Frontier: Historias Paralelas
If you need primary sources on the Spanish in North America, try this site.
Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition
What was said, written, and drawn about slavery? Gain a more complete image of the institution, its evil effects, and how it felt to be a slave.
Freedom: A History of Us
What exactly is freedom, and who possesses it?
Jacob Lawrence: Exploring Stories
Frame your lessons on the Great Migration with the life and works of Jacob Lawrence.
Arizona State Museum
Can’t get to Arizona? You can still see local Native American artifacts online.
Communism in Washington State--History and Memory Project
Communist Russia. Communist China. Communist Washington?
American Women's Dime Novel Project
What was the turn-of-the-century woman’s “beach read”?
Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia
Although painful to view, racist memorabilia reminds us of past mindsets and ethics.
Dox Thrash: An African American Master Printmaker Rediscovered
View depictions of African American life by artist Dox Thrash.
Thomas Eakins: American Realist
Discover one of America’s great realists, and see the Philadelphia of his day.
Harvesting the River
Explore river life—with a particular focus on food harvesting.
Worthington Memory, Online Scrapbook
Explore the history and development of a small town. The online scrapbook provides an uncanny lens into town life.
July 1942: United We Stand
See how the federal government promoted nationalism in a widespread media movement.
Black Wings: African American Pioneer Aviators
What was life like for the African American pilots of World War II?
Digital Archive of American Architecture
Explore U.S. architectural styles and ornamentation, or date the buildings in your town.
Meeting of Frontiers
How does the settling of the Siberian frontier compare to that of the U.S. West?
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Contemporary art highlights and reflects societal issues following World War II.
Picturing Hemingway: A Writer in His Time
You’ve read his words, but do you know who he was? Explore the man behind those epic stories.
History of American Education Web Project
Explore the history of education within the U.S, through writings and images.
Mark Twain: A Film Directed by Ken Burns
Enjoy an interactive experience depicting the life of Mark Twain.
George Washington: A National Treasure
What can you learn from the Lansdowne portrait of George Washington?
The Hartford Black History Project
Follow the formation of the African American community in the city of Hartford, CT
Thomas Jefferson Papers
What did Thomas Jefferson read?
Lift Every Voice: Music in American Life
What work can be accomplished through music?
The Commercial Closet
How have GLBT lifestyles been portrayed and used by the commercial media?
Remembering Herblock
View political cartoons by Herbert Block, father of the term, “McCarthyism.”
History Through Deaf Eyes
What has the U.S. deaf population experienced?
Historical Map and Chart Collection
Teaching exploration? Why not introduce your students to nautical charts?
Austin Treasures: Online Exhibits from the Austin History Center
Discover the depth of Austin, Texas’s urban history through 10 online exhibits containing images and essays.
Virginia Historical Inventory (VHI)
View Virginia’s antebellum architectural culture.
Labor Arts
What role has art had in the depiction and reality of U.S. labor?
Spy Letters of the American Revolution
Aside from Benedict Arnold, how much do you know about Revolutionary War spies?
Heading West and Touring West
View maps of the West, while simultaneously looking into the lives of traveling performers.
Keffer Collection of Sheet Music, ca. 1790-1895
What was popular music like in the 19th century?
Private Passions, Public Legacy: Paul Mellon's Personal Library
Enjoy this sneak peek at the Mellon Collection of Virginia history.
William Gedney Photographs and Writings
See American life through Gedney’s eyes and European and Indian life through American eyes.
Pictures of the American City
See the U.S. grow before your eyes with this collection depicting two centuries of urbanization.
A Maritime Perspective on American Expansion, 1820-1890
We all know the role of the wagon in westward expansion, but what of ships?
Hall of Black Achievement Gallery
Meet 30 influential African Americans who contributed across a wide variety of fields.
A Brush With History: Paintings from the National Portrait Gallery
Compare changing artistic styles, or source images of famous individuals.
Civics Online
Gain inspiration for new ways to approach political history.
Florida Heritage Collection
Explore Florida state, regional, and local history.
Eye of the Storm
See the Civil War as it happened in Union soldier Knox Sneden’s watercolors.
Web de Anza
Check out this site to see “how the West was won.”
Gold Rush!
Bring yourself up to speed on the Gold Rush, including the minorities involved.
Drawing the Western Frontier: The James E. Taylor Album
How did newspaper illustration shape stereotypes (and our understanding) of the “Wild West”?
Presidential Elections
How has campaigning changed over the years? Need to know details on major campaign issues?
Little Cowpuncher: Rural School Newspaper of Southern Arizona
If you were a pioneer, what would you have to say about your schooling? Students take up their pens and invoke their democratic freedom of the press.
Across the Generations: Exploring U.S. History through Family Papers
Experience Caucasian, middle-class Northeastern life through the collections of four families.
National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
More than 50 virtual exhibits ranging from Julia Child to West Point.
The Star-Spangled Banner
What does the flag mean in the terms of forging a cohesive U.S. identity?
The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden
Unsure how to teach presidential history in an engaging manner? Try these activities and lessons.
Perfessor Bill Edwards Ragtime/Old-time Piano Gallery
Introduce yourself to ragtime music and the time which gave birth to it.
Samuel F. B. Morse Papers, 1793-1919
Explore the thoughts of Samuel F. Morse, artist and father of the electromagnetic telegraph.
Reston Collection Images
Explore the planned community of Reston, VA. Gain a better sense of the town that has become a burgeoning suburb.
Humor's Edge
Use modern political cartoons to introduce analysis of recent events.
With an Even Hand: Brown v. Board at Fifty
Examine the events which led to and the aftermath of Brown v. Board of Education.
The New Georgia Encyclopedia
Need a comprehensive site on Georgia history? Why, here you go!
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.
The United States and Brazil: Expanding Frontiers, Comparing Cultures
How are Brazil and the U.S. similar? How are they different?
Maine Memory Network
Explore the history of Maine, and create your own digital album.
Women of Valor
Meet international anarchist and women’s rights activist Emma Goldman.
New France, New Horizons: On French Soil in America
Explore French Louisiana, Canada, and the Great Lakes region.
Rediscovering George Washington
Take in the latest scholarship on the life of the first U.S. president.
The Story of Virginia
State standards require you to teach VA history? Worry not! This site covers Virginia history from prehistoric times to the present.
Freedom Bound: The Underground Railroad in Lycoming County, PA
How did the Underground Railroad work? Listen to an insider’s story.
Connecticut History Online
Take a look at the “Constitution State,” with approximately 14,000 images depicting Connecticut’s history from the 19th through the 20th century.
Bethlehem Digital History Project
Imagine life as a Moravian in Bethlehem, PA.
By Popular Demand: Portraits of the Presidents and First Ladies, 1789-Present
A collection of over 150 portraits of past US Presidents and their First Ladies.
H-Net: Humanities and Social Sciences OnLine
A great resource for scholars in any humanities discipline. It provides forums and keeps historians at the cusp of latest scholarship and ideas.
A New Deal for the Arts
View works from artists financed by the United States Government during the Great Depression.
Posters: American Style
Explore 20th century American poster art, from advertisements to patriotic propaganda.
Sullivan Clinton Campaign, 1779-2005
Explore the 1779 Sullivan-Clinton Campaign to destroy the Seneca, Cayuga, and Onondaga.
Alaska's Digital Archive
View images related to Alaskan statehood and Native Americans.
Brooklyn in the Civil War
What role did Brooklyn play in the War Between the States?
From Haven to Home: 350 Years of Jewish Life in America
Peruse this online exhibit on the history of Jewish life in the United States.
Lest We Forget: The Triumph Over Slavery
Explore slavery in America from nine thematic perspectives.
Rebellion: John Horse and the Black Seminoles
What role did runaway slaves and free African Americans play in the Second Seminole War?
Benjamin Franklin: In His Own Words
Get to know Benjamin Franklin through his own writings, cartoons, and letters.
Dolley Madison Project
Read the letters of Dolley Madison while learning about her life—from childhood to widowhood.
Vincentian Postcards
Explore 200 years of postcards which document the Vincentian religious order of educators and nurses.
A Portion of the People: Three Hundred Years of Southern Jewish Life
Explore Jewish heritage outside of the Mid-Atlantic or the Holocaust.
Seattle Power and Water Supply Collection
Take a gander at Washington state hydroelectric engineering feats of the 1890s through 1950s.
Florida Folklife Collection
Explore the folk lore of Florida—from musical performances and art to occupational lore.
Ancient Architects of the Mississippi
How did the Moundbuilders create the massive earthworks for which they are known?
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.
McKinley Assassination Ink: A Documentary History
Explore the assassination of President McKinley and the social context thereof.
Gilmer Civil War Maps Collection
Explore the Civil War-era South through hand-drawn maps and renderings.
Getting the Message Out! National Political Campaign Materials, 1840-1860
What were common presidential campaign strategies between 1840 and 1860?
Manufacturers' Catalogs from the First Decade of American Automobiles
Curious about early cars? View more than 800 automobile manufacturer catalog images from 1909.
Madison: Celebrating 150 Years
Learn about Madison, WI, from early settlement through its time as the “queen of bootleggers.”
The Lincoln Institute
Explore Lincoln’s presidency; and access related classroom resources, including lesson plans.
Travel, Tourism, and Urban Growth in Greater Miami: A Digital Archive
Interested in the history of tourism? This site examines the topic within Miami, FL.
Maryland Digital Cultural Heritage
Explore the history of Maryland, from Edgar Allen Poe to the War of 1812.
American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning
Looking for a new way to teach history? Peruse new media and educational resources.
Connecticut Historical Society
Explore the political and sociocultural history of Connecticut.
Monticello: The Home of Thomas Jefferson
Have you ever wondered how Thomas Jefferson spent his days?
New York Public Library Picture Collection Online
Support visual learners with a selection of more than 30,000 historical images.
George Catlin and His Indian Gallery
Explore the meeting of the Plains Indians and Anglo Americans through the fine arts.
Indian Peoples of the Northern Great Plains
Artifacts preserve the lifestyles of current and former American Indian tribes of the Northern Great Plains, 1870-1954.
Centennial Exhibition, Philadelphia 1876
Primary sources from Philadelphia’s 1876 Centennial Exhibition provide a view of the U.S.’s industrial development.
Time Archive, 1923 to Present
From its March 23, 1923 first edition to the present, Time presents a searchable database of cover art.
Profiles in Science
Explore the profiles of 26 scientists, physicians, and experts in biomedical research and public health.
Dime Novels and Penny Dreadfuls
Cover art and full texts from dime novels preserve the popular culture of an industrializing U.S.
Nineteenth-century California Sheet Music
Scanned images from more than 2,700 pieces of sheet music provide insight into life in 1852–1900 California.
Civil War Treasures from the New York Historical Society
This site houses more than 1,500 Civil War items, including letters, photographs, sketches, and posters.
Alcohol, Temperance, and Prohibition
More than 1,800 primary sources provide a window into the Temperance Movement and Prohibition.
The Tax History Project
Follows the history of American taxation through a collection of primary and secondary sources.
Rivers, Edens, Empires: Lewis and Clark and the Revealing of America
180 documents and artifacts interpret 19th-century westward exploration and the concept of Manifest Destiny.
Primary Documents in American History
The Library of Congress presents 35 of the most important documents from early American history.
Ohio Memory: An Online Scrapbook of Ohio History
A wealth of primary materials document Ohio life, culture, and history from prehistoric times to the recent past.
In Motion: The African-American Migration Experience
Secondary and primary sources describe 13 African American migration experiences.
Images of Native Americans
Illustrations follow European interpretations of Native Americans, through images from popular culture, literary and political observations, and artistic representations.
France in America
In French and English, explore the history of the French in North America from the 1500s through the 1800s.
Built in America: Historic American Buildings Survey and Engineering
Government organizations document historic sites in drawings, photographs, and text.
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.
Digital Archive Collections at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa Library
Covering topics ranging from the annexation of Hawaii to World War II, 29 collections document the history of Hawaii and Micronesia.
Clash of Cultures in the 1910s and 1920s
Supported by images and documents, this essay explores the culture wars of the 1910s and 1920s.
Anti-Saloon League, 1893-1933
Printed materials preserve the public campaigns of the Anti-Saloon League from 1893 to 1933.
Touring Turn-of-the-Century America
This database of images literally offers snapshots of late 19th to early 20th century America.
Slavery in New York
Nine galleries explore the history of slavery in New York City.
Mexican-American War and the Media
More than 5,500 transcribed newspaper articles related to the Mexican-American War.
First American West: The Ohio River Valley, 1750-1820
Explore sources from the mid-18th-to-early-19th-century European migration into the Ohio River Valley.
Evolution of the Conservation Movement, 1850-1920
Documents the birth of the conservation movement through published works, manuscripts, images, and motion picture footage.
Readex Digital Collections
This site offers a cornucopia of documents spanning four centuries of American history.
New York Public Library Digital Gallery
Presents more than 550,000 images relevant to both U.S. and world history, from the earliest days of print culture to the present.
Naval History and Heritage Command
Teach U.S. Navy history using photographs, paintings, documents, oral histories, historical overviews, and more.
Lakota Winter Counts
Displays, explains, and interprets the Lakota pictorial histories known as winter counts.
Cultural Readings: Colonization and Print in the Americas
Examine texts about the Americas produced in Europe from the 15th to 19th centuries.
American Journeys
Firsthand accounts of exploration range from Viking stories to early 19th-century trappers’ journals.
Africans in America
Trace the history of Africans in America through Reconstruction, with 245 images, maps, and documents.
Digital History
Multimedia resources for teaching slavery, private life, technology, and film.
Picturing America
Presents 27 iconic works of art as examples for the use of art and primary sources in history classrooms.
Digital Vaults
Presents over 1,200 of the items in the National Archives and Records Administration’s collection.
Nineteenth-Century American Children and What They Read
Examines 19th-century children in America: what they read, what was written about them, and what was written for them.
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.
Selling the Computer Revolution: Marketing Brochures in the Collection
Presents more than 250 computer marketing brochures from 1948 to 1988.
Posters from the WPA, 1936-1943
Showcases more than 900 Work Projects Administration (WPA) posters produced as part of the New Deal.
Disability History Museum
Explore the experiences of those with disabilities through documents and images dating from the 18th century to the present.
First World War: The War to End All Wars
Provides an overview of World War I through essays, diaries, posters, audio files, and other primary and secondary sources.
Chinese in California, 1850-1925
Browse more than 8,000 objects related to Chinese immigrant life in California.
The Wizard of Oz: An American Fairy Tale
We’re off to see the wizard! Discover the cultural impact of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Kate and Sue McBeth, Missionary Teachers to the Nez Perce
Presents the letters and diaries of Kate and Sue McBeth, late 19th-century missionaries and teachers among the Nez Perce Indians.
Uncle Tom's Cabin and American Culture
Explore Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin as the American cultural phenomenon it was.
Mark Twain in His Times
Focuses on Mark Twain’s life and career, including creation of his popular image, marketing and promotion of his texts, and live performances.
Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music
Scanned images of more than 18,000 pieces of sheet music, including covers, published prior to 1923.
Great Chicago Fire and the Web of Memory
Commemorates the 1871 Great Chicago Fire with an array of primary sources.
California as I Saw It: First-Person Narratives of California, 1849-1900
40,000 written pages and more than 3,000 illustrations provide accounts of California history from the Gold Rush to the end of the 19th century.
Trails to Utah and the Pacific: Diaries and Letters, 1846-1869
Get up close-and-personal with western migrants. Explore personal accounts of westward treks from the perspective of 45 men and four women.
The Kraus Collection of Sir Francis Drake
Peruse 60 primary and secondary materials concerning the voyages of Sir Francis Drake.
Religion and the Founding of the American Republic
Explore the significance of religion in early American history and its influence on republican institutions.
Raid on Deerfield: The Many Stories of 1704
Documents the 1704 raid on Deerfield, MA, by 300 French and their Native American allies.
Online Archive of California
Explore California from Japanese American internment or the Free Speech Movement to oral histories.
Jews in America: Our Story
Explores the history of Jews in America from the 17th century to the present through essays, images, video presentations, and interactive timelines.
Digital Library of Georgia
Examines the history and culture of the state of Georgia, presenting an extensive range of primary sources.
Alexander Street Press
Databases of digitized firsthand accounts and literary works document periods in American history, the experiences of minorities, and other topics.
September 11 Digital Archive
Records the user-contributed histories of people affected by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
National Park Service: Links to the Past
Roughly 200 National Park Service locations preserve locations designated important to U.S. history and prehistory; explore their resources online here.
Museum of the City of San Francisco
Peruse 11 exhibits, from the Gold Rush of 1849 to Japanese American internment during WWII.
American Memory: Historical Collections for the National Digital Library
The Library of Congress offers an archive of more than 9 million primary sources dating from 1490 to the present.
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Website
The Holocaust must be remembered. This site will give your students a closer look at the atrocities of this genocide.
The Stars and Stripes, 1918-1919
Peruse every edition of the “official newspaper” of the U.S. Army fighting forces during World War I.
The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire
Exhibit and archive featuring an extensive collection of primary source material on the 1906 natural disaster and the fire that followed.
HarpWeek: Explore History
With illustrations, articles, editorials, and overviews, 22 exhibits cover a variety of subjects dealing with 19th-century American history.
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.
Salem Witch Trials: Documentary Archive and Transcription Project
Examine the verbatim transcripts of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials.
Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Presents the complete text of the Nebraska edition of the Lewis and Clark journals, along with supplementary secondary sources.
Do History: Martha Ballard's Diary Online
Explore the diary of midwife Martha Ballard and the creation of two modern historical studies based on the diary.
Atlantic Slave Trade and Slave Life in the Americas: A Visual Record
Showcases more than 1,230 images depicting the enslavement of Africans, the Atlantic Slave Trade, and slave life in the New World.
Archive of Early American Images
Collects more than 4,000 images from books created in Europe between 1492 and 1825.