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.
Digital Public Library of America
Search more than 4,500,000 primary sources from across the country from one website!
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!
After Slavery
Does your textbook make Reconstruction sound simple? Explore the real pain and complexity of Reconstruction with primary sources focusing on the Carolinas.
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.
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.
Pearl Harbor Attack Map
What did U.S. sailors mean when they refer to seeing “the meatball”? What did Japanese pilots think about the attack?
IWitness
View testimonies on the Holocaust, create videos, and learn the importance of ethical editing.
Memoirs v. Tapes: President Nixon and the December Bombings
Was Nixon as reluctant to initiate the Christmas bombing as his memoirs suggest, or was he as eager as he claimed Kissinger to be?
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.
Digital Resource Guide for the Labor Archives of Washington State
Making labor history access less of a chore.
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.
Shays' Rebellion and the Making of a Nation
Engage your students in historical thinking with this interactive site on the rebellion led by Daniel Shays.
Here is New York
View photographs taken by everyday people as they came to terms with the 9/11 attacks, or watch oral histories.
September 11, 2001, Documentary Project
Access children’s pictures and Italian oral histories regarding 9/11, among other sources.
D-Day
Did you know that the gear a paratrooper had to carry could weigh as much as 120 pounds?
Joe Hill
Union strikes. Murder. Itinerant songwriting. The life of martyr Joe Hill could hardly have been more dramatic or mysterious.
Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project
What role have women played in war and the military?
HERB: Social History for Every Classroom
Find a wide variety of classroom resources focused on social history, from classroom activities to primary sources.
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.
Throughout the Ages
Looking for a primary source website created especially for elementary teachers?
Diary of a Civil War Nurse
What was life like for Amanda Akin, Civil War nurse in Washington, DC?
Shaping the Constitution
What role did Virginia play in defining the U.S. and upholding rights we now consider basic and essential?
William Steinway Diary, 1861-1896
Daily life in 19th-century New York City, music history, and Civil War commentary all in one place.
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.
Center on Congress
What is Congress? Why should anyone care?
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.
Mass Moments
MA educators—explore a historical moment (and accompanying primary source) for every day of the year.
The Deadly Virus: The Influenza Epidemic of 1918
Influenza scares can be deadly—check out 16 documents and images from the 1918 flu epidemic.
Lincoln Archives Digital Project
Surf an animated timeline of Abraham Lincoln’s life and times.
Wisconsin State Historical Society Online Collections
Wisconsin educators, search the online collections of the oldest American historical society for primary sources.
University of Wyoming Digital Collections
Wyoming educators, explore more than 10,000 primary sources on Wyoming’s 19th- and 20th-century history.
Ulysses S. Grant Digital Archive
Deepen your coverage of the late 19th century with the letters of Ulysses S. Grant, war-hero-turned-president.
Tennessee 4 Me
Three years in the making, this project of the Tennessee State Museum outlines TN state history from pre-history to the present.
Bubbles, Panics, and Crashes: A Century of Financial Crises, 1830s-1930s
Do your students think the Great Depression was the only previous slump in the U.S. economy?
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.
Curating the City: Wilshire Blvd
California educators, lead your students on an interactive journey down Los Angeles’s historic Wilshire Boulevard!
The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library eLibrary
More than 5,700 documents related to Woodrow Wilson’s life and presidency.
Land of (Unequal) Opportunity
460 documents and images on civil rights in Arkansas, from before, during, and after the civil rights movement.
Famous American Trials: "The Scottsboro Boys" Trials 1931-1937
Explore the infamous Scottboro case through a variety of primary source documents and images.
Bisbee Deportation of 1917
Learn about labor history through the infamous Bisbee Deportation.
The Leonard Bernstein Collection, ca.1920-1989
An extensive collection of primary resources concerning renowned composer Leonard Bernstein.
Museum of the City of San Francisco: The Great 1906 Earthquake and Fire
Learn about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, how it destroyed the city, and how the city was subsequently rebuilt by its inhabitants.
Thomas Jefferson Papers
The largest collection of original Jefferson documents in the world. Really, we’re serious.
Mr. Lincoln's Virtual Library
A keyword-searchable archive containing over 2,000 of Abraham Lincoln’s papers.
Marian Anderson: A Life in Song
Travel through the life and works of Marion Anderson with this online exhibit.
Impeachment Trial of Andrew Johnson
Learn about Andrew Johnson’s impeachment through contemporary accounts and resources.
Virginia Historical Society
View the Virginia Historical Society’s extensive collection of materials documenting Virginia history.
Jefferson's Blood
Learn about Jefferson’s forgotten descendants, children of his slave mistress.
The Papers of George Washington
An excellent introduction to the papers of George Washington, including personal correspondence and maps.
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum
Visit the Gerald Ford Presidential Library for a wealth of resources regarding Ford’s presidency.
Wet With Blood: The Investigation of Mary Todd Lincoln's Cloak
Explore the archives of the Chicago Historical Society to learn about Lincoln’s assassination through objects.
The Vietnam War Declassification Project
An extensive collection of primary documents pertaining to the American withdrawal from Vietnam.
U.S. Senate Historical Office
How much do you know about the history of the American Senate? Click here for background information on this component of our legislative branch.
Material History of American Religion Project
Learn about American material culture and its relation to the nation’s religious 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.
Mount Vernon
Take a virtual tour of George Washington’s famous estate, Mt. Vernon.
Hagley Digital Archives
Focused on business history, this gateway site connects businesses to greater cultural and social trends.
Carrie Chapman Catt Girlhood Home and Museum
A useful gateway site for materials on Carrie Chapman Catt and the women’s suffrage movement.
Jewish American History on the Web
An impressive website for the study of Jews and Judaism in the United States.
The Last Days of a President: Films of McKinley, 1901
Learn about the 1901 assassination of President William McKinley at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, NY.
Hispano Music and Culture from the Northern Rio Grande
Learn about Hispanic culture with the Juan B. Rael collection of upper Rio Grande folk music.
The Aaron Copland Collection, ca. 1900-1990
An extensive collection of primary and secondary resources detailing the life of composer Aaron Copeland.
Tending the Commons: Folklife and Landscape in Southern West Virginia
Learn about life in the Big Coal River Valley in West Virginia.
Vietnam Online
A companion site to a PBS series, this website contains a wealth of resources relating to Vietnam.
The Whole World Was Watching: An Oral History of 1968
An oral history of 1968, as told by a variety of Rhode Island residents, focusing on Civil Rights and Vietnam.
Today in History
A daily exhibit which showcases a particular event in American History each day.
The Challenge of Democracy: LBJ in the Oval Office: Johnson's Vietnam Anguish
Listen to four telephone conversations recorded by Lyndon B. Johnson related to the Vietnam War.
Oregon Trail
A companion site to a PBS documentary, this website hosts a wealth of information on the Oregon Trail.
John Brown and the Valley of the Shadow
A comprehensive collection of primary source materials which cover the infamous Harper’s Ferry raid.
Through Our Parent's Eyes: Tucson's Diverse Community
Learn about the ethnically diverse history of Tucson, AZ.
U.S. Women's History Workshop
A collection of primary source material for teaching women’s history and mid-19th century culture.
Promise of Gold Mountain: Tucson's Chinese Heritage
A collection of primary sources detailing early Asian-Americans in Tucson, Arizona.
Florida Folklife from the WPA Collections, 1937-1942
Explore the history of Florida folklife and culture.
Fiddle Tunes of the Old Frontier: The Henry Reed Collection
Learn about the 20th century resurgence of fiddle music and Appalachian folk culture.
Liberty Rhetoric and 19th-Century American Women
Compare early women’s rights campaigns to the rhetoric of the American Revolution.
American Notes: Travels in America, 1750-1920
What impressions did the average citizen or foreigner form of early America and its people?
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.
The Perilous Fight: America's World War II in Color
Explore World War II’s color film footage.
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.
Fats Waller Forever Digital Exhibit
Meet legendary jazz pianist Fats Waller. Be at the forefront of musical history.
The Official Leonard Bernstein Site
Explore the life of a major classical conductor.
Knowing Poe
Introduce your students to one of America’s great masters of horror.
Forests, Fields, and the Falls
How did the lumber, flour, sawmill, and farming industries shape Minnesota’s future?
University of Missouri-Columbia: Digital Library Collections
A hodge podge of history: England, Missouri, and the greater U.S.
North Carolinians and the Great War
How did World War I effect the lives of the everyday North Carolinian?
Linus Pauling and the Race for DNA: A Documentary History
Meet Linus Pauling, from his Nobel prizes to his “dirty laundry.”
Emile Berliner and the Birth of the Recording Industry
Listen to the recordings of the creator of the microphone and gramophone player.
Black Wings: African American Pioneer Aviators
What was life like for the African American pilots of World War II?
The Joshua Lederberg Papers
What contributions has bacterial geneticist Joshua Lederberg made to science and healthcare?
Mark Twain: A Film Directed by Ken Burns
Enjoy an interactive experience depicting the life of Mark Twain.
Linus Pauling Research Notebooks
What goes through the mind of a Nobel-prize winning chemist?
AMDOCS: Documents for the Study of American History
One convenient source for major historical U.S. documents.
Washington During the Civil War: The Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft, 1861-1865
What did patent examiner Taft have to say on the Civil War homefront?
Woody Guthrie and the Archive of American Folk Song: 1940-1950
How did the national government strive to preserve vernacular music?
Brooklyn's Eighteenth-Century Lott House
Conduct your own “virtual dig” of a Dutch farmhouse.
Korea + 50: No Longer Forgotten
Explore one of the country’s least discussed major military conflicts, the Korean War.
American Originals Part II
Introduce students to 25 documents selected by the National Archives for their historical importance.
Virginia Historical Inventory (VHI)
View Virginia’s antebellum architectural culture.
The Irving Fine Collection, Ca. 1914-1962
Experience the life and works of lesser known American classical composer Irving Fine.
The Capital and the Bay, ca. 1600-1925
What picture have people painted of the Washington, D.C. in written works?
Surveyors of the West: William Henry Jackson and Robert Brewster Stanton
Follow the journey of two men through the western United States.
Spy Letters of the American Revolution
Aside from Benedict Arnold, how much do you know about Revolutionary War spies?
Agents of Social Change: 20th-Century Women's Activism
Source documents to help you approach 20th-century feminism.
Civil War Letters of the Christie Family
What would your life be like as a Union soldier? What did it say about your personal values?
American Civil War Manuscript Guides
Through these writings, you can see how soldiers saw themselves as actors in Civil War battles.
Free Speech Movement: Student Protest, U.C. Berkeley, 1964-65
Explore primary documents concerning the Berkeley Free Speech Movement.
Private Passions, Public Legacy: Paul Mellon's Personal Library
Enjoy this sneak peek at the Mellon Collection of Virginia history.
An American Family: The Beecher Tradition
Did you know that Harriet Beecher Stowe’s family was also involved in abolitionism?
William Gedney Photographs and Writings
See American life through Gedney’s eyes and European and Indian life through American eyes.
Jo Freeman.com
Explore women’s political history and activism from the 1960s onward.
A Maritime Perspective on American Expansion, 1820-1890
We all know the role of the wagon in westward expansion, but what of ships?
A Southern Mill Village: History of Old West Durham
Follow the development of a mill town from its birth to its current status.
Papers of John Jay
Read the correspondence of lesser known founding father John Jay.
Korean American Digital Archive
Meet singer Florence Ahn, minister Soon Hyun, and others.
Camping With the Sioux—Fieldwork Diary of Alice Cunningham Fletcher
What would it be like to live with the Dakota Sioux?
Pioneering the Upper Midwest: Rare Books c. 1820-1910
Explore Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin life through rare books.
Puerto Rico at the Dawn of the Modern Age
Have you ever wondered about the international politics of Puerto Rico?
Presidential Elections and the Electoral College
Look to the Library of Congress for your election and electoral congress needs.
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.
New Perspectives on the West
Peruse lesson plans about the West on this companion site to a Ken Burns documentary.
Web de Anza
Check out this site to see “how the West was won.”
The American Experience
Discover briefs on more than 60 iconic points in U.S. history.
Across the Generations: Exploring U.S. History through Family Papers
Experience Caucasian, middle-class Northeastern life through the collections of four families.
Belgian-American Research Collection
What would your life have been like as a Belgian immigrant in Wisconsin?
The Barbara McClintock Papers
Meet Barbara McClintock, Nobel Prize-winning geneticist best known for discovering genetic transposition.
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.
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.
Alexander Hamilton: The Man Who Made Modern America
How much do you know about the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury?
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 Pill
How has the birth control pill altered sexuality and feminine gender expectations?
Women Working, 1800-1930
What did women think of their work at home, in the arts, and in business?
A Civil War Soldier in the Wild Cat Regiment
Follow Capt. Reynold’s life, from childhood photos to his stint as a Union soldier.
The Vietnam Project
A highly comprehensive look at the Vietnam War.
The United States and Brazil: Expanding Frontiers, Comparing Cultures
How are Brazil and the U.S. similar? How are they different?
Women of Valor
Meet international anarchist and women’s rights activist Emma Goldman.
TUPPERWARE!
Have you ever heard of a Tupperware party? Find out more about the household brand.
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.
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.
A Curriculum of United States Labor History for Teachers
Learn about labor politics and economics throughout American history.
Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery
Visit the companion site to the Ken Burns documentary which chronicles the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Investigating the Vietnam War
A good starting point for student research regarding the Vietnam War and its aftermath.
Pluralism and Unity
Explore the clash of ideas and ideologies in early 20th century America.
Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture
Learn about the history of the United States up to 1815 with this website dedicated exclusively to early American history.
NativeWeb: Resources for Indigneous Cultures Around the World
A unique website designed to foster communication regarding all of the planet’s native peoples.
Center for the Study of the American South
An interesting collection of cultural resources pertaining to the American South.
The Internet African-American History Challenge
A great website for introducing African American history to young or new students.
Seneca Village
One of the few resources dedicated to Seneca Village and the creation of Central Park.
American Treasures of the Library of Congress
A collection of special documents and artifacts held within the Library of Congress.
Women's History: The 1850 Worcester Convention
Learn about the First National Women’s Rights Convention and the greater women’s rights movement.
Regarding Vietnam: Stories Since the War
A valuable site filled with firsthand discussion on the conduct and effect of the Vietnam War.
At Home in the Heartland
Learn about family life and social history in the northern Midwest.
Chickasaw Historical Research Page
Learn about the Chickasaw Indians, originally from the American South, with this website.
Voices from the Gaps: Women Writers and Artists of Color
Learn about all of America’s most famous female writers of color with this comprehensive website.
Third Person, First Person: Slave Voices
Explore American slavery through this website’s 33 primary source documents.
Freedmen and Southern Society Project
Follow the emancipation process through the eyes of its participants.
Excerpts from Slave Narratives
The 46 first-person accounts on this website effectively chronicle slavery in the United States.
Words and Deeds in American History
View primary documents that helped to shape America’s history.
New Deal Stage: Selections from the Federal Theatre Project, 1935-1939
Learn about the New Deal through the Federal Theatre Project, designed to employ actors during the Great Depression.
Center for Working-Class Studies
Begin your study of working class and labor history with this website.
Emma Spaulding Bryant Letters
Explore husband-wife relationships through this late 19th century series of letters.
African American Women
Read the memoirs and letters of three 19th-century African American women on this website.
George Percival Scriven: An American in Bohol, The Philippines, 1899-1901
Witness the U.S. Army’s occupation of Bohol through the eyes of officer George Percival Scriven.
Documents from the Women's Liberation Movement
Explore over 50 documents which chronicle the history of the Women’s Liberation Movement.
First-Person Narratives of the American South, 1860-1920
Learn about the American south in the late 19th century through 141 firsthand texts.
A People at War
A collection of primary sources detailing the American war effort in World War II.
When Nixon Met Elvis
Learn about Elvis’ bizarre visit with Richard Nixon through this collection of primary sources.
Thomas Jefferson on Politics and Government
Learn about Jefferson’s political views through this collection of quotations from his writings.
American Originals
Explore 14 significant and compelling documents from the National Archive Holdings.
Sixties Project & Viet Nam Generation
Learn about the Vietnam anti-war movement through this website.
Hiroshima Peace Site
Learn about Hiroshima and the history of nuclear warfare and non-proliferation through this website.
A Cybrary of the Holocaust
Visit this website for a firsthand view into the horror of the holocaust.
Remembering Nagasaki
View rare photographs of Nagasaki which chronicle the destructive power of nuclear warfare.
Japanese-American Internment
Use this site as a gateway to primary sources and online resources detailing Japanese Internment
Women's Studies Database
Your starting point for research in the field of Women’s Studies.
Letters from an Iowa Soldier in the Civil War
Read a firsthand account of army life during the Civil War. See the battles from the perspective of someone who fought in them.
Images of Battle: Selected Civil War Letters
Relive major Civil War battles through the words of the soldiers who fought in them.
Godey's Lady's Book Online
Explore mid-19th century culture as presented in the Godey’s Lady’s Book, a women’s magazine.
People with a History: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans* History
Use this extensive resource as a starting point for all inquiries into homosexual and transgender history.
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Explore the history of baseball and the players who made the sport great.
Civil War Letters of Galutia York
Read about the Civil War from private Galutia York’s perspective.
Archiving Early America
Explore the early history of America with reproductions of important documents and newspapers.
National Women's History Project
Start your research into Women’s history with the National Women’s History Project.
Drafting the Documents of Independence
View documents relating to the drafting of the Declaration of Independence.
Civil War Women
Learn about the role of three American women during the Civil War.
American Slave Narratives
Read and listen to firsthand narratives on slave life during the 19th century.
Children in Urban America: A Digital Archive
Imagine what it might have been like growing up over 100 years ago.
New Jersery History Partnership Project
Use New Jersey during the American Revolution as a national microcosm.
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?
Adams Family Papers
You probably know about John Adam’s political career, but what of the Adams’ domestic life?
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.
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.
Anne Sullivan Macy: Miracle Worker
When teaching about Helen Keller, why leave out her friend and educator Anne Sullivan Macy?
Illinois Digital Archives
Primary sources on Illinois history with an emphasis on residential and commercial architecture.
Historic Pittsburgh
Acquaint yourself with Pittsburgh history through full texts, images, maps, census data, and lesson plans.
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.
New Jersey Public Records and Archives
Familiarize yourself with New Jersey history using images, maps, and official documents.
Illinois During the Gilded Age
Listen to, read, and sing sources from the Gilded Age canvassing women, religion, and more.
Turning Points in Wisconsin History
Primary documents, background information, and lesson plans for Wisconsin history.
Encyclopedia of Chicago, Historical Sources
Imagine your life in 19th and 20th-century Chicago with this extensive collection of images.
Minnesota Maps Online
Are you interested in cartography or the natural and social environment of early Minnesota?
Oxford African American Studies Center
Access more than 5,000 biographies, maps, and images relevant to African American history.
The Blues, Black Vaudeville, and the Silver Screen, 1912-1930s
How was the community support for and operation of Southern African American theaters?
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.”
American Broadsides and Ephemera, Series I, 1760-1900
Explore American life through advertisements, literature, poetry, Civil War envelopes, and more!
North American Women's Letters and Diaries: Colonial Times to 1950
Read the personal correspondence and diaries of women such as Phyllis Wheatley and Margaret Fuller.
Maryland Digital Cultural Heritage
Explore the history of Maryland, from Edgar Allen Poe to the War of 1812.
The Adoption History Project
Did you know that adoption was only recognized as a legal U.S. operation in 1851?
The African-American Mosaic
Let the Library of Congress introduce you to African-American history from colonization to the WPA.
Recovered Notebooks from the Thomas Harned Walt Whitman Collection
Experience personal accounts of Civil War hospitals and read poetry drafts in Walt Whitman’s journals.
The Sonic Memorial Project
Known for the 9/11 tragedy, the World Trade Center possesses a broader social history.
Fly Girls
Explore the experiences of World War II’s Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) at this companion website to the PBS American Experience documentary.
First Century of the First State University: The Creation of UNC
Primary sources document the history of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the first U.S. public university.
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.
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?
Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum
Through oral history interviews, audio files, texts, and other primary sources, learn about life and presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson.
CWIHP: Cold War International History Project
Covering 1945 through the late 1990s, sources from the former Communist bloc provide a different perspective on the Cold War.
Centennial Exhibition, Philadelphia 1876
Primary sources from Philadelphia’s 1876 Centennial Exhibition provide a view of the U.S.’s industrial development.
The History of Social Security
We all know what the Social Security Administration does, but do you know how it was formed?
Profiles in Science
Explore the profiles of 26 scientists, physicians, and experts in biomedical research and public health.
Performing Arts in America, 1875-1923
Browse primary sources reflecting the performing arts of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Alexander Graham Bell Family Papers
Alexander Graham Bell’s work and interests extended far beyond the invention of the telephone. Explore his papers here.
African-American Perspectives: Pamphlets from 1818-1907
Pamphlets and documents from 1875 to 1900 highlight African American leaders and organizations.
African American Women Writers of the 19th Century
Read the full text of 52 published works by black women writers from the late 18th to the early 20th century.
Willa Cather Archive
Read the annotated works of author Willa Cather (1873–1947), including O Pioneer! and My Antonia.
Voices from the Dust Bowl: 1940-1941
Great Depression documentation of migrant work camps in central California.
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.
Emma Goldman Papers
Learn more about Emma Goldman, radical and feminist activist, through this collection of primary and secondary sources.
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.
Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938
Read the accounts of former slaves in oral history interviews collected by the Federal Writers’ Project.
African-American Experience in Ohio: From the Ohio Historical Society
Take a look through more than 30,000 items relating to African American life in Ohio between 1850 and 1920.
Studs Terkel: Conversations with America
Meet Studs Terkel—oral historian, radio host, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author.
SCETI: Schoenberg Center for Electronic Text and Image
Search and browse a collection of resources covering topics ranging from the Civil War to the ENIAC computer.
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.
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.
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Designed for historians and educators, this site provides high-quality primary sources from American history.
France in America
In French and English, explore the history of the French in North America from the 1500s through the 1800s.
Truman Presidential Museum and Library
Government documents, oral histories, photographs, and political cartoons trace Harry S. Truman’s presidency.
Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project
Primary and secondary sources document the minority struggle for civil rights in Seattle’s history.
Martin Luther King Jr. Papers Project
More than 1,400 speeches, sermons, and other writings of Martin Luther King, mostly covering the period from 1929 to 1968
AIDS at 20
New York Times articles from 1981 to 2001 follow the development of the AIDS epidemic.
World War I Document Archive
Learn more about military, diplomatic, and political resources by browsing this archive of World War I documents and images.
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
A variety of primary sources and background essays explore the 1911 fire, a hallmark tragedy of the industrial age.
Marcus Garvey and Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers Project
Presents the life and work of black activist Marcus Garvey, leader of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA).
Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1940
Read the life histories of a range of U.S. citizens, compiled by the WPA’s Federal Writers’ Project.
Jewish Women's Archive
Learn more about American Jewish women’s contributions to their communities and the wider world with these exhibits and resources.
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.
Anti-Saloon League, 1893-1933
Printed materials preserve the public campaigns of the Anti-Saloon League from 1893 to 1933.
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.
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.
Envisaging the West: Thomas Jefferson and the Roots of Lewis and Clark
Follows Jefferson’s life, political participation, and accumulation of scientific geographical knowledge from 1735 to 1804.
Edgar Allan Poe
Annotated materials about Poe published during his lifetime.
Abraham Lincoln Papers
Approximately 20,000 documents provide a window into President Abraham Lincoln’s life.
USC Archival Research Center
With over 126,000 photographs, maps, and other documents, this site offers a comprehensive look at the history of Los Angeles and southern California.
Lakota Winter Counts
Displays, explains, and interprets the Lakota pictorial histories known as winter counts.
History Matters: The U.S. Survey Course on the Web
Provides links, primary sources, and eight modules for teachers and students in three main features: WWW.History, Many Pasts, and Making Sense of Evidence.
Documenting the American South
Nearly 1,400 documents covering Southern life from the 18th to early 20th centuries.
Core Historical Literature of Agriculture
Searchable facsimiles of 1,850 monographs and 288 journal volumes related to agriculture in the U.S. between 1806 and 1989.
Battle Lines: Letters from America's Wars
More than 30 letters cover conflicts from the Revolutionary War to the War of 1812 to war in Iraq.
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.
Rutgers Oral History Archives
Listen to oral history interviews with Americans who served overseas and on the home front during World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, and the Cold War.
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.
Diary, Correspondence, and Papers of Robert "King" Carter, 1701-1732
Offers letters and diary entries by Robert “King” Carter (1663–1732), wealthy Virginian landowner and public figure.
Flint Sit-Down Strike
Provides a multimedia introduction to “the greatest strike in American history.”
North American Slave Narratives, Beginnings to 1920
Explore all of the known published slave narratives, to better understand the experience of slavery and the culture that slaves created in the nation.
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.
Vietnam Center and Archive
Browse through a multitude of resources on Vietnam and the Vietnam War, including oral histories, video interviews, and primary source documents.
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.
Experiencing War: Stories from the Veterans History Project
Presents video and audio oral histories and additional material from American veterans of 20th-century wars.
Disability History Museum
Explore the experiences of those with disabilities through documents and images dating from the 18th century to the present.
The World of 1898: The Spanish-American War
A wonderful collection of chronologies, images, maps, and other materials on the Spanish-American War.
The John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip
Archives audio files of more than 700 folk tunes recorded in the South in 1939.
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.
Urban Experience in Chicago: Hull-House and Its Neighborhoods, 1889-1963
Peruse this collection of over 900 items relating to Chicago’s Hull House to discover its influence on 20th century urban development.
Thomas A. Edison Papers
A vast database of Thomas Edison’s papers, including correspondence, technical drawings, and clippings about the inventor.
Prairie Settlement: Nebraska Photographs and Family Letters
Nearly 3,500 images and approximately 318 letters illuminate life on the Great Plains from 1862 to 1912.
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.
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.
Virtual Jamestown
Experience firsthand accounts of Jamestown and colonial history, dating from 1570 through 1720.
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.
James Madison Papers
Explore James Madison’s life through his correspondence, personal notes, drafts of letters and legislation, and legal and financial documents.
George Washington Papers, 1741-1799
Presents the largest set of original Washington documents in the world.
Online Archive of California
Explore California from Japanese American internment or the Free Speech Movement to oral histories.
Digital Scriptorium
12 collections provide primary sources on ads, health and medicine, the Civil War, sheet music, and more.
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.
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 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.
Reclaiming the Everglades: South Florida's Natural History, 1884-1934
Contains 10,000 pages and images on Everglades reclamation efforts and the history of south Florida.
Civil Rights in Mississippi Digital Archive
150 oral history interviews and 16 collections of documents address the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi.
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.
Thomas Jefferson Digital Archive
Peruse more than 1,700 texts written by or to Thomas Jefferson—from correspondence to books and papers.
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.