Carnegie Libraries of California

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Library, San Francisco, Richmond Branch, Bliss and Faville, 1914
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Designed to document the many thousands of dollars Andrew Carnegie donated to establish public libraries in California, this site includes modern and contemporary photographs of each of the 144 libraries built between 1889 and 1923. San Diego was the first to receive a Carnegie grant, receiving $60,000 in 1889. Although many of the libraries have been demolished, this site includes photographs and short (250-word) descriptions of each. The date and amount of each grant is documented, as is the style of architecture and the architect. The site also features three essays: a 1,000-word history of the California library building boom; a 3,000-word analysis of the California Carnegie Libraries' different architectural styles; and a 2,000-word biography of Carnegie. Particular emphasis is paid to Carnegie's philanthropy, and the site points out that he donated money to 1,681 public libraries across the United States. The 144 library photographs are the only primary sources included on the site.

Carriers' Addresses

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Image, Introductory graphic, Carrier's Addresses
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Limited in scope, this site provides an introduction to the study of Carriers' Addresses, which were poems or broadsides read by American newsboys to their customers on New Years' Day. The carriers read the poems, which often emphasized the diligence and hard work of the newsboys, expecting to receive a tip from the customer.

The site includes a 2,500-word explanatory essay and a collection of more than 400 digitized addresses from 1772–1912. The site is searchable, and visitors may browse the collection alphabetically by subject, title, or creator. Each address indicates the name of the newspaper, the date, and the name of the newsboy if known.

Perry Visits Japan

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Woodcut, America Torai Okatame Ezu, 1853, Perry Visits Japan
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This website brings together two unique historical holdings with the work of students to highlight the cultural interaction between Japan and the U.S. in the 19th century. The first holding is a 12-panel painted Japanese scroll by an anonymous artist that illustrates U.S. Navy Commodore Matthew Perry's 1854 landing in Japan, the first official contact between the two countries and the beginning of Japan's emergence as a world power. The second holding is a set of six lithographs by William Heine, the official artist of the Perry expedition, that depicts an American view of the events of Perry's landing.

In addition, there are images of three Japanese broadsides about the visit, often accompanied by student essays interpreting the images, and excerpts from the official narrative and essays by accompanying officers—including two from Commodore Perry's accounts and one from Heine's account. Also included are a bibliography with seven books, one journal article, and three links to related websites. For teachers, there is a sample lesson plan (10th grade) using the website. A useful resource for anyone interested in Perry's visit to Japan or for those researching Japanese-American relations or cultural contact.

Korea + 50: No Longer Forgotten

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Photo, "A South Korean soldier comforts a wounded buddy" Department of Defense
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A collection of more than 200 official documents, nine oral histories, and more than 70 photographs pertaining to the pursuance of the Korean War by the administrations of Presidents Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Provides day-by-day access covering June 24-September 14, 1950—and more sporadic contributions during subsequent periods—to diplomatic and military documents and accounts by administration officials, including correspondence, speeches, memos, reports, and briefing papers. A special section covers the historic Wake Island meeting in October 1950 between Truman and General Douglas MacArthur, with excerpted documents, reminiscences by participants and observers, and photographs. Also includes an audio recording of Truman discussing the firing of MacArthur in 1951; an extensive "Korean War Teacher Activity" from a high school in Independence, MO, including assignments geared to official documents and oral histories; guides to archival materials in the Truman and Eisenhower presidential libraries; information on relevant exhibitions in the libraries; and links to five related sites. Valuable for students to learn to evaluate historical narratives composed of materials from diverse sources.

Brooklyn in the Civil War

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Photo, Private Charles Mitchell, Matthew Brady, c. 1862
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This website is focused on exploring and teaching the history of Brooklyn and Brooklyn's people during the Civil War through primary sources, essays, and instructional materials. More than 100 primary sources focus on Brooklyn's role in the Civil War, including letters, maps, newspaper articles, photographs, and illustrations. Additionally, the document collection can be explored through four thematic presentations on soldiers, women, slavery, and daily life. Each presentation features a short introduction and each document is accompanied by a brief description and links to related material.

Lesson plans, available as word or .pdf documents include 11 on soldiers, six on slavery, eight on women, and nine on daily life. There are also links to the Brooklyn Public Library's lists of books and related websites, resources for children, and resources for teenagers. An interactive map and timeline are also available. A useful resource for those teaching or researching Brooklyn, NY, or northern states during the Civil War.

Alcohol, Temperance, and Prohibition

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Image, "Who will pay the beer bill?,", American Issue Publishing Company
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This small, but useful, website offers a wide range of primary source material for researching the history of the prohibition movement, temperance, and alcoholism. The more than 1,800 items include broadsides, sheet music, pamphlets, and government publications related to the temperance movement and prohibition.

Materials come from the period leading up to prohibition, such as an 1830s broadside on the "Absent Father" as well as the prohibition era itself, such as a 1920 pamphlet entitled, "Alcohol Sides with Germ Enemies." They end with the passage of the 21st Amendment in 1933.

All digitized items are in the public domain. An essay, "Temperance and Prohibition Era Propaganda: A Study in Rhetoric" by Leah Rae Berk provides an overview of the topic and historical context.

Idea of America

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Photo, 2007 Powwow, Ken Rahaim, Smithsonian Institution, Flickr Commons
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The Idea of America invites student discussion concerning the historical and present day manifestations of ideals such as unity and diversity, equality and freedom, common wealth and private wealth, and law and ethics. Note that high school students and educators comprise the intended audience.

The website is divided into two major portions—Current Events and the Virtual Republic. Current Events offers more than 80 case studies, each of which includes an introduction, key questions (ex: "What makes the nation decide it is the right time to expand the promise of freedom and equality?"), questions connecting these broader key questions to the specific current event, and links to news columns and videos. Recently added topics include women in the military; the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell; and the line between hate speech and First Amendment rights protection.

The Virtual Republic is the place for debate. Here, students are encouraged to write and publish statements on their opinions, beginning with "We believe. . . " These statements can form the basis for debate or support among schools and student groups across the country. Participation requires free student and teacher registration. Students engage as active citizens, and essentially form a microcosm of the Great Debate which has existed throughout the history of the United States.

Research & Reference Gateway: History - North America

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Logo, Rutger's University Libraries
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This site furnishes hundreds of links to primary and secondary sources on North American history. An eclectic collection, it includes links to library catalogs throughout the world, archival collections, texts, journals, discussion lists, bibliographies, encyclopedias, maps, statistics, book reviews, biographies, curricula, and syllabi. Materials are arranged by subject, period, and document type. Try "History-North America" for the widest variety of vetted sources. Special resource collections include "America in the 1950s," "New Americans: American Immigration History," "The Newark Experience," "U.S. Business History," "U.S. Labor and Working Class History," and "Videos on the U.S. and American Studies."

Central High Crisis: Little Rock, 1957 Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 04/14/2008 - 11:31
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Image for Central High Crisis: Little Rock, 1957
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This collection of newspaper articles and photographs from two Arkansas newspapers explores the 1957 crisis in the city of Little Rock. National attention focused on the city when Governor Orval Faubus refused to allow nine African American students to desegregate the city's all-white Central High School, despite federal court rulings to the contrary. In response, President Dwight D. Eisenhower reluctantly became the first president since Reconstruction to send federal troops to protect the rights of African Americans.

Materials include news articles and editorials from each day of the month-long crisis, articles on the anniversaries from 1997 to 2000, and 16 photographs. In addition, material on the 40th anniversary of the crisis is provided: 19 op-ed pieces, speeches, an interview with President Clinton, timelines, and a 1991 defense by Faubus of his actions.

Edgar Allan Poe

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Image for Edgar Allan Poe
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Annotated versions of most of the material published by Poe during his lifetime (1809–1849) are presented on these two websites, including at least one example of all surviving poems and tales and in many cases multiple versions. Materials include selections of Poe's literary reviews and essays on a variety of subjects, including aesthetics, dreams, etiquette, and American literature. Also available are autobiographical writings, hundreds of letters, and miscellaneous documents, including a bill of sale for a slave. Bibliographies and an annotated chronology are available.