Textbooks often present a quick, uncomplicated overview of Reconstruction—a vast oversimplification of a time of social upheaval, tension, and violence. After Slavery: Race, Labor and Politics in the Post-Emancipation Carolinas, a joint project of Queen's University Belfast, the University of Memphis, and the University of London, provides primary sources that take a closer look at the time period.

Focusing on the themes of labor, race, and citizenship, After Slavery presents sources from North and South Carolina as examples of trends nationwide. A 2,500-word Introduction explores Reconstruction and the rationale for choosing the Carolinas as the project's focus. About the Project explains the structure and rationale behind the website's learning units.

The Learning Units form the heart of the site. Ten units cover topics including emancipation, mobilization, land and labor, black soldiers, conservative reactions, justice, gender, poverty and white supremacy, coercion and resistance, and the Republican Party. Each unit includes a 400-word introduction and six or more primary documents with three to eight discussion questions each. Units can be viewed online or downloaded as PDFs. An introductory essay explains the mission behind creation of the units, and Recommended Reading lists more than 80 books, 50 articles, and 15 primary sources.

As of December 7, 2012, other materials on the site are still content-light. Interactive Maps uses Google Maps to pinpoint only two events—the Hamburg Massacre and the Cainhoy Riot—with five to seven subevents included in each, as well as five-item lists of related sources.

Interactive Timelines includes three timelines with one-sentence descriptions on each item. Timelines look at general Reconstruction history as well as Reconstruction in North and South Carolina. Teacher Resources currently features links to more than 30 digital collections and exhibits, research tools, military records, audiovisual resources, and more. The section notes that lesson plans will be added in the future.

A valuable resource for teachers looking to complicate the textbook narrative on Reconstruction, and for teachers covering North or South Carolina history.

Memoirs v. Tapes consists primarily of a web-published essay on the Nixon White House Tapes from between October 1972 and February 1973. These tapes were released from the Nixon Library as recently as 2008 through 2010, making them quite new to the public. As a text-heavy resource, and in consideration of the complexity of the questions the content raises, it is likely best used with high school students.

The essay is divided into seven sections and an accompanying appendix. The key issue under discussion is the position of Nixon and Kissinger on the 1972 Christmas bombing of North Vietnam. Nixon's memoirs state that he only reluctantly agreed to Kissinger's eagerness to bomb North Vietnam. In contrast, Kissinger notes that while he was pro-bombing, Nixon generally agreed with him, rather than only coming to the decision at a point of supposed necessity. Most sections of the website are accompanied by audio clips of the actual decision-making conversations; maps; documents such as letters, address drafts, and cables; and video clips.

The Nixon Presidential Library and Museum recognizes that the audio clips can be difficult to understand. As a result, they have prepared a short list of tips to help listeners get the most from the sources. In addition, each audio clip has an accompanying log link. The log lists, in bullet form, the topics of conversation covered in the clip.

The conclusion offers a set of five questions to consider after having perused the site and its resources. The questions, such as "What role did the convening of a new Congress play in December 1972 decisions about ending the war?," are, as noted previously, likely most appropriate for high school classrooms. However, it is possible that they may also be of use in middle school, depending on the engagement and ability levels of students.

Finally, the appendix offers suggested readings, as well as additional documents, audio and video clips, and photographs which may be of interest.

The Civilian Public Service Story answers the question, "Did individuals conscripted for World War II who were strongly opposed to killing have to fight?" The answer, something rarely discussed, is no. In the words of the site's introductory page, "Civilian Public Service (CPS) was a program developed at the onset of WWII which provided those whose conscience forbade them to kill, the opportunity to do work of national importance under civilian direction rather than go to war. Nearly 12,000 men made this choice, and many women voluntarily joined the cause. They fought forest fires, worked in mental institutions, planted trees, did dairy testing and served as subjects for medical experiments in more than 150 camps scattered throughout the United States."

The section "The Story Begins" consists of a brief summary of the history of conscientious objection in the U.S., beginning with colonial times. You can also find an annotated bibliography, listing approximately 18 works. Note that these works, and this site in its entirety, are intended for adult users. However, this does not preclude the information from being useful for K–12 history education.

"The People" consists of a few statistics on the World War II CPS population as well as a database of the men and women of the CPS, reproduced with permission from the Center of Conscience and War. These records, searchable and alphabetized by last name, may include year of birth, community, religious denomination, CPS entrance and exit dates, spouse, camps and units, higher education, and pre- and post-CPS occupation. These records may be of the most use in a classroom setting, as they could spark local history or oral history projects. "The Camps" provides a similar feature. Consider looking into CPS camps that were in your area using the map application on the site.

American Turning Point is an online companion to a Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission exhibit examining the events and impact of the Civil War within the state of Virginia. The travel schedule may permit you to plan a field trip for your class to see the physical exhibit. If not, explore the website (or visit and use the website to reinforce the experience).

Characters gives faces to some of the people who lived through the war in Virginia, while Objects provides access to digital collections and curated items such as weapons, portraits, prints, military orders, and a pocket watch. Virginia Home Front divides the state into federal occupation, no-man's-land, Confederate Virginia, and the Confederate frontier. Each is mapped, and can be selected for additional information including personal accounts from the Civil War period.

Another section, Resources, is similarly worth exploring. The page offers links to lectures, websites, and articles on the Civil War and Civil War collections. The teacher resources largely consist of traveling trunks and outreach programming. Finally, if you're interested in the Confederate capital, consider listening to more than 10 one-minute history audio programs on Richmond.

Hope for America, an exhibition from the U.S. Library of Congress, focuses on the comedian Bob Hope and the marriage between humor, politics, and satire in the modern age. Various viewpoints are on display, which the site believes will allow visitors "...to draw their own conclusions regarding the interplay of politics and entertainment in American public life and its consequences for the nation’s political culture."

The site is divided into three basic themes: Political Humor, Causes and Controversies, and Blurring of the Lines. Each thematic section offers a basic overview, some poignant quotes, and links to items in the collection. A bibliography and list of events are also provided for further exploration in the top navigation menu.

It is worth noting that each of the three main thematic sections contain between seven to nine subsections. Users can choose to view the entire set of items in the three main sections, or by each subsection. In all, around 180 items are available for U.S. history teachers and students. Each item contains a brief description and most images can be viewed in larger sizes and/or downloaded for educational use.

This collection by the Library of Congress is highly recommended for educators and students of American history who want to gain a better understanding of the historical relationship between politics and comedy. Although Bob Hope is the center of the exhibit, comedians and satirists throughout the twentieth century are included. The scope of the exhibit, largely covering the entire twentieth century, is likewise helpful in understanding how humor and political concerns changed over time.

Here is New York started as a pop-up gallery show in SOHO. Any individual who had photographed 9/11 or related topics was given the opportunity to submit their images to the charitable event. Images are no longer for sale, but a sizable collection can be accessed via this website. There is no way to keyword search for content, but the photographs have been sorted into more than 50 categories, ranging from "Animals" to "WTC - Pre 9/11." Be aware that several categories, such as "Victims" or "Medical" may contain graphic content. As a result, the best use of the gallery would likely entail vetting particular images for your individual lesson needs.

The homepage also offers a link to a collection of oral histories. As of August 24, 2011, 110 of the 550 personal accounts taped in 2002 and 2003 are available online. Speakers were permitted to say anything they wished, as long as they wished, in any language; so, again, vetting is highly suggested. Videos can be searched by location of filming—New York City; Shanksville, PA; or the Pentagon.

The Sewall-Belmont House is a National Woman's Party-run museum on women's equality movements in the U.S. A portion of their collections are now searchable online.

Using the site's search engine, you can easily find printing blocks for the newspaper the Suffragist, as well as cartoons by Nina Allender. Other items may be a bit more difficult to find, but the collection includes keys, voting cards, a jail door pin (worn by suffragists jailed for their activism), and more.

If you aren't sure what to look for, try either Click and Search or a selection of Random Images. Each time you access the images, a different set will be pulled from the collection. As for "click and search," you can choose a letter for any of an object's data fields (object type, creator, subject, etc.), and browse through corresponding drop-down lists. Select anything that catches your eye, and the site will bring you to that particular artifact's page.

Among these three ways of accessing the site content, you should be able to uncover a treasure trove of women's rights sources to share with your classroom.

During the Civil War, the Survey of the Coast found a new purpose—preparing secret reports on the waters along the Atlantic seaboard to improve Union blockades. This website collects and shares materials from the United States Coast Survey, 1861 through 1865.

You can, for example, read any of nine Notes on the Coast of the United States, prepared by the Blockade Strategy Board. These detail sailing conditions and geography for use by Union captains and generals. Summaries, located under the "Documents" heading, cover the process of creating these lengthy reports.

Additional features include a brief biography of Alexander Dallas Bache, U.S. Coast Survey supervisor; an 1861 map showing slave population density; short overviews of some of the other members of the survey team during the Civil War; and a 33-page PDF concerning the history of the Coast Survey between 1843 and 1867. The PDF contains several maps and photographs.

Using the search box on the main page will retrieve Civil War-era maps of cities, camps, works, battlefields, and more.