Open Parks Network
View over 1 million images from U.S. national parks and historic sites.
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!
Resources for Hispanic Heritage Month
How do you teach Hispanic Heritage Month? With resources from Teachinghistory.org and across the web, you have plenty of approaches to explore!
Teaching with Food
Teach with all five senses, including taste!
Teaching Work: Resources for Labor Day
Labor Day means more than the beginning of the school year. Bring the holiday into the classroom with Teachinghistory.org’s resources!
The History of America(ns)
Where do Americans come from? Many places! Use these resources to teach immigration history.
MNopedia
For all of your questions concerning the “star of the north,” Minnesota.
Native American Heritage Month: Questioning Photos
Photographs capture how someone appeared at one moment in time. But who arranged that moment?
Bill of Rights Institute
What would life be like without freedoms we take for granted—of the press, right to assembly, and more?
Guampedia
Guam is often left out of discussions of U.S. history. Remedy the situation!
Idea of America
The U.S. was formed on ideals, but how do these ideals manifest in reality? Are they ever at odds?
Red Cross: Exploring Humanitarian Law
Humanitarian law and history are hardly mutually exclusive.
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?
To the Source!
Where do historians turn for historical evidence?
Joe Jelen: Old Newspapers Find a Home in New Technology
Newspapers are alive and well in the U.S. history classroom.
Learner Response Systems (Clickers)
Check out this tech-based alternative to counting raised hands.
Constitution Day Count
How does the Constitution measure up to other important documents in U.S. history?
National Constitution Center: Explore the Constitution
Looking for resources on the Constitution? What better place to look than a center dedicated to its legacy?
Bland County History Archives
Looking for proof that students can handle extensive local history projects? You’ve found it.
Throughout the Ages
Looking for a primary source website created especially for elementary teachers?
Amy Trenkle on Glogging Class Greats
Posterboard and rubber cement may work for some projects, but students can also avoid the mess—and incorporate audiovisuals—by making glogs (virtual posters) online.
Jennifer Orr on Primary Sources in Primary Classrooms
Many primary sources are text-heavy. Jennifer Orr asks where do you find sources appropriate for pre-literate students? Try art, photos, and other visual sources!
Memorializing Memorials
How do we relate to national memorials? Photographs can show us how we want to see our monuments.
Amy Trenkle on National History Day—It's More than Just a Day…and It's More than Just History
National History Day’s categories encourage students to develop 21st-century skills—but 8th-grade teacher Amy Trenkle says make sure they don’t neglect the history!
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 2011
Scratch the surface of Asian Pacific American history this May, and keep digging.
Anthony Pellegrino's Teaching with Class in Mind
How can you make history relevant to your students? Social studies/history education professor Anthony Pellegrino suggests teaching thematically—in this case, with class and labor.
Locate Yourself on a Map of the Americas
Young students locate themselves on a map and explore spatial relationships among geographic features.
The Object of History
How do objects capture the past? And how do you display objects to make a point about the past?
Copyright: Finding Images to Tell the Story of History
Fair use? Public domain? Creative Commons? Find images of history that you can use to tell its story, without worrying about fees and fines.
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.”
International Aid: How and When the U.S. Helps
With the Mar. 11 earthquake in Japan, your students may be asking about international aid. Here are some places to start learning about when and why the U.S. helps.
Joe Jelen on Google's Art Project
Budget cuts mean field trip cuts, right? Wrong! Check out high school teacher Joe Jelen’s summary of this impressive new tool from Google.
Women Taking History: Women's History Month 2011
This Women’s History Month, remind your students that women have made history in more ways then one—by recording it, as well as being recorded.
Anthony Pellegrino's Into the Weeds: Harnessing the Power of Music to Teach Social Studies
Present the context first, or later? Teaching with music can be valuable both ways, says teacher educator Anthony Pellegrino.
Zinn Education Project
Wanting to go deeper into the history of labor and marginalized groups in the U.S.?
African American History Month 2011
For African American History Month, don’t just focus on the heroes—use primary sources to explore the lives of ordinary people.
Teaching the Bill of Rights
Daunted by teaching the Bill of Rights and its complex vocabulary to students? Middle-school teacher Christine Valenti explains how she introduces her students to the Amendments.
History of the Occult in America
Historians studying the hidden spirits of religion in America
TeacherServe
Attention Secondary teachers! Searching for essays on religion, the environment, or African Americans in U.S. history? TeacherServe is here for you!
Anthony Pellegrino: Let the Music Play!...in Our Classrooms
Teach with punk, hip hop, and classic rock with these suggestions from teacher educator Anthony Pellegrino.
Old Political Cartoons
Poking fun and puncturing pomposity—how can you interpret political cartoons?
Interactive World History
Do you want to introduce a child to the wonders of world history? Find out how!
History Explorer
The Smithsonian offers rich resources for teachers, but tracking them down can be difficult. Use History Explorer’s rich search features to make your hunt easier!
Forming Lesson Plans Around State Mandates
How do you teach the effects of WWI on art and literature? Transforming a content standard into a solid lesson plan.
Mystery Strategy for Elementary Students
Using the premise of a mystery, elementary students act as history detectives as they explore a historical question and formulate and test hypotheses.
OurStory
Link literature and history with activity sets for 18 books and a database of over 270 other books for young readers.
Building a Conversation between Textbooks, Students, and Teachers
Class discussion and personal inquiry builds an interactive relationship between students and their textbooks.
Digitized Newspaper Archives
How do you go back and find “the first draft of history”?
Using Visual Fine Arts to Enrich Understanding
The socio-cultural impact of historic events or time periods and the interpretation through various forms of media.
Deciphering Primary Source Documents
Create scaffolding and careful preparation of documents to promote student understanding of primary sources.
Researching for a Research Topic
Paring down a larger idea to answer one specific question.
Mind Mapping: Visualizing Historical Thought
Discover the extent of students’ understanding of historical subjects with this tool.
My History at School
To make something real, make it personal. Abstract concepts can best be understood when applied to individual experience.
Using Old Maps as Tools to Explore Our World
Maps show far more than how to go from point A to point B! Discover how to incorporate maps into your classroom.
Reading Like a Historian
Use the Stanford History Education Group’s curriculum to teach historical investigation.
Building a Class on Native American History
Museums, colleges, and tribes are invaluable for gathering course-building materials on Native American history.
Tackling Tough Topics
Race, ethics, stereotyping—all are thorny issues integral to our history. How can you encourage empathy?
Meshing History and Montessori Method
In the Montessori philosophy, which prioritizes creativity, how can you best present history?
Constructivism: Actively Building Knowledge
Traditional concepts of knowledge and pedagogy view the student as a “fact sponge.”
Truth in Transit: Crafting Meaningful Field Trips
Leave your students with intellectually and emotionally significant memories of their own experiences with history.
The 4th Estate as the 4th Branch
The peculiar power of the press in America . . . what is the role of the media?
Geo-Literacy Project: Students Explore Their World
Teacher Eva La Mar’s third graders become historians, writers, and videographers as they explore a community site.
Seeking Simulations
For when your students need a healthy dose of participation to liven up the classroom.
Two-Year High School U.S. History Programs
What are the benefits and detriments of implementing a two-year U.S. history course?
Integrating Technology into the Classroom
Upgrade to “school 2.0” through making the most of technological resources.
Multiperspectivity: What Is It, and Why Use It?
Simply pondering “multiperspectivity” (a European term for “multiple perspectives”) introduces the concept.
Elementary Military History Resources
You don’t have to wait until middle school to teach military history.
Adapting Documents for the Classroom: Equity and Access
Documents are riddled with difficult vocabulary. Don’t be afraid to adapt texts.
Writing to Learn History: Annotations and Mini-Writes
A pen or pencil in your student’s hand is an excellent tool for teaching historical analysis.
Teaching Public Issues in the Classroom
Teach your students to learn, care, and think internationally.
A Brush With History: Paintings from the National Portrait Gallery
Compare changing artistic styles, or source images of famous individuals.
Access to Archival Databases
Delve into more than 85 million records related to U.S. history.
Realizing the Value of Primary Sources
When you just can’t get your students to care what the Founders, or anyone else, wrote.
Resources on Native American History
When the resources readily available to you are just not comprehensive enough.
EDSITEment
EDSITEment: A portal for fun historical learning from grades K-12.
How Much Have Federal Census Takers Made Through the Years?
Accounting for the counters.
History News Network
Nowhere is history more present than in current events. HNN examines history in the media.
Tonight's the Night: PBS Broadcasts We Shall Remain
Television well-worth watching.
Seeking U.S. History Books for 9th and 11th Graders
Look for school districts and teachers’ shared lists.
American Presidents
Analyze letters written by America’s presidents to learn more about these men.
Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research
Social science data offered to member colleges and universities here covers a range of sociological and political areas.
Samuel J. May Anti-Slavery Collection
With over 300,000 pages available for full-text searching, this is one of the richest collections of anti-slavery and Civil War materials in the world.
The Tax History Project
Follows the history of American taxation through a collection of primary and secondary sources.
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.
Public Papers of the Presidency
From Herbert Hoover to George W. Bush—discover the public messages, statements, and speeches of the presidents.
Osher Map Library
History can be revealed through the study of maps, as these exhibits containing more than 600 maps and related documents explain.
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.
Library of Virginia Digital Library Program
Houses more than 1.2 million items on Virginia and life in the South.
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.
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.
Built in America: Historic American Buildings Survey and Engineering
Government organizations document historic sites in drawings, photographs, and text.
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.
Readex Digital Collections
This site offers a cornucopia of documents spanning four centuries of American history.
ProQuest Information and Learning
From newspapers to scholarly journals, ProQuest has whatever you need!
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.
Kentuckiana Digital Library
Collects photographs, texts, and oral histories drawn from 15 Kentucky colleges, universities, libraries, and historical societies.
Hypertext on American History from the Colonial Period until Modern Times
Collects more than 375 documents related to United States history from the colonial period to the present.
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 President: An Online Reference Resource
Presents detailed information on all 43 of the nation’s presidents.
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.
Digital Vaults
Presents over 1,200 of the items in the National Archives and Records Administration’s collection.
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.
The Presidents
Profiles all 42 of the nation’s completed presidencies.
Tangled Roots
Primary sources point out cultural connections between the experiences of African and Irish Americans.
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.
Florida State Archives Photographic Collection
Presents more than 137,000 photographs of Florida on specific localities from the mid-19th century to the present.
Map Collections: 1500-2003
16th-century to present-day maps, focusing on Americana and cartographic treasures.
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.
Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS), 1861-1960
Presents digitized selections from the official record of major declassified U.S. foreign policy decisions and diplomatic activity.
Famous Trials
Presents balanced treatments of over 50 prominent court trials, including the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui
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.
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.
Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties
Digitizes Indian Affairs, a seven-volume compendium of treaties, laws, and executive orders relating to U.S.-Indian affairs from 1778 to 1970.
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.
Our Documents
Presents 100 milestone documents in American history, from the Richard Henry Lee Resolution of June 7, 1776, to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Gifts of Speech: Women's Speeches from Around the World
More than 400 speeches by women—politicians, scientists, and celebrities.
Documents in Law, History, and Government
Houses more than 3,500 full-text documents addressing the legal, economic, and political history of the U.S.
Archival Research Catalog (ARC)
Access over than 78,000 digital government resources—from textual records to sound recordings and everything in between!
Oyez: U.S. Supreme Court Multimedia
Showcases primary sources from more than 3,300 Supreme Court cases since 1955.
Making Sense of Advertisements
Advertisements have surrounded us for years. How can you interpret them? Where can you find them?
Making Sense of Letters and Diaries
Source and approach letters and diaries with historical thinking.
Making Sense of Numbers
Quantitative data, although seemingly daunting and impersonal, can help you understand the past.