Incorporating 20th Century US Environmental History in the 6-12 Classroom
This guide consists of curated primary and secondary sources to help students connect environmental history to broader themes in twentieth century US history.
Incorporating 20th Century US Environmental History in the K-5 Classroom
This guide consists of curated primary and secondary sources to help students connect environmental history to broader themes in twentieth century US history.
History of Higher Education: A Guide for Pre-Service Teachers
Help students understand the different types of universities and colleges in the U.S. by examining and analyzing a wide range of photographs from the Library of Congress
Housing and Houselessness: A Guide for Pre-Service Teachers
Help students understand the how policy and structural forces have shaped how people in the U.S. access housing.
Native Women and Suffrage - Beyond the 19th Amendment: A Guide for Pre-Service Teachers
Using primary sources from the Library of Congress, help students reconsider the standard narrative around women’s suffrage by exploring the history of Native, Black, Latin American and Asian women who kept advocating for expanding suffrage after 1920.
Religion and the Civil War: A Guide for Pre-Service Teachers
Help students understand the how religious beliefs shaped Americans’ understanding of the Civil War using sheet music from the Library of Congress.
Statistics in Schools
Analyze data from the U.S. Census Bureau in the social studies classroom.
Piscataway Park and Tobacco Farming
In 1700s Maryland and Virginia, farmers lived and died by the quality of their tobacco. Teachers tour Maryland’s Piscataway Park, learning about farmers’ struggle against their environment to grow and cure the perfect crop.
Touring Monticello
Tour Monticello with TAH teachers and learn about the history behind Thomas Jefferson’s home.
Monticello: Jefferson's Experiment
TAH teachers get an introduction to Monticello as Thomas Jefferson’s ’laboratory.'
Pockets from the Past: Daily Life at Monticello
What do the contents of pockets say about their owners? TAH teachers model strategies for examining and questioning artifacts.
Ford's Theatre: Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address
Ford’s Theatre Society’s Sarah Jencks leads teachers through Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address and follow-up activities, in this example of on-site TAH professional development.
Slave Life at Mount Vernon
How do the buildings and artifacts at Mount Vernon reflect the lives of the people who lived and worked there? Educators explore the slave quarters and question what they find.
Smithsonian American Art Museum: Close Observation
Close observation and an inquisitive mind are all the tools you need to start analyzing primary sources! Teachers model analyzing works of art.
Paintings About Segregation
Textbooks describe segregation in a few pages, but these artists share complicated, personal views of how segregation looked and felt.
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.
ABMC War Dead Database
Features over 224,000 records of individuals buried or memorialized in ABMC cemeteries and memorials worldwide.
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!
Children's Lives at Colonial London Town
Invite young students into colonial history with the stories of children from three very different families.
Turning Students into Historians
How do you engage students with primary sources and their community? Jasmine Alinder shares a success story!
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.
National Museum of African American History and Culture
What does it mean to be an American? Answer this question through the lens of African American experience.
Defining Dred Scott
Who was Dred Scott, and what was the significance of his case?
Transportation: Past, Present and Future
What pushes and pulls people into new ways of life? In this lesson, students use artifacts, documents, and photographs to help them answer this question.
Teaching the Emancipation Proclamation on Constitution Day
This Constitution Day, the National Endowment for the Humanities asks, how is the Emancipation Proclamation like the U.S. Constitution?
Women's Suffrage: Burroughs's Article
In the struggle for women’s suffrage, how did African American women represent themselves? TJ Boisseau reads an article by activist Nannie Helen Burroughs.
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.
Slavery in Colonial British North America
Slavery in colonial America was not an exclusively Southern institution.
Jackie Robinson and Martin Luther King Jr.
What connections do documents related to the Jackie Robinson Testimonial Dinner in 1962 make between these two men?
Voices of Women's Reform
There’s more to it than Seneca Falls.
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.
African American History Month: Civil Rights Worldwide
These African American civil rights activists affected more than the U.S.
Reading a Cartoon: Massive Resistance
What do the objects in this 1954 editorial cartoon stand for?
Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman
Can you trust a biography? Historian Tiya Miles analyzes an 1869 biography of abolitionist Harriet Tubman.
Resources for African American History Month
How do you incorporate African American history in your teaching? African American History Month is one among many opportunities.
In Dr. King's Words
People can identify (some of) the words of Martin Luther King Jr. Can you place these quotes?
Resources for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Do you use Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a teachable moment? Our spotlight page and other resources can help!
All Hands on Deck
Get classroom attention by using the “swashbuckling” history of the USS Constitution as a knowledge vehicle.
Abolitionist Speeches by African American Women
How do the speeches of Sojourner Truth and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper differ? Historian Carla Peterson examines documents for answers.
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.
1804 Inventory
What can an inventory tell you about daily life in Delaware in 1804? Curator Barbara Clark Smith asks this document four questions.
Two Blues Songs
Written primary sources only tell you so much. To learn about history that was never written down, listen to sources like these two songs.
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?
Slave Badges
Slave badges were used in Charleston to keep track of slaves. Can you build a lesson for 4th graders around them?
Civil War Poster!
What can a quilt, a map, some photographs, a haversack, and a receipt tell you about the past?
Massive Resistance Political Cartoons
Watch J. Douglas Smith discuss the Massive Resistance policy enacted by U.S. Senator, Harry F. Byrd, Sr., in 1956.
John Brown's Body
Chandra Manning discusses the song “John Brown’s Body,” and how music can be an important source in discovering the past.
Civil War Letters
Historian Chandra Manning analyzes Civil War letters from black and white Union soldiers and a Confederate soldier.
Gilded Age Plains City
Delve into Great Plains urban development c. 1900 by way of a compelling, unsolved murder mystery.
Finishing the Dream: Learning from the Civil Rights Era
This collection of short videos recognizes the civil rights movement as ongoing struggle.
Open Yale Courses
Looking for a little professional development? Miss your college classes? Try Yale’s.
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.
Shaping the Constitution
What role did Virginia play in defining the U.S. and upholding rights we now consider basic and essential?
Freedom Riders
Meet the American men and women who traveled the South in the name of black/white equality.
Slavery in Canada
Slavery in Canada? Who were these people? What were their lives like?
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.
Film Review: Ken Burns's Jazz
Documentaries can be critiqued on many levels, says Professor Frank Tirro. Here, he looks at Ken Burns’s Jazz from four angles.
Anthony Pellegrino on Teaching Segregated History
Anthony Pellegrino explores the history of one segregated school, and complicates his understanding of a traditional textbook narrative.
Ron Gorr on Socratic Seminars with Primary Documents
Anchor Socratic seminars in primary sources and watch your students work together to arrive at historical understanding.
In Pursuit of Freedom
Frederick Douglass approached the abolition of slavery from within the confines of the Constitution.
Black Confederates
Most African Americans (free or slaves) never joined the ranks of the Confederacy. Are there cases where individuals did?
Divided Allegiance
Being born in the United States was not always a guaranteed path to citizenship.
National History Day Project: The Civil Rights Act of 1964
Learn more about the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
On Gendering the Constitution
The agitation among women’s rights activists over the language of the 14th Amendment.
On Telegrams and Telephone Calls
On the record and off the record communications between Washington and Birmingham in 1963.
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.”
Women in Blues (and Jazz)
In the early 20th century, the new music recording industry embraced hundreds of artists—including women.
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.
The Art of Migration
What can artistic renderings tell us about the Great Migration?
Zinn Education Project
Wanting to go deeper into the history of labor and marginalized groups in the U.S.?
Keep Your Top Eye Open
Boston abolitionists on the lookout for slave-catchers in 1851.
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.
The Great Black Hope
These African American athletes drew crowds with their skill and determination in the early 20th century.
A Day On, Not a Day Off
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! Celebrate this holiday as a day of public service.
Selling a Slave
The obstacles and restraints on disposing of one’s human “property.”
Diversity in the 1920s
Segregation and equality in America was a case of double standards.
Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address
Teaching the Reconstruction? Ford’s Theatre’s Sarah Jencks leads teachers through Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address and follow-up activities.
Civil Rights Sit-in
“Local custom” was at odds with company policy in Jackson, MS.
The Disaster of Innovation
How the cotton gin revolutionized the use of slaves and the production of cotton in the Southern United States.
Freedom's Story: Teaching African American Literature and History
Slavery, Reconstruction, the Civil Rights Movement—you have to teach these topics, so check out these essays to enrich your curriculum!
TeacherServe
Attention Secondary teachers! Searching for essays on religion, the environment, or African Americans in U.S. history? TeacherServe is here for you!
Trade Routes and Emerging Colonial Economies
The direct and indirect impacts of various trade routes during the 16th through 19th centuries.
East St. Louis Massacre
Raising “the terrible weapon of self-defense” during riots in 1917 Illinois.
OurStory
Link literature and history with activity sets for 18 books and a database of over 270 other books for young readers.
Baseball in Black and White
Baseball might be America’s favorite past time, but it has not always been inclusive. Can you answer these questions about African American ball players?
Booth's Reason for Assassination
In an attempt to salvage a failed Confederate agenda, John Wilkes Booth swore to destroy President Abraham Lincoln’s policy of extending civil liberties to African Americans.
Voices in the Whirlwind
To each prophet, a certain way of speaking. Match civil rights leaders with their words.
Monuments to a Dream: Martin Luther King Jr. Memorials
Answer these questions about memorials to the life and ideals of MLK.
Theatre of the People
Through performing art, U.S. minorities assert their identities. Answer these questions on multicultural music and theatre.
The Many Roots of African American Cooking
Africa, Europe, and North America—mix, and serve. Explore the foods that African Americans developed in the colonies, and later in the nation.
Fly Away Jim Crow
Equality requires more than a Proclamation. Try to answer these questions on Jim Crow.
Classroom Glory
Does the movie “Glory” depict historical accuracy or wholesale fiction?
When Whales Lit the World
Up to the 20th century, whalers provided oil for the industrial revolution. How much do you know about these iron men and wooden ships?
Robert Gould Shaw
Where does the glory of Robert Shaw and the men of the 54th Massachusetts reside?
Forty Acres and a Mule
The origin of the “Sherman Reservation” in Special Field Order No. 15, by which the Southern coastal low country was set aside for resettlement by ex-slaves.
Paul Laurence Dunbar Digital Collection
Read the books and poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar, internationally famous African American writer.
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.
African and Native Americans in Colonial and Revolutionary Times
African Americans and Native Americans have had a long and complex relationship, often characterized by their similar exclusion from the fruits of freedom envisioned during the American Revolution.
Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson
Learn about race in the Progressive Era through the life of Jack Johnson, the original African American Heavy Weight Champion of the World.
New Jersey's Quakers and the American Revolution
Did you know the Quakers were pre-Revolution abolitionists?…
Politics of a Massacre: Discovering Wilmington 1898
This site contains sources covering and reacting to the deplorable 1898 massacre in Wilmington, NC.
Cross-checking Sources and Testing Hypotheses
Challenge students to gather evidence from multiple primary sources. Here, a high school student uses two related primary sources to understand the civil rights movement.
Reading for Context
If students lack historical context, they can miss the substance of a reading. Watch a high school sophomore use what he knows about the 1950s and 1960s to approach a diary extract.
Mass Moments
MA educators—explore a historical moment (and accompanying primary source) for every day of the year.
Monticello Explorer
Can’t travel to Monticello? Take your students on a virtual tour of Jefferson’s estate with this website.
Senatorial Division
A Congressional balance of power between North and South on slavery
Massive Resistance through Political Cartoons
Watch 4th-graders analyze cartoons about Virginia and Brown v. Board of Education.
Duluth Lynchings Online Resource: The Tragic Events of June 15, 1920
Leading up to the civil rights movement in a high school class? Explore 700 primary sources that examine one 1920 case of fatal racism.
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.
With or Without Slavery?
Forcing the issue in Bleeding Kansas. The Lecompton Constitution, slavery, and children born to slaves.
Slave Receipts
What do slave receipts reveal? Ever considered using similar documents to teach?
Land of (Unequal) Opportunity
460 documents and images on civil rights in Arkansas, from before, during, and after the civil rights movement.
Wisconsin Historical Society: Freedom's Journal
All 102 issues of the first African American newspaper conveniently presented in PDF format.
Toolbox Library: Primary Resources in U.S. History and Literature
Eight “toolboxes” enable secondary teachers to enhance existing U.S. History units.
Library of Southern Literature
Full texts of more than 130 works of literature by more than 75 Southern authors.
Anacostia Community Museum
What is community? What does it do for us, and how does it shape who we are?
Frederick Douglass's Autobiographies
Use autobiographies to deconstruct views of slavery and historical heroes.
Narratives of Slavery
One institution, two very different perspectives. An expert contrasts records.
Cherokee Law of Blood
A Cherokee Nation Supreme Court document reveals the fluidity of racial identity.
Famous American Trials: "The Scottsboro Boys" Trials 1931-1937
Explore the infamous Scottboro case through a variety of primary source documents and images.
Faces of Science: African Americans in the Sciences
Search over 200 prominent African American scientists.
Beyond Face Value: Depictions of Slavery in Confederate Currency
Learn about southern culture through the images on Confederate currency.
Savannah Images Project
A useful local history project which focuses on the history of Savannah and the Georgia coastline.
John Brown's Holy War
A variety of resources focused on the life and times of infamous abolitionist John Brown.
Integrated Public Use Microdata Series
View 22 census data samples and 65 million records from 13 federal censuses.
Thomas Jefferson Papers
The largest collection of original Jefferson documents in the world. Really, we’re serious.
Now What a Time : Blues, Gospel, and the Fort Valley Music Festivals, 1938-1943
Listen to African American Blues from the Fort Valley Music Festivals of 1938-1943.
African American Sheet Music, 1850-1920
View 1,300 pieces of sheet music composed by and about African Americans.
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.
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.
National Park Service, Teaching with Historic Places
Use this website to plan and organize lessons around NPS properties and locations.
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.
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.
Divining America: Religion and the National Culture
A comprehensive history of religion and major religious events within the United States.
History Now: American History Online
Read this quarterly journal which focuses on a different topic in American History in each issue.
Images of African Americans from the 19th Century
Your first resource for photographs and images depicting African Americans during the 19th century.
The African American Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship
A comprehensive guide consisting of over 240 primary source items detailing African American history.
The Underground Railroad
Travel the Underground Railroad with this interactive website.
African Americans in the Harmon Foundation Collection
A collection of 20 portraits by African American artists from the Harmon Foundation.
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.
Florida Folklife from the WPA Collections, 1937-1942
Explore the history of Florida folklife and culture.
American Notes: Travels in America, 1750-1920
What impressions did the average citizen or foreigner form of early America and its people?
The Crisis of the Union
An impressive array of tracts (and more) brought together for your convenience.
National Geographic Online: The Underground Railroad
Would you have survived along the Underground Railroad?
Civil Rights Oral History Interviews: Spokane, Washington
From racism to civil rights movement music, listen to the memories of these eight individuals.
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.
When They Were Young: A Photographic Retrospective of Childhood
What would it be like to grow up poor? Greek? Mexican? Rich?
North Carolinians and the Great War
How did World War I effect the lives of the everyday North Carolinian?
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
Teaching Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War? Explore this storehouse of Lincolnian history.
Colonial Williamsburg
Experience life in Colonial Williamsburg without visiting Virginia.
Images of African Americans from the Cook Collection of Photographs
What might your life have been like as an African American in Virginia c. 1900?
Charles H. Templeton Sheet Music Collection
Looking for World War era, minstrel, or showtune sheet music?
Jacob Lawrence: Exploring Stories
Frame your lessons on the Great Migration with the life and works of Jacob Lawrence.
Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia
Although painful to view, racist memorabilia reminds us of past mindsets and ethics.
African-Americans--Biography, Autobiography, and History
Read a selection of the world’s greatest speeches by prominent African American figures.
African Americans in Massachusetts
Compare perspectives on educational desegregation. How did it affect the community?
Dox Thrash: An African American Master Printmaker Rediscovered
View depictions of African American life by artist Dox Thrash.
Selected Historical Decennial Census Population and Housing Counts
What questions have past censuses posed? What were the results?
Worthington Memory, Online Scrapbook
Explore the history and development of a small town. The online scrapbook provides an uncanny lens into town life.
Working in Paterson: Occupational Heritage in an Urban Setting
How does an industrial past shape current work and play? How does it affect what professions still exist in cities?
Oral History Research Center
What do Vegas showgirls have to say about their time in the city?
Black Wings: African American Pioneer Aviators
What was life like for the African American pilots of World War II?
WPA Life Histories, Virginia Interviews
Explore Depression-era, ex-slave, and urban youth life stories.
World War I History Commission Questionnaires
How did World War I change soldiers’ attitudes, religious beliefs, and employment prospects?
RFK in the Land of Apartheid: A Ripple of Hope
Examine the impact of Robert F. Kennedy’s anti-apartheid trip to South Africa.
Afro-Louisiana History and Genealogy, 1718-1820
Consider assigning contextual reports on the lives of individual slaves.
Encyclopedia Britannica: The 1911 Edition
Find out what people thought of everything from ablation to vinegar in 1911.
History of American Education Web Project
Explore the history of education within the U.S, through writings and images.
Record of Officers and Men of New Jersey in the Civil War, 1861-1865
Search this Civil War roster for data on the service of New Jersey soldiers.
The Hartford Black History Project
Follow the formation of the African American community in the city of Hartford, CT
Lesson Plans Library
Hundreds of lesson plans, right at your fingertips. Incorporate them in the classroom.
AMDOCS: Documents for the Study of American History
One convenient source for major historical U.S. documents.
Lift Every Voice: Music in American Life
What work can be accomplished through music?
Dismuke's Virtual Talking Machine
Swing to the beats of the early 1900s.
Brief Timeline of American Literature, Music, and Movies
Explore film, music, and literature in its social context and chronology. Understand the cultural dynamics that lent themselves to the media.
Voices of the Colorado Plateau
There’s more to the West than cowboys.
Characteristics of Census Tracts in Nine U.S. Cities, 1940-1960
How many hospital beds did New Orleans have in 1960? Was it able to accommodate the poor and sick?
HistoryWired: A Few of Our Favorite Things
What American history items do Smithsonian curators like best?
Brooklyn's Eighteenth-Century Lott House
Conduct your own “virtual dig” of a Dutch farmhouse.
Today in History Web Resources
Need to check a date? Have students report on their birth dates? Try here.
We Shall Overcome: Historic Places of the Civil Rights Movement
Which locations, open for visitation, are most relevant to the civil rights movement?
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.
Labor Arts
What role has art had in the depiction and reality of U.S. labor?
The Capital and the Bay, ca. 1600-1925
What picture have people painted of the Washington, D.C. in written works?
American Colonization Society Collection: Maps of Liberia, 1830-1870
View maps of Liberia acquired during efforts to restore freedmen to Africa.
Agents of Social Change: 20th-Century Women's Activism
Source documents to help you approach 20th-century feminism.
Slave Movement During the 18th and 19th Centuries
Analyze data to understand the impact of slavery on the colonies and nation.
Regional Oral History Office
Explore California oral histories, or learn to conduct your own interviews.
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?
Pictures of African Americans During World War II
See what life on the homefront and at war was like for African American citizens.
Jo Freeman.com
Explore women’s political history and activism from the 1960s onward.
Hall of Black Achievement Gallery
Meet 30 influential African Americans who contributed across a wide variety of fields.
Papers of John Jay
Read the correspondence of lesser known founding father John Jay.
One Hundred Years of Photography from the National Archives
Relive the 20th century through iconic imagery—more than 70 photographs represent major U.S. events.
A Brush With History: Paintings from the National Portrait Gallery
Compare changing artistic styles, or source images of famous individuals.
Traveling Culture: Circuit Chautauqua in the Twentieth Century
Which performers, from martial artists to yodelers, traveled the Chautauqua circuit?
Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History
Right this way for Seattle and Washington state history resources.
History Cooperative
Catch up on the latest scholarly research, and learn and incorporate new scholarship or innovative findings into the classroom.
Civics Online
Gain inspiration for new ways to approach political history.
Kellogg African American Health Care Project: The Oral Histories
What was health care like during segregation?
The 3Cities Project
Examine the nexus of representation, modernity, and urban life.
Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920
What do the songs people sing tell us about their lives?
The 19th Century in Print: Books
What were people reading around the time of the Civil War?
Jazz: A Film by Ken Burns
Can you tell New Orleans jazz from Bebop? Can you hear the variations in style and instrumental parts?
Florida Heritage Collection
Explore Florida state, regional, and local history.
New Perspectives on the West
Peruse lesson plans about the West on this companion site to a Ken Burns documentary.
Gold Rush!
Bring yourself up to speed on the Gold Rush, including the minorities involved.
Riverboats and Jazz
What entertainment might you have expected on a riverboat cruise in the early 1900s?
The American Experience
Discover briefs on more than 60 iconic points in U.S. history.
Brooklyn Daily Eagle Online (1841-1902)
Explore the history of Brooklyn, 1841 through 1902, with historical newspaper issues.
Earliest Voices: A Gallery from the Vincent Voice Library
Hear the conviction and charisma of seven renowned turn-of-the-century speakers.
St. Louis Circuit Court Historical Records Project
Explore the largest collection of freedom suits available to U.S. researchers.
National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
More than 50 virtual exhibits ranging from Julia Child to West Point.
The Church in the Southern Black Community, 1780-1925
How did the Protestant Church become central to Southern African American communities?
SDA: Survey Documentation and Analysis
Observe statistical trends in U.S. beliefs and demographics from free speech to zodiac signs.
Club Kaycee, Golden Age of Kansas City Jazz
Listen to jazz from the ’20s and ’40s while learning about music greats and hot spots.
American Roots Music
Discover blues, country, bluegrass, gospel, Cajun, Zydeco, Tejano, and Native American music.
The Primeline Midi Library
Browse more than 630 ragtime Midi files.
Perfessor Bill Edwards Ragtime/Old-time Piano Gallery
Introduce yourself to ragtime music and the time which gave birth to it.
Goldband Records: "Every One a Musical Treat"
What on earth is “swamp pop”?
Washington History
Make this your first stop for topics related to Washington state history!
With an Even Hand: Brown v. Board at Fifty
Examine the events which led to and the aftermath of Brown v. Board of Education.
Brown v. Board of Education 50th Anniversary Digital Archive
Explore Brown v. Board of Education through interactive activities and personal recollections.
Women Working, 1800-1930
What did women think of their work at home, in the arts, and in business?
American Memory Learning Page
Try lesson plans based on the Library of Congress’ American Memory collections.
Colonial House
Companion to a PBS television program, this site provides insight into everyday colonial life.
Voices from the Days of Slavery: Former Slaves Tell Their Stories
Hear the recollections of ex-slaves and freedmen in their own voices.
The Zora Neale Hurston Plays
Read 10 unpublished Hurston plays based on her anthropological studies of the U.S. South.
Civil Rights Movement Veterans
Access the human stories of the civil rights movement.
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.
Democracy in America: Alexis de Tocqueville
Visit this website to learn more about the United States during the time of Tocqueville’s landmark tour and book.
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.
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.
Mapping History
Explore American and world history through this collection of maps.
The Digital Classroom
An informative introduction to the practice and excitement of historical research.
WestWeb: Western Studies and Research Resources
This gateway site provides a wealth of resources pertaining to the American West.
American Museum of Photography
View fantastic photography throughout the ages in over 15 exhibits.
American Women's History: A Research Guide
Speed up your online search for resources on American women’s history with this research guide.
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.
Digital Librarian: A Librarian's Choice of the Best of the [History] Web
History grab bag! This gateway site has an eclectic mix of over 1,000 historical sites.
History: The National Park Service
Visit this website to learn the history of many of the 384 areas under the stewardship of the National Park Service.
Words and Deeds in American History
View primary documents that helped to shape America’s history.
Creative Americans: Portraits by Carl Van Vechten, 1932-1964
View the mid-20th-century art scene through the photographs of music and dance critic Carl Vechten.
Jackie Robinson and Other Baseball Highlights, 1860s-1960s
Learn about race in American sports history through the life of Jackie Robinson.
African American Women
Read the memoirs and letters of three 19th-century African American women on this website.
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.
California Heritage Collection
View the early history of California through this collection of over 30,000 photographs.
A People at War
A collection of primary sources detailing the American war effort in World War II.
Powers of Persuasion: Poster Art from World War II
Explore American propaganda and advertising during the second world war.
Still Going On: Celebrating The Life and Times of William Grant Still
Learn about famous composer William Grant Still through this online exhibit.
American Slave Narratives
Read and listen to firsthand narratives on slave life during the 19th century.
New Jersery History Partnership Project
Use New Jersey during the American Revolution as a national microcosm.
Brooklyn in the Civil War
What role did Brooklyn play in the War Between the States?
Lest We Forget: The Triumph Over Slavery
Explore slavery in America from nine thematic perspectives.
Doris Ulmann Photograph Collection
See the faces of the rural South, and acquaint yourself with their folk arts.
Columbia River Basin Ethnic History Archive
Which ethnic groups have made their homes in the Columbia River Basin?
Say it Plain: A Century of Great African American Speeches
Hear 12 renowned speeches by African Americans, including Marcus Garvey’s only known recording.
Rebellion: John Horse and the Black Seminoles
What role did runaway slaves and free African Americans play in the Second Seminole War?
Black Past
Begin your exploration of African American history with this web portal, leading out to more than 400 websites.
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.
Library of Congress: Webcasts
Access more than 500 webcasts from the Library of Congress.
The History Box
Have a question about New York City or state history? More than 750 articles available.
The Malcolm X Project
Read FBI files on and watch interviews about Malcolm X, human and African American rights activist.
Folkstreams
View streaming videos on American folk culture from fox hunting to Zydeco.
Florida Folklife Collection
Explore the folk lore of Florida—from musical performances and art to occupational lore.
Louisiana State Museum Jazz Collection
Listen to New Orleans jazz while learning about Louis Armstrong and other famed musicians.
Medicine in the Americas, 1619-1914
Access works on medicine and health by Clara Barton, Benjamin Coleman, Benjamin Rush, and others.
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.
Las Vegas: An Unconventional History
Why is Las Vegas one of the world’s most popular destinations? How has it changed?
U.S. Census Bureau
The U.S. Census counts everyone! It creates a current image of the nation with its diversity and class variations.
The Lives and Writings of Antebellum Students at UNC
What did college students think about their lives and larger issues in the 19th-century?
Teaching Future Historians: U.S. History Lesson Plans Using Primary Documents
A diverse array of Antebellum, Civil War, and Gilded Age lesson plans for your convenience.
Silicon Valley History Online
Silicone Valley is known as a high-tech industry center, but has it always been?
Documenting Our Past: The Teenie Harris Archive Project
View African American life in Pittsburgh between 1930 and 1970.
World War I Sheet Music
What can the music of World War I tell us about its era?
Harlem History
Explore the politics, neighborhoods, culture, and arts of Harlem.
Tennessee Documentary History Collection, 1796-1850
Geared toward K-12 education, this site presents antebellum life in Tennessee through letters and images.
Negroes With Guns: Rob Williams and Black Power
Do you think armed resistance is a justifiable reaction to racism? Explore Rob William’s motives.
Seattle Black Panther Party History and Memory Project
Who exactly were the Black Panthers? Explore the history and memories of the Seattle chapter.
Automobile in American Life and Society
Enter the world of automotive history through oral histories and scholarly essays.
Liberian Letters
What was life like for freed slaves returned to Africa? Read letters to former owners.
Coming of Age in the Twentieth Century, Stories from Minnesota and Beyond
What can oral histories tell us about girlhood, adolescence, and more in the United States?
Jacob Lawrence: Over the Line
Experience selected artworks by African American artist Jacob Lawrence while learning about his life.
Dolley Madison Digital Edition
Read Dolley Madison’s personal correspondence from her youth through her widowhood.
Oxford African American Studies Center
Access more than 5,000 biographies, maps, and images relevant to African American history.
Northern Visions of Race, Region, and Reform in the Press
Investigate racial issues during and after the Civil War through letters, illustrations, and official documents.
The Blues, Black Vaudeville, and the Silver Screen, 1912-1930s
How was the community support for and operation of Southern African American theaters?
Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse
Review litigation studies ranging from mental health facilities and jail conditions to equal employment.
Probing the Past
What might you have owned in Maryland or Virginia in 1740-1810? (Lesson plans included!)
Early American Imprints, Series II: Shaw-Shoemaker, 1801-1819
Uncover novels, readers, hymnals, almanacs, diaries, maps, treaties, and more from between 1801 and 1819.
StoryCorps
Connect 20th-century events and daily life with real human experiences through oral history audio files.
American State Papers, 1789-1838
Access Congressional documents from the first 25 Congresses.
Musicians Local No. 627 and the Mutual Musicians Foundation
Have you heard of musicians’ unions? Learn about a 20th-century African American jazz organization.
American Broadsides and Ephemera, Series I, 1760-1900
Explore American life through advertisements, literature, poetry, Civil War envelopes, and more!
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.
Atlanta in the Civil Rights Movement
What was Atlanta’s role in the larger African American civil rights movement 1940 through 1970?
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?
Archives of African American Music and Culture
Interested in jazz, hip hop, blues, doo-wop, spirituals, or rock? Explore African American music history.
The African-American Mosaic
Let the Library of Congress introduce you to African-American history from colonization to the WPA.
The Franklin County Publication Archives Index
Explore 19th-century life through newspaper articles from the 1870s.
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.
Lionel Hampton: His Life and Legacy
Jazz musician Lionel Hampton and the University of Idaho shared a rich relationship, explored in this tribute site.
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.
Teaching with Laurel Grove School
Local history teaches about slavery, emancipation, and freedom in Northern Virginia.
U.S. Coast Guard
Who protects U.S. interests in international and domestic waters?
What Does It Mean to Be an American?
An 8th-grade teacher asks: Was early 20th-century America a “melting pot” or a “salad bowl”?
U.S. Army
Increase your knowledge of the people, past, and technology of the United States Army.
John Brown, Harpers Ferry, Students, History and Technology
Middle school students interpret history at Harpers Ferry.
Summer Reading: Clearinghouse Staff Recommendations, Part I
Clearinghouse staff recommend books for summer reading.
Civilian Conservation Corps
Examine the role of African Americans in the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression.
Exploring Historical Texts in a Discussion-Based Class
Trying to promote more productive and engaging discussions?
Was There an African American President Before Barack Obama?
Historians cannot claim to prove beyond doubt that occurrences in the past did or did not happen.
A Look at Slavery through Posters and Broadsides
How to identify the author, audience, date, and message of historical posters.
National Register of Historic Places Travel Itineraries
Explore the historic sites in more than 50 cities and towns across the U.S.
Prosperity and Thrift: Coolidge Era and the Consumer Economy
An array of primary sources follows the rise of the consumer economy under Coolidge.
Dynamics of Idealism: Volunteers for Civil Rights, 1965-1982
Learn about the volunteers who participated in a 1965 Southern Christian Leadership Conference voter registration effort.
African-American Perspectives: Pamphlets from 1818-1907
Pamphlets and documents from 1875 to 1900 highlight African American leaders and organizations.
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.
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.
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.
American Radicalism Collection
From the Ku Klux Klan to the IWW, examine 129 historical documents from radical organizations.
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.
Slaves and the Courts, 1740-1860
Delve into the complex history of slavery and the law with this collection of primary sources.
Osher Map Library
History can be revealed through the study of maps, as these exhibits containing more than 600 maps and related documents explain.
In Motion: The African-American Migration Experience
Secondary and primary sources describe 13 African American migration experiences.
Dred Scott Case
Follow the proceedings of the Dred Scott case with facsimiles and transcriptions of 85 legal documents.
Television News of the Civil Rights Era
View contemporary coverage of the Civil Rights Movement from two Roanoke, VA television stations.
Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project
Primary and secondary sources document the minority struggle for civil rights in Seattle’s history.
SIRIS Image Gallery
Access close to 140,000 images from the Smithsonian Institution.
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).
Thomas Paine National Historical Association
Explore the life and works of one of the most famous revolutionaries—Thomas Paine.
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.
Abraham Lincoln Papers
Approximately 20,000 documents provide a window into President Abraham Lincoln’s life.
Documenting the American South
Nearly 1,400 documents covering Southern life from the 18th to early 20th centuries.
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.
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.
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.
History and Politics Out Loud
Captures significant events and personalities of the 20th century through 107 audio items, including speeches, addresses, and private telephone conversations.
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.
Without Sanctuary: Photographs and Postcards of Lynching in America
An assemblage of more than 80 photographs and postcards of lynchings, from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Uncle Tom's Cabin and American Culture
Explore Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin as the American cultural phenomenon it was.
Sunday School Books: Shaping the Values of Youth in 19th-Century America
Provides full-text transcriptions and page images of 1815–1865 Sunday school books addressing religious instruction for youth.
Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music
Scanned images of more than 18,000 pieces of sheet music, including covers, published prior to 1923.
Daguerreotype Portraits and Views, 1839-1864
Examples of early photographs preserve the likenesses of cities, famous figures, and other subjects.
Online Archive of California
Explore California from Japanese American internment or the Free Speech Movement to oral histories.
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.
Brown v. Board of Education
Examine segregation and desegregation through summaries and the court’s opinions for two major cases.
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.
Geography of Slavery in America
Provides transcriptions and images of more than 4,000 newspaper advertisements for runaway slaves and indentured servants between 1736 and 1803.
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.
Accessible Archives
Presents articles from 18th- and 19th-century newspapers, magazines, and books, with a focus on the Mid-Atlantic region.
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.