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.
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
History of Education and Indigenous Americans: A Guide for Pre-Service Teachers
Help students reflect on the purpose of learning history and of education in general by using Library of Congress primary sources to better understand the history of education of Indigenous people in the United States.
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.
Comanche Nation and "Manifest Destiny": A Guide for Pre-Service Teachers
Help students better understand the history behind the term “Manifest Destiny” by exploring the history of the Comanche people using primary sources from the Library of Congress.
Rethinking "Westward Expansion": A Guide for Preservice Teachers
Help students reconsider the how the expansion of the United States from 1865 to 1890 was perceived by Native peoples in the west using primary sources from the Library of Congress.
Statistics in Schools
Analyze data from the U.S. Census Bureau in the social studies classroom.
Penn Museum Online Collections
Exploring the material culture of Native Americans in North and South America? Search this museum’s online collections for artifacts!
On a Mission: Junípero Serra in New Spain
Discover how missionary work impacted Native Americans.
Interactive Exercises—Analyzing Artifacts
In this series of exercises, students are presented with Native American masks and must contextualize them.
A Trail of 4,000 Tears
Discover the ramifications of the Indian Removal Act of 1830.
Little Wolf and President Grant
Why did Little Wolf, a Cheyenne leader, go to Washington in 1873?
Westward Expansion: Image vs. Reality
East or West? See if you can determine which region produced these images on westward migration!
Success and Failure in the New World
Why did some colonies in the New World succeed while others faded away?
Women's History Month: Picturing Pocahontas
What do you picture when you hear her name?
The New World: A Stage for Cultural Interaction
Religion and profit were driving motivations behind European colonization. Discover how Spanish, French, and Dutch explorers differed in their attempts to accomplish these goals.
The Fighting Canadiens
Discover how French Canadians reacted to the American Revolution.
Teaching Thanksgiving 2011
Prepare for Thanksgiving with our spotlight page on the holiday!
Native American Heritage Month: Questioning Photos
Photographs capture how someone appeared at one moment in time. But who arranged that moment?
Puerto Rico Encyclopedia/Enciclopedia de Puerto Rico
Connect with your ELL students with this bilingual Puerto Rico Encyclopedia!
John Smith Map
Watch Smithsonian curator Barbara Clark Smith discuss John Smith’s Map of Virginia published in London in 1612.
Tippecanoe and Walking Canes Too
A family’s oral history intersects with larger events in U.S. history.
What Really Happened? Comparing Stories of the First Thanksgiving
Take a variety of perspectives into account before moving past the first Thanksgiving.
Throughout the Ages
Looking for a primary source website created especially for elementary teachers?
Yale Digital Commons
A wheeled pull toy depicting Nixon with a crown? If you’re looking for a unique object to bring up in class, start with the digital commons.
Divided Allegiance
Being born in the United States was not always a guaranteed path to citizenship.
War of Invaders
What do these biased narratives of the French and Indian War tell us?
Roosevelt's Tree Army
The work of the Civilian Conservation Corps in central New York State.
How to Introduce Students to Primary Sources
Introducing your students to primary sources for the first time? Watch fourth-grade teacher Marty MacKenzie guide her students through analyzing John White’s drawings of the Powhatans.
Zinn Education Project
Wanting to go deeper into the history of labor and marginalized groups in the U.S.?
Civilization is All Relative
Common misconceptions of the classification of civilization are debunked.
Stop Action and Assess Alternatives
Teach students to explore contingency with this great lesson plan idea.
Diversity in the 1920s
Segregation and equality in America was a case of double standards.
Summarizing and Paraphrasing
Summarizing and paraphrasing is a useful practice for English Language Learners (ELLs) who struggle with understanding history text. By learning how to paraphrase, students can improve at reading and analyzing challenging text and gain a better understanding about what they are reading. Practicing key concept identification and rewording the material in another way helps ELL students understand the history content and the original text more fully.
Nature Transformed: The Environment in American History
Beautiful scenery or impassable peaks? These 17 in-depth essays analyze how the North American view of nature has changed over time.
Lone Wolf v Hitchcock
Part of a series of laws that displaced Native Americans from land allotted to them through treaties with the U.S. government.
Jennifer Orr on Teaching Thanksgiving
How do you broach the complicated issues surrounding Thanksgiving with early primary students? First-grade teacher Jennifer Orr doesn’t have all of the answers, but she has some suggestions.
TeacherServe
Attention Secondary teachers! Searching for essays on religion, the environment, or African Americans in U.S. history? TeacherServe is here for you!
Charters for Colonies
To legally exist, English colonies needed charters from the monarchy. Answer these questions about colonies and charters.
Stamping Out Free Speech?
The Stamp Act of 1765 had colonists crying foul. Answer these questions about this most hated act.
Europe Encounters the Western Hemisphere
Can you answer these questions about the “exploration race” that brought Europeans to North and South America?
In Our Own Time: Native American Timekeeping
Pre-Columbian calendars were very different from the ones we use today. Are these statements about Native American timekeeping true?
The Royal We: Princesses of the Past
Daughters of rulers and subjects of history…are these statements on women of monarchical lineage true or false?
Jamestown: The Starving Time
Only 60 settlers out of 600 survived the winter of 1609–1610 in Jamestown Virginia. Was “the Starving Time” due to natural circumstances or planned extermination?
Early American Artifacts
What did people living in what is now known as North America leave behind? Answer these questions about archaeological finds.
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.
Iroquois and the Founding Fathers
Historians argue over whether the Founding Fathers’ knowledge of Native American forms of confederation influenced their early plans for the government of the United States.
Native American Customs of Childbirth
Native American women restricted their activity and took care with their diet in preparing for childbirth, then prepared a secluded spot away from the community, where they gave birth.
Conococheague
How do you pronounce (and spell) Conococheague and how do we know?
Divided Loyalties?
How citizenship determines eligibility for the U.S. presidency.
Mass Moments
MA educators—explore a historical moment (and accompanying primary source) for every day of the year.
Building a Class on Native American History
Museums, colleges, and tribes are invaluable for gathering course-building materials on Native American history.
Wisconsin State Historical Society Online Collections
Wisconsin educators, search the online collections of the oldest American historical society for primary sources.
American Indian Women
Different kinds of power in different cultures. Perceptions of dignified and proper work vary across time and place.
Mundane Lives and Extreme Adventures
What were the primary concerns of English colonists in early 17th-century America?
The Mountain Meadows Massacre in Public Discourse
Examine this 1877 massacre from a total of 40 different perspectives.
Religious Orders of Women in New France
Lives dedicated to teaching and nursing.
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.
Annie Oakley
Annie Oakley could shoot 6 holes in a playing card before it touched ground. Invite this sharpshooter into your classroom!
U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1994
More than 355,000 items produced by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, from 1817-1994.
National Museum of the American Indian
Make sure that your students know not all Native Americans lived in tipis or hunted buffalo.
National Museum of the American Indian: Beauty Surrounds Us
Online exhibit of more than 65 objects from Native cultures in North and South America.
Early American Newspapers: Series 1, 1690-1876
17th- through 19th-century newspaper articles from 23 states and DC.
Daily Objects, 19th-century America
With the advent of industry and western expansion, U.S. businesses mass produced dreams of affluence and progress.
Jefferson's Confidential Letter to Congress
Jefferson, surprised by the Louisiana Purchase? Maybe not. Historian Leah Glaser looks at a letter from Jefferson requesting funding for the Corps of Discovery.
Cherokee Law of Blood
A Cherokee Nation Supreme Court document reveals the fluidity of racial identity.
Savannah Images Project
A useful local history project which focuses on the history of Savannah and the Georgia coastline.
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.
Virginia Historical Society
View the Virginia Historical Society’s extensive collection of materials documenting Virginia history.
National Park Service, Teaching with Historic Places
Use this website to plan and organize lessons around NPS properties and locations.
Historical Maps of the United States
A collection of U.S. and military maps useful for a variety of research.
Discovery and Exploration [Maps]
A collection of maps which chronicle the age of European discovery.
Divining America: Religion and the National Culture
A comprehensive history of religion and major religious events within the United States.
17th-Century Colonial New England
Explore the history of 17th century New England and, more specifically, the Salem Witchcraft Trials.
NativeTech: Native American Technology and Art
Learn about Native American technology, including wigwams, beadwork, pottery, and tools.
Oregon Trail
A companion site to a PBS documentary, this website hosts a wealth of information on the Oregon Trail.
Through Our Parent's Eyes: Tucson's Diverse Community
Learn about the ethnically diverse history of Tucson, AZ.
American Notes: Travels in America, 1750-1920
What impressions did the average citizen or foreigner form of early America and its people?
Spain, The United States, and The American Frontier: Historias Paralelas
If you need primary sources on the Spanish in North America, try this site.
Photographer to the World-The Detroit Publishing Company
When travel wasn’t an easy option what views did people have of other places?
When They Were Young: A Photographic Retrospective of Childhood
What would it be like to grow up poor? Greek? Mexican? Rich?
The Pilgrims in American Culture: Thanksgiving
Were the Pilgrims really shorter than us? Discover the answer to all your Thanksgiving queries here!
Arizona State Museum
Can’t get to Arizona? You can still see local Native American artifacts online.
Early Washington Maps: A Digital Collection
Washington was once part of an area contested for between the U.S. and Great Britain.
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.
Emile Berliner and the Birth of the Recording Industry
Listen to the recordings of the creator of the microphone and gramophone player.
Kiowa Drawings
Kiowa artwork from buffalo hide canvases to university art training.
Meeting of Frontiers
How does the settling of the Siberian frontier compare to that of the U.S. West?
World War I History Commission Questionnaires
How did World War I change soldiers’ attitudes, religious beliefs, and employment prospects?
Encyclopedia Britannica: The 1911 Edition
Find out what people thought of everything from ablation to vinegar in 1911.
Living Voices, Voces Vivas
How do Native Americans preserve their heritage in the world of today?
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.
The Yale Map Collection: Online Maps
What kind of map might you have used as an explorer? An early urbanite?
Voices of the Colorado Plateau
There’s more to the West than cowboys.
HistoryWired: A Few of Our Favorite Things
What American history items do Smithsonian curators like best?
Today in History Web Resources
Need to check a date? Have students report on their birth dates? Try here.
American Originals Part II
Introduce students to 25 documents selected by the National Archives for their historical importance.
The Capital and the Bay, ca. 1600-1925
What picture have people painted of the Washington, D.C. in written works?
Traders: Voices from the Trading Post
Listen as traders talk about their experiences at Native American trading posts.
Private Passions, Public Legacy: Paul Mellon's Personal Library
Enjoy this sneak peek at the Mellon Collection of Virginia history.
Women Artists of the American West
What have women artists considered worthy of depiction in the U.S. West?
Photographs of the American West, 1861-1912
Imagine life on the western frontier.
A Maritime Perspective on American Expansion, 1820-1890
We all know the role of the wagon in westward expansion, but what of ships?
A Brush With History: Paintings from the National Portrait Gallery
Compare changing artistic styles, or source images of famous individuals.
Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History
Right this way for Seattle and Washington state history resources.
Civics Online
Gain inspiration for new ways to approach political history.
Camping With the Sioux—Fieldwork Diary of Alice Cunningham Fletcher
What would it be like to live with the Dakota Sioux?
Pioneering the Upper Midwest: Rare Books c. 1820-1910
Explore Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin life through rare books.
Omaha Indian Music
Listen to a century of Omaha speeches and songs. Hear the influences of Native American music on contemporary tunes.
The 19th Century in Print: Books
What were people reading around the time of the Civil War?
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.
Web de Anza
Check out this site to see “how the West was won.”
Gold Rush!
Bring yourself up to speed on the Gold Rush, including the minorities involved.
Drawing the Western Frontier: The James E. Taylor Album
How did newspaper illustration shape stereotypes (and our understanding) of the “Wild West”?
Picturing Modern America Project
Create your own thematic exhibits using Library of Congress images.
Oneida Indian Nation: Culture and History
Meet the Oneida, and discover their role in the Revolutionary War and War of 1812.
American Roots Music
Discover blues, country, bluegrass, gospel, Cajun, Zydeco, Tejano, and Native American music.
Historical Maps Online
View 400 hundred years of cartography from the Illinois area.
Washington History
Make this your first stop for topics related to Washington state history!
American Memory Learning Page
Try lesson plans based on the Library of Congress’ American Memory collections.
New France, New Horizons: On French Soil in America
Explore French Louisiana, Canada, and the Great Lakes region.
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.
Mission to Arizona, 1916–1940: Father Augustine Schwarz, O.F.M.
View 179 images of Catholic missionary and Native American life in Arizona.
Indian Health Service
Disease ravaged colonial-era Native American populations. What health challenges do they face today?
Resources on Native American History
When the resources readily available to you are just not comprehensive enough.
Rare Map Collection
Explore maps from throughout America’s history, with a special focus on 19th century Georgia.
Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery
Visit the companion site to the Ken Burns documentary which chronicles the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture
Learn about the history of the United States up to 1815 with this website dedicated exclusively to early American history.
NativeWeb: Resources for Indigneous Cultures Around the World
A unique website designed to foster communication regarding all of the planet’s native peoples.
Augustana College Library, Digital Projects
Midwest teacher looking for local history primary sources? Try these nine digital collections.
Mapping History
Explore American and world history through this collection of maps.
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.
Chickasaw Historical Research Page
Learn about the Chickasaw Indians, originally from the American South, with this website.
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.
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.
Buckaroos in Paradise: Ranching Culture in Northern Nevada, 1945-1982
Learn about ranching culture and everyday life in northern Nevada’s Paradise Valley.
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.
1492: An Ongoing Voyage
Featuring a variety of secondary sources, this website chronicles the history of early American exploration.
New Jersery History Partnership Project
Use New Jersey during the American Revolution as a national microcosm.
Sullivan Clinton Campaign, 1779-2005
Explore the 1779 Sullivan-Clinton Campaign to destroy the Seneca, Cayuga, and Onondaga.
Alaska's Digital Archive
View images related to Alaskan statehood and Native Americans.
Rebellion: John Horse and the Black Seminoles
What role did runaway slaves and free African Americans play in the Second Seminole War?
Library of Congress: Webcasts
Access more than 500 webcasts from the Library of Congress.
Wisconsin Local History and Biography Articles Collection
Search Wisconsin newspapers mainly from 1860 through 1940.
The History Box
Have a question about New York City or state history? More than 750 articles available.
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.
Ancient Architects of the Mississippi
How did the Moundbuilders create the massive earthworks for which they are known?
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.
U.S. Census Bureau
The U.S. Census counts everyone! It creates a current image of the nation with its diversity and class variations.
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?
Western History Photography Collection
How does your view of the American West compare to the visual reality?
Turning Points in Wisconsin History
Primary documents, background information, and lesson plans for Wisconsin history.
Tennessee Documentary History Collection, 1796-1850
Geared toward K-12 education, this site presents antebellum life in Tennessee through letters and images.
Native American Constitution and Law Digitization Project
Tie civics into units involving Native American history using relevant full-text legal documents.
Dolley Madison Digital Edition
Read Dolley Madison’s personal correspondence from her youth through her widowhood.
Listening to Our Ancestors: The Art of Native Life Along the North Pacific Coast
View more than 400 Native American objects selected and presented by the 11 represented communities.
Early Recognized Treaties with American Indian Nations
Inspect nine early land dispute treaties between the Native Americans and the British or U.S.
American State Papers, 1789-1838
Access Congressional documents from the first 25 Congresses.
Madison: Celebrating 150 Years
Learn about Madison, WI, from early settlement through its time as the “queen of bootleggers.”
American Broadsides and Ephemera, Series I, 1760-1900
Explore American life through advertisements, literature, poetry, Civil War envelopes, and more!
The Adoption History Project
Did you know that adoption was only recognized as a legal U.S. operation in 1851?
New York Public Library Picture Collection Online
Support visual learners with a selection of more than 30,000 historical images.
Alabama Maps
How have boundaries changed over time? Compare the maps of yesteryear with those of today.
George Catlin and His Indian Gallery
Explore the meeting of the Plains Indians and Anglo Americans through the fine arts.
Red White Blue & Brimstone: New World Literature and the American Millennium
Texts throughout U.S. history have featured imagery from the Book of Revelations, including the the documents on this site.
U.S. Coast Guard
Who protects U.S. interests in international and domestic waters?
U.S. Army
Increase your knowledge of the people, past, and technology of the United States Army.
Historical Agency in History Book Sets (HBS)
Looking for ways to use fiction in your elementary history curriculum? Read on for suggestions!
Which Native American Tribes Allied Themselves with the French?
Historians endeavor to uncover Native American perspectives.
Tonight's the Night: PBS Broadcasts We Shall Remain
Television well-worth watching.
American Experience: We Shall Remain
Coming soon to your local PBS station: a new look at the Native American experience.
Three Perspectives on Native American Removal and Westward Expansion
Check out this lesson on arguments surrounding the 1830 forced removal of the Cherokee peoples from their homeland.
Integrating Material Culture into the Classroom
Use this guide developed by PBS and the Antiques Roadshow to teach about material culture.
Namesake of a Peacekeeper
Historians have attempted to account for the great admiration that whites had for Tecumseh.
Lewis and Clark: Same Place, Different Perspectives
How geography influenced interactions among Lewis, Clark, & Native Americans.
Menu for the First Thanksgiving
Only two eyewitness accounts of that first Thanksgiving remain.
National Register of Historic Places Travel Itineraries
Explore the historic sites in more than 50 cities and towns across the U.S.
Indian Peoples of the Northern Great Plains
Artifacts preserve the lifestyles of current and former American Indian tribes of the Northern Great Plains, 1870-1954.
History of the American West, 1860-1920
More than 30,000 photographs capture life in Colorado from 1860 to 1920.
Native American Documents Project
Four collections of data and documents address Federal Indian policy in the late 19th century.
American Radicalism Collection
From the Ku Klux Klan to the IWW, examine 129 historical documents from radical organizations.
Images of Native Americans
Illustrations follow European interpretations of Native Americans, through images from popular culture, literary and political observations, and artistic representations.
Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project
Primary and secondary sources document the minority struggle for civil rights in Seattle’s history.
Touring Turn-of-the-Century America
This database of images literally offers snapshots of late 19th to early 20th century America.
Century of Lawmaking: Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1873
Covers Congressional documents from the nation’s founding through early Reconstruction.
Lakota Winter Counts
Displays, explains, and interprets the Lakota pictorial histories known as winter counts.
Colonial Connecticut Records, 1636-1776
Explore the 15-volume Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut, from April 1636 to October 1776.
Center for Archaeological Studies
Showcases archaeological excavations at Mobile and elsewhere in Alabama through images and exhibits.
Digital History
Multimedia resources for teaching slavery, private life, technology, and film.
Using Maps as Primary Sources
A 4th-grade teacher shows strategies for encouraging and supporting student analysis of maps.
Kate and Sue McBeth, Missionary Teachers to the Nez Perce
Presents the letters and diaries of Kate and Sue McBeth, late 19th-century missionaries and teachers among the Nez Perce Indians.
Raid on Deerfield: The Many Stories of 1704
Documents the 1704 raid on Deerfield, MA, by 300 French and their Native American allies.
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.
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.
Reclaiming the Everglades: South Florida's Natural History, 1884-1934
Contains 10,000 pages and images on Everglades reclamation efforts and the history of south Florida.
American Indians of the Pacific Northwest
Documents the lives of Native Americans in the Northwest Coast and Plateau regions of the Pacific Northwest in text and photographs.
Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Presents the complete text of the Nebraska edition of the Lewis and Clark journals, along with supplementary secondary sources.
Archive of Early American Images
Collects more than 4,000 images from books created in Europe between 1492 and 1825.