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.
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.
Paintings About Segregation
Textbooks describe segregation in a few pages, but these artists share complicated, personal views of how segregation looked and felt.
Open Parks Network
View over 1 million images from U.S. national parks and historic sites.
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!
After Slavery
Does your textbook make Reconstruction sound simple? Explore the real pain and complexity of Reconstruction with primary sources focusing on the Carolinas.
Labor Unions in the Cotton Mills
Introduce students to the importance of oral history while simultaneously teaching them about 20th-century labor unions.
Handbook of Texas Online
This website contains a vast collection of resources on Texas history and culture.
Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
Experience a multimedia website that engages learners and makes Tennessee history accessible.
KnowLA: Encyclopedia of Louisiana
Do you really know Louisiana? KnowLA is a valuable resource for any teacher or student of U.S. and Louisiana history.
The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture
The website provides valuable resources for teachers that illuminate key events in U.S. and Arkansas history.
Encyclopedia Virginia
Looking for an extensive collection of sources on Virginia history? Here’s a valuable resource for any teacher or student of U.S. history.
Encyclopedia of Alabama
This site is precisely what it promises. . . and more.
Texas Archive of the Moving Image
Watch some Texas history, submit your own, or learn to make local documentaries.
Open Yale Courses
Looking for a little professional development? Miss your college classes? Try Yale’s.
Diary of a Civil War Nurse
What was life like for Amanda Akin, Civil War nurse in Washington, DC?
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.
Anthony Pellegrino on Teaching Segregated History
Anthony Pellegrino explores the history of one segregated school, and complicates his understanding of a traditional textbook narrative.
What Do You Mean?: How Language Changes Over Time
This creative lesson transforms language into a historic artifact and enables students to analyze how language changes over time.
Black Confederates
Most African Americans (free or slaves) never joined the ranks of the Confederacy. Are there cases where individuals did?
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.
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?
Selling a Slave
The obstacles and restraints on disposing of one’s human “property.”
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.
Great Expectations for the Civil War
Many believed the Civil War would be a short, bloodless battle. The reality of the drawn out combat led many soldiers in the North and South to desert the military to return home to farm and family.
The Disaster of Innovation
How the cotton gin revolutionized the use of slaves and the production of cotton in the Southern United States.
Intertwined Development: Railroads and Political Parties
The influence of the booming rail system on the growth and development of three political parties in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Trade Routes and Emerging Colonial Economies
The direct and indirect impacts of various trade routes during the 16th through 19th centuries.
Breaking the Confederate Line at Antietam
Hour by hour account of how Union Generals moved on the battlefield at Sharpsburg.
California or Bust
Who went west when? Answer questions about migration from 1935 to 2000.
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.
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?
Yo, Ho, Ho and a . . . Bushel of Oysters?
Shellfish pirates stole from the rich to feed themselves—and make a little money on the side.
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.
Politics of a Massacre: Discovering Wilmington 1898
This site contains sources covering and reacting to the deplorable 1898 massacre in Wilmington, NC.
Monticello Explorer
Can’t travel to Monticello? Take your students on a virtual tour of Jefferson’s estate with this website.
Refugees from the American Revolutionary War
Neighbor against neighbor, brother against brother, father against son.
Tennessee 4 Me
Three years in the making, this project of the Tennessee State Museum outlines TN state history from pre-history to the present.
Spy in a Petticoat
“She had outwitted the British and oh how they hated her.”
Remember the Alamo
How did the Alamo happen?
Land of (Unequal) Opportunity
460 documents and images on civil rights in Arkansas, from before, during, and after the civil rights movement.
Library of Southern Literature
Full texts of more than 130 works of literature by more than 75 Southern authors.
Narratives of Slavery
One institution, two very different perspectives. An expert contrasts records.
Protestant Immigration to Louisiana
On the trail of French Calvinists—apocryphal stories and actual immigrant populations.
Famous American Trials: "The Scottsboro Boys" Trials 1931-1937
Explore the infamous Scottboro case through a variety of primary source documents and images.
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.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of South Carolina
A collection of maps detailing over 80 South Carolina towns and cities.
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.
Civil War Maps
Explore the Library of Congress’ collection of Civil War maps, including maps of all major engagements.
Band Music from the Civil War Era
Listen to an overview of popular brass band music from the Civil War era.
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.
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.
History of Presidential Elections Site
Provides a wealth of information on US presidential elections, with a particular focus on the 2000 election.
Mount Vernon
Take a virtual tour of George Washington’s famous estate, Mt. Vernon.
Tending the Commons: Folklife and Landscape in Southern West Virginia
Learn about life in the Big Coal River Valley in West Virginia.
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.
John Brown and the Valley of the Shadow
A comprehensive collection of primary source materials which cover the infamous Harper’s Ferry raid.
Florida Folklife from the WPA Collections, 1937-1942
Explore the history of Florida folklife and culture.
Fiddle Tunes of the Old Frontier: The Henry Reed Collection
Learn about the 20th century resurgence of fiddle music and Appalachian folk culture.
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?
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?
Federal Township Plats of Illinois, 1804-1891
View maps created during the early stages of surveying Illinois.
Civil Rights Oral History Interviews: Spokane, Washington
From racism to civil rights movement music, listen to the memories of these eight individuals.
Life Interrupted: The Japanese American Experience in WW II Arkansas
What was life like during Japanese American internment?
North Carolinians and the Great War
How did World War I effect the lives of the everyday North Carolinian?
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?
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.
Murphy and Bolanz: Block and Addition Books, Dallas County 1880-1920
Explore the layout and businesses of turn-of-the-century Dallas.
Nineteenth-Century Texas Law Online: Gammel's The Laws of Texas
Delve into Texas law from early colonization through 1897.
Kiowa Drawings
Kiowa artwork from buffalo hide canvases to university art training.
WPA Life Histories, Virginia Interviews
Explore Depression-era, ex-slave, and urban youth life stories.
U.S. Army Signal Corps Photograph Collection
Take a peek at 1940s military life in Hampton Roads, VA.
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.
1939 World's Fair Photograph Collection
What images does a state choose to describe its way of life to the nation?
Encyclopedia Britannica: The 1911 Edition
Find out what people thought of everything from ablation to vinegar in 1911.
Mark Twain: A Film Directed by Ken Burns
Enjoy an interactive experience depicting the life of Mark Twain.
Washington During the Civil War: The Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft, 1861-1865
What did patent examiner Taft have to say on the Civil War homefront?
Lift Every Voice: Music in American Life
What work can be accomplished through music?
Economic Data, Fred II
Get your historical national economical statistics right here.
The Luso-Hispanic World in Maps
Peruse maps of Spanish and Portuguese colonization, exploration, and military ventures.
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?
Historical Map and Chart Collection
Teaching exploration? Why not introduce your students to nautical charts?
Austin Treasures: Online Exhibits from the Austin History Center
Discover the depth of Austin, Texas’s urban history through 10 online exhibits containing images and essays.
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.
The Capital and the Bay, ca. 1600-1925
What picture have people painted of the Washington, D.C. in written works?
American Civil War Manuscript Guides
Through these writings, you can see how soldiers saw themselves as actors in Civil War battles.
Slave Movement During the 18th and 19th Centuries
Analyze data to understand the impact of slavery on the colonies and nation.
Private Passions, Public Legacy: Paul Mellon's Personal Library
Enjoy this sneak peek at the Mellon Collection of Virginia history.
William Gedney Photographs and Writings
See American life through Gedney’s eyes and European and Indian life through American eyes.
A Southern Mill Village: History of Old West Durham
Follow the development of a mill town from its birth to its current status.
Max Hunter Folk Song Collection
A top notch concept: combining traveling sales with anthropological fieldwork.
Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920
What do the songs people sing tell us about their lives?
Quilts and Quiltmaking in America, 1978-1996
From the queer to the quite extraordinary—explore the art of quiltmaking in the Southern U.S.
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.
River of Song
Follow the evolution of American music along the Mississippi.
Riverboats and Jazz
What entertainment might you have expected on a riverboat cruise in the early 1900s?
Photographs of the Historic American Buildings Survey: Georgia
What sort of structures did the WPA consider culturally important to Georgia?
Access to Archival Databases
Delve into more than 85 million records related to U.S. history.
The Wright Brothers in Photographs
Meet the Wright Brothers and their family through photographs of friends and exploits.
The Church in the Southern Black Community, 1780-1925
How did the Protestant Church become central to Southern African American communities?
American Roots Music
Discover blues, country, bluegrass, gospel, Cajun, Zydeco, Tejano, and Native American music.
Goldband Records: "Every One a Musical Treat"
What on earth is “swamp pop”?
Reston Collection Images
Explore the planned community of Reston, VA. Gain a better sense of the town that has become a burgeoning suburb.
The New Georgia Encyclopedia
Need a comprehensive site on Georgia history? Why, here you go!
WRA Photographs of Japanese-American Evacuation and Resettlement
These curious photos created by the War Relocation Authority put a positive spin on Japanese American internment.
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.
New France, New Horizons: On French Soil in America
Explore French Louisiana, Canada, and the Great Lakes region.
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.
George Mason University Electronic Documentary History
How does a university grow into its own?
Rare Map Collection
Explore maps from throughout America’s history, with a special focus on 19th century Georgia.
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.
Center for the Study of the American South
An interesting collection of cultural resources pertaining to the American South.
The Internet African-American History Challenge
A great website for introducing African American history to young or new students.
Crisis at Fort Sumter
Work through the Fort Sumter crises alongside our nation’s leaders.
Mapping History
Explore American and world history through this collection of maps.
Chickasaw Historical Research Page
Learn about the Chickasaw Indians, originally from the American South, with this 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.
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.
The Urban Landscape
View photographs of a variety of urban landscapes.
African American Women
Read the memoirs and letters of three 19th-century African American women on this website.
First-Person Narratives of the American South, 1860-1920
Learn about the American south in the late 19th century through 141 firsthand texts.
Letters from an Iowa Soldier in the Civil War
Read a firsthand account of army life during the Civil War. See the battles from the perspective of someone who fought in them.
Images of Battle: Selected Civil War Letters
Relive major Civil War battles through the words of the soldiers who fought in them.
Civil War Women
Learn about the role of three American women during the Civil War.
American Slave Narratives
Read and listen to firsthand narratives on slave life during the 19th century.
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.
Rebellion: John Horse and the Black Seminoles
What role did runaway slaves and free African Americans play in the Second Seminole War?
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.
Vincentian Postcards
Explore 200 years of postcards which document the Vincentian religious order of educators and nurses.
Sanborn® Fire Insurance Maps for Georgia Towns and Cities, 1884-1922
More than 540 urban maps of Georgia from between 1884 and 1922, detailing business locations.
A Portion of the People: Three Hundred Years of Southern Jewish Life
Explore Jewish heritage outside of the Mid-Atlantic or the Holocaust.
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers
What happened between 1880 and 1910 in the area where you live?
Bound for Glory: America in Color, 1939-1943
View color photographs of everyday life during the Great Depression and pre-World War II mobilization.
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.
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.
The Lives and Writings of Antebellum Students at UNC
What did college students think about their lives and larger issues in the 19th-century?
Historic Missouri Newspaper Project
Peruse articles, images, and advertisements drawn from 14 Missouri newspapers, 1835 through 1988.
Thar's Gold in Them Thar Hills: Gold and Gold Mining in Georgia, 1830s-1940s
Gold mining, though often portrayed as lawless, was, in some cases, big business.
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.
Native American Constitution and Law Digitization Project
Tie civics into units involving Native American history using relevant full-text legal documents.
Liberian Letters
What was life like for freed slaves returned to Africa? Read letters to former owners.
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.
Gilmer Civil War Maps Collection
Explore the Civil War-era South through hand-drawn maps and renderings.
The Blues, Black Vaudeville, and the Silver Screen, 1912-1930s
How was the community support for and operation of Southern African American theaters?
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 African-American Mosaic
Let the Library of Congress introduce you to African-American history from colonization to the WPA.
Panoramic Maps, 1847-1929
Did you know that between 1840 and 1929 many maps were not drawn to scale?
Alabama Maps
How have boundaries changed over time? Compare the maps of yesteryear with those of today.
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.
U.S. Marine Corps
Why are the Marines known as “America’s 911 Force”? Explore this division of the armed services.
Teaching with Historic Places
Looking for new ideas on how to teach with the historic places in your community?
John Brown, Harpers Ferry, Students, History and Technology
Middle school students interpret history at Harpers Ferry.
Why Did President Polk Want War with Mexico?
During the 1840s, Manifest Destiny remained an effusive spirit rather than an agenda for empire.
Are There Instances of Raids Similar to the Boston Tea Party?
From South Carolina to Maine, colonists protested the Tea Act of 1773.
Exploring Historical Texts in a Discussion-Based Class
Trying to promote more productive and engaging discussions?
Opening Up the Textbook: Rosa Parks
The textbook is examined as one source among many, rather than a final authority.
The Reason Behind the "Stars and Bars"
Find out how this battle flag came into being.
National Register of Historic Places Travel Itineraries
Explore the historic sites in more than 50 cities and towns across the U.S.
Race and Place
Discover connections between race and place in this archive documenting the effects of Jim Crow on a Virginia town.
Library of Virginia Digital Library Program
Houses more than 1.2 million items on Virginia and life in the South.
Television News of the Civil Rights Era
View contemporary coverage of the Civil Rights Movement from two Roanoke, VA television stations.
Kentuckiana Digital Library
Collects photographs, texts, and oral histories drawn from 15 Kentucky colleges, universities, libraries, and historical societies.
Documenting the American South
Nearly 1,400 documents covering Southern life from the 18th to early 20th centuries.
Center for Archaeological Studies
Showcases archaeological excavations at Mobile and elsewhere in Alabama through images and exhibits.
Africans in America
Trace the history of Africans in America through Reconstruction, with 245 images, maps, and documents.
Picturing America
Presents 27 iconic works of art as examples for the use of art and primary sources in history classrooms.
Using Maps as Primary Sources
A 4th-grade teacher shows strategies for encouraging and supporting student analysis of maps.
Diary, Correspondence, and Papers of Robert "King" Carter, 1701-1732
Offers letters and diary entries by Robert “King” Carter (1663–1732), wealthy Virginian landowner and public figure.
Florida State Archives Photographic Collection
Presents more than 137,000 photographs of Florida on specific localities from the mid-19th century to the present.
The John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip
Archives audio files of more than 700 folk tunes recorded in the South in 1939.
Like a Family: The Making of a Southern Cotton Mill World
Offers oral history resources examining life in southern textile mill towns from the 1880s to the 1930s.
Virtual Jamestown
Experience firsthand accounts of Jamestown and colonial history, dating from 1570 through 1720.
Digital Library of Georgia
Examines the history and culture of the state of Georgia, presenting an extensive range of primary sources.
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.
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.
Thomas Jefferson Digital Archive
Peruse more than 1,700 texts written by or to Thomas Jefferson—from correspondence to books and papers.
Selected Civil War Photographs
Explore more than 1,000 Civil War photographs.
Broadcasting Longevity
The roots of the Grand Ole Opry extend deep into radio broadcasting history.