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.
Mormons and Westward Expansion: A Guide for Pre-Service Teachers
Teachers guide students to create interactive digital maps detailing the migration of Mormons using Library of Congress primary sources.
Open Parks Network
View over 1 million images from U.S. national parks and historic sites.
Bleeding Kansas
What were the origins of this infamous controversy?
Exploring Historical Fiction
Make the Lewis and Clark expedition and life on the Oregon Trail come alive with these suggestions!
The Short-Handled Hoe
History is imbedded in the smallest objects. In this lesson, students examine how a simple farming tool connects to the work done by United Farm Workers.
Reading Photographs: A Dusty Street
When and where was this photo taken? See what clues you can spot!
Westward Expansion: Image vs. Reality
East or West? See if you can determine which region produced these images on westward migration!
Manifest Destiny: Creating an American Identity
Discover how the concept of a “Manifest Destiny” shaped American perceptions prior to and throughout the 19th century.
Pearl Harbor Attack Map
What did U.S. sailors mean when they refer to seeing “the meatball”? What did Japanese pilots think about the attack?
Japanese American Internment: Ansel Adams Photos
If the U.S. interned you and your family, how would you respond?
The Oregon Encyclopedia
A comprehensive guide of everything you ever wanted to know about Oregon history, and more!
Online Nevada Encyclopedia
This website showcases images of the Silver State and supplements historical entries with virtual galleries and thematic connections.
Digital Resource Guide for the Labor Archives of Washington State
Making labor history access less of a chore.
America's Shifting Western Frontier
Go Where, Young Man?
Slavery in Wyoming
Slavery outside of the South is often overlooked, as is Wyoming history.
Gilded Age Plains City
Delve into Great Plains urban development c. 1900 by way of a compelling, unsolved murder mystery.
Joe Hill
Union strikes. Murder. Itinerant songwriting. The life of martyr Joe Hill could hardly have been more dramatic or mysterious.
Ron Gorr on Go to the Source (GTTS) Activities
Primary sources are crucial for historical study. AP history teacher Ron Gorr suggests ways to better incorporate them into lesson plans.
Riding the Rails
How many cows could a cowcatcher catch, if a cowcatcher could catch cows?
Elizabeth Schaefer's Vocabulary in Motion!
As spring weather approaches, are your students getting antsy? Eighth-grade teacher Elizabeth Schaefer gets students out of their seats with American Expansionism.
The California Gold Rush
“Seeing the elephant” in California.
Targeting Content and English Language Objectives
Integrating English Language Development (ELD) standards and objectives into your lesson planning can strengthen both your students’ understanding of history and their language skill levels.
Why Should Teachers Use ELD Objectives?
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.
Mystery Strategy for Elementary Students
Using the premise of a mystery, elementary students act as history detectives as they explore a historical question and formulate and test hypotheses.
OurStory
Link literature and history with activity sets for 18 books and a database of over 270 other books for young readers.
California or Bust
Who went west when? Answer questions about migration from 1935 to 2000.
United We Stand: Industry and Famous Strikes
Stand up (or sit down) for better working conditions! Test your knowledge of strikes in U.S. history.
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.
Go West, Young Woman!
Men and women both settled the West. Answer these questions on women’s records of the experience.
Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection
Covering Californian urban history? Search more than 275,000 digitized images in Los Angeles Public Library’s photo archives.
Bracero History Archive
The Bracero History Archive—a collaborative project of George Mason University, the Smithsonian, Brown University, and the University of Texas, El Paso—is an online collection of resources that documents the Bracero program, a guest worker initiative where millions of Mexicans came to work in American agriculture during the mid-20th century.
Teaching the Transcontinental Railroad
From Chinese immigrants to the Golden Spike, explore the history of the transcontinental railroad.
Seattle General Strike Project
In 1919, Seattle workers launched the first general strike in U.S. history. Explore labor history with over 100 newspaper articles and other sources on the strike.
Chicano/a Movement in Washington State History Project
Washington State educators, bring diversity and reform activism into your classroom with resources on this civil rights movement.
University of Washington Libraries: Moving Image Collection
Northwest educators—need some unconventional primary sources? Check out 65 moving images from 1915 through the 21st century.
Washington State Digital Archives
Attention Washington State educators! Looking for primary sources? With more than 84.5 million documents, this archive has what you need.
University of Wyoming Digital Collections
Wyoming educators, explore more than 10,000 primary sources on Wyoming’s 19th- and 20th-century history.
A Clear Shot across the Continent
President Polk, the fortunes of war, territory, and the ever-present compromises of history.
The Mountain Meadows Massacre in Public Discourse
Examine this 1877 massacre from a total of 40 different perspectives.
Curating the City: Wilshire Blvd
California educators, lead your students on an interactive journey down Los Angeles’s historic Wilshire Boulevard!
Annie Oakley
Annie Oakley could shoot 6 holes in a playing card before it touched ground. Invite this sharpshooter into your classroom!
Remember the Alamo
How did the Alamo happen?
Platte River Basin in Nebraska
Forty diverse documents about the history, geology, and hydrology of the Platte River, from 1843 to the present.
Russian Ships at Pearl Harbor?
Playing the game of alternative history—do what-ifs and if-onlys have a place in historical inquiry?
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.
John Brown's Holy War
A variety of resources focused on the life and times of infamous abolitionist John Brown.
Bisbee Deportation of 1917
Learn about labor history through the infamous Bisbee Deportation.
Museum of the City of San Francisco: The Great 1906 Earthquake and Fire
Learn about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, how it destroyed the city, and how the city was subsequently rebuilt by its inhabitants.
Integrated Public Use Microdata Series
View 22 census data samples and 65 million records from 13 federal censuses.
History of Presidential Elections Site
Provides a wealth of information on US presidential elections, with a particular focus on the 2000 election.
The African American Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship
A comprehensive guide consisting of over 240 primary source items detailing African American history.
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.
Promise of Gold Mountain: Tucson's Chinese Heritage
A collection of primary sources detailing early Asian-Americans in Tucson, Arizona.
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?
Civil Rights Oral History Interviews: Spokane, Washington
From racism to civil rights movement music, listen to the memories of these eight individuals.
The Annexation of Hawaii: A Collection of Documents
Compare U.S. and Hawaiian opinion on Hawaiian annexation.
National Postal Museum
The mail always comes, rain or shine; but how?
Ghost Town Gallery
Turn off the lights, and explore the ghost towns of the West.
Carnegie Libraries of California
Learn about the California libraries built with Carnegie funding.
Arizona State Museum
Can’t get to Arizona? You can still see local Native American artifacts online.
Communism in Washington State--History and Memory Project
Communist Russia. Communist China. Communist Washington?
Early Washington Maps: A Digital Collection
Washington was once part of an area contested for between the U.S. and Great Britain.
Oral History Research Center
What do Vegas showgirls have to say about their time in the city?
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?
Encyclopedia Britannica: The 1911 Edition
Find out what people thought of everything from ablation to vinegar in 1911.
Voices of the Colorado Plateau
There’s more to the West than cowboys.
Historical Map and Chart Collection
Teaching exploration? Why not introduce your students to nautical charts?
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.
Surveyors of the West: William Henry Jackson and Robert Brewster Stanton
Follow the journey of two men through the western United States.
Heading West and Touring West
View maps of the West, while simultaneously looking into the lives of traveling performers.
Traders: Voices from the Trading Post
Listen as traders talk about their experiences at Native American trading posts.
Regional Oral History Office
Explore California oral histories, or learn to conduct your own interviews.
Free Speech Movement: Student Protest, U.C. Berkeley, 1964-65
Explore primary documents concerning the Berkeley Free Speech Movement.
William Gedney Photographs and Writings
See American life through Gedney’s eyes and European and Indian life through American eyes.
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?
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.
Korean American Digital Archive
Meet singer Florence Ahn, minister Soon Hyun, and others.
The 3Cities Project
Examine the nexus of representation, modernity, and urban life.
Before and After the Earthquake and Fire: Early Films of San Francisco
See a turn-of-the-century city, San Francisco, before, during, and after the 1906 earthquake and fire (1897-1916).
Railroad Maps, 1828-1900
View maps created for a multitude of purposes related to travel by rail.
The 19th Century in Print: Books
What were people reading around the time of the Civil War?
The Texas Constitutions Digitization Project
When was Texas part of Mexico? The U.S.? Separate?
Mapping the National Parks
Track the exploration and use of Acadia, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and the Great Rocky Mountains.
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.
The American Experience
Discover briefs on more than 60 iconic points in U.S. history.
Drawing the Western Frontier: The James E. Taylor Album
How did newspaper illustration shape stereotypes (and our understanding) of the “Wild West”?
Little Cowpuncher: Rural School Newspaper of Southern Arizona
If you were a pioneer, what would you have to say about your schooling? Students take up their pens and invoke their democratic freedom of the press.
Picturing Modern America Project
Create your own thematic exhibits using Library of Congress images.
Access to Archival Databases
Delve into more than 85 million records related to U.S. history.
Digital Map Collection
Need a historic map for any of your lessons? Check out this digital map collection!
WTO History Project
Take a peek at Seattle protest history through the WTO Ministerial Week.
American Roots Music
Discover blues, country, bluegrass, gospel, Cajun, Zydeco, Tejano, and Native American music.
A More Perfect Union
Was Japanese American internment constitutional? Explore the Japanese American experience.
Historic Topographic Maps of California
Explore a wide range of Californian geological survey maps, dating from 1895 to present.
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!
University of California History Digital Archives
Discover the history of the University of California through primary sources.
American Memory Learning Page
Try lesson plans based on the Library of Congress’ American Memory collections.
Education by Design: Using Visual Aids
Seek inspiration from classroom visual aids of the past.
Utah Digital Newspapers
Browse Utah newspapers from 1879 through modern day.
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.
San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection
Imagine San Francisco as it would have been as early as 1850.
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?
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Follow the development of Weapons of Mass Destruction through the protection of the people of the U.S.
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.
NativeWeb: Resources for Indigneous Cultures Around the World
A unique website designed to foster communication regarding all of the planet’s native peoples.
Lewis and Clark: Maps of Exploration 1507-1814
Explore cartography and the exploration of the North American continent.
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.
Chickasaw Historical Research Page
Learn about the Chickasaw Indians, originally from the American South, with this website.
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.
Photographs from the Fred Hulstrand and F. A. Pazandak Photograph Collections
Witness farming at the turn of the 20th century with this collection of photographs.
Buckaroos in Paradise: Ranching Culture in Northern Nevada, 1945-1982
Learn about ranching culture and everyday life in northern Nevada’s Paradise Valley.
California Heritage Collection
View the early history of California through this collection of over 30,000 photographs.
The Japanese American Exhibit and Access Project
Go back in time and witness the harsh conditions at Japanese Internment Camps during World War II.
Alaska's Digital Archive
View images related to Alaskan statehood and Native Americans.
Vietnam War Era Ephemera Collection
Explore campus protest ephemera and the youth movements of the 1960s and 70s.
Columbia River Basin Ethnic History Archive
Which ethnic groups have made their homes in the Columbia River Basin?
Vincentian Postcards
Explore 200 years of postcards which document the Vincentian religious order of educators and nurses.
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers
What happened between 1880 and 1910 in the area where you live?
Seattle Power and Water Supply Collection
Take a gander at Washington state hydroelectric engineering feats of the 1890s through 1950s.
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.
Invincible Cities
Visual depictions of post-industrial urban decay in California and New Jersey.
Las Vegas: An Unconventional History
Why is Las Vegas one of the world’s most popular destinations? How has it changed?
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?
Frank Lloyd Wright: Designs for an American Landscape 1922-1932
Check out five design schemes created by Frank Lloyd Wright, but never implemented.
The Eastman Project: Images of California Life
View more than 13,200 photographs of California labor and community life between 1921 and 1965.
Minnesota Maps Online
Are you interested in cartography or the natural and social environment of early Minnesota?
Seattle Black Panther Party History and Memory Project
Who exactly were the Black Panthers? Explore the history and memories of the Seattle chapter.
Native American Constitution and Law Digitization Project
Tie civics into units involving Native American history using relevant full-text legal documents.
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.
Lawrence Denny Lindsley Photographs
What did the Seattle area, mining, hunting, and portraiture look like c. 1900?
U.S. Geological Survey
How has land use altered over time, and what did the explorers encounter?
American State Papers, 1789-1838
Access Congressional documents from the first 25 Congresses.
The Great Seattle Fire
Delve into photographic evidence of the damage caused by the 1889 Great Seattle Fire.
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?
California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties
Sit back and enjoy folk and popular music recordings from 1930s California natives and immigrants.
Lionel Hampton: His Life and Legacy
Jazz musician Lionel Hampton and the University of Idaho shared a rich relationship, explored in this tribute site.
History of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge
Follow the history of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, from its completion in 1938 to its collapse in 1940 and its 1950 reconstruction.
Why Did President Polk Want War with Mexico?
During the 1840s, Manifest Destiny remained an effusive spirit rather than an agenda for empire.
Discovering Angel Island: The Story Behind the Poems
Learn about the experiences of immigrants detained at Angel Island and how this impacted their opinion of the US.
Lewis and Clark: Same Place, Different Perspectives
How geography influenced interactions among Lewis, Clark, & Native Americans.
"Join or Die"
Think the “Join or Die” snake first appeared during the American Revolution? Think again!
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.
Voices from the Dust Bowl: 1940-1941
Great Depression documentation of migrant work camps in central California.
Nineteenth-century California Sheet Music
Scanned images from more than 2,700 pieces of sheet music provide insight into life in 1852–1900 California.
Native American Documents Project
Four collections of data and documents address Federal Indian policy in the late 19th century.
Rivers, Edens, Empires: Lewis and Clark and the Revealing of America
180 documents and artifacts interpret 19th-century westward exploration and the concept of Manifest Destiny.
Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project
Primary and secondary sources document the minority struggle for civil rights in Seattle’s history.
Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) Photographs
Close to 200 photographs document the work of Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA).
Digital Archive Collections at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa Library
Covering topics ranging from the annexation of Hawaii to World War II, 29 collections document the history of Hawaii and Micronesia.
Territorial Kansas Online
Primary and secondary sources examine the growing divisions in Kansas and the nation prior to the Civil War.
Mexican-American War and the Media
More than 5,500 transcribed newspaper articles related to the Mexican-American War.
First American West: The Ohio River Valley, 1750-1820
Explore sources from the mid-18th-to-early-19th-century European migration into the Ohio River Valley.
Envisaging the West: Thomas Jefferson and the Roots of Lewis and Clark
Follows Jefferson’s life, political participation, and accumulation of scientific geographical knowledge from 1735 to 1804.
USC Archival Research Center
With over 126,000 photographs, maps, and other documents, this site offers a comprehensive look at the history of Los Angeles and southern California.
Lakota Winter Counts
Displays, explains, and interprets the Lakota pictorial histories known as winter counts.
Selling the Computer Revolution: Marketing Brochures in the Collection
Presents more than 250 computer marketing brochures from 1948 to 1988.
Making the Macintosh: Technology and Culture in Silicon Valley
Preserves the history of the Macintosh through interviews with designers, technical writers, Apple employees, and others.
Chinese in California, 1850-1925
Browse more than 8,000 objects related to Chinese immigrant life in California.
Sanborn® Fire Insurance Maps, UT
1,275 detailed historical maps, dating from 1867 through 1969, depict 40 cities in the state of Utah.
Prairie Settlement: Nebraska Photographs and Family Letters
Nearly 3,500 images and approximately 318 letters illuminate life on the Great Plains from 1862 to 1912.
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.
California as I Saw It: First-Person Narratives of California, 1849-1900
40,000 written pages and more than 3,000 illustrations provide accounts of California history from the Gold Rush to the end of the 19th century.
Trails to Utah and the Pacific: Diaries and Letters, 1846-1869
Get up close-and-personal with western migrants. Explore personal accounts of westward treks from the perspective of 45 men and four women.
Online Archive of California
Explore California from Japanese American internment or the Free Speech Movement to oral histories.
Museum of the City of San Francisco
Peruse 11 exhibits, from the Gold Rush of 1849 to Japanese American internment during WWII.
The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire
Exhibit and archive featuring an extensive collection of primary source material on the 1906 natural disaster and the fire that followed.
South Texas Border, 1900-1920: The Robert Runyon Collection
This site showcases over 8,000 images documenting the history and development of South Texas and the border.
Ansel Adams's Photographs of Japanese-American Internment at Manzanar
Ansel Adams’s photographs preserve life at the Manzanar War Relocation Center during World War II.
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.