General Resources

American Memory (Library of Congress) ... historical collections for the National Digital Library

American Memory Learning Page (Library of Congress) ... Orientation to American Memory | Features | Collections | Activities | Educators | Lessons | Resources

America's Story from America's Library (Library of Congress) ... Meet Amazing Americans | Jump Back in Time | Explore the States | Join America at Play | See, Hear, and Sing

Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids ... Our Nation | Historical Documents | Branches of Government | How Laws Are Made | National vs. State Government | Election Process | Citizenship | Games and Activities | Glossary | U.S. Government Web Sites for Kids

Constitution Community (National Archives and Records Administration lesson plans)... lessons and activities that address constitutional issues, correlate to national academic standards, and encourage the analysis of primary source documents ... arranged according to historical era

Constitution of the United States of America (National Archives) ... a transcription of the Constitution in its original form, with hyperlinks to biographies of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention

Digital Classroom (National Archives) ... provides materials and methods for teaching and learning with primary sources ... includes Document Analysis Worksheets for analyzing written documents, photographs, cartoons, posters, maps, artifacts, sound recordings, and motion pictures

Encarta (MSN) ... online reference source: encyclopedia , atlas, dictionary ... encyclopedia articles include links to related Websites

Encyclopedia Smithsonian ... answers to frequently asked questions about the Smithsonian and links to Smithsonian resources on subjects from Art to Zoology

Government Websites ... links to online resources in U.S. Government | State and Local Government | International Government

Historical Maps of the United States ... Early Inhabitants | Exploration and Settlement | U.S. Territorial Growth | Military History Maps | Later Historical Maps

History Place ... chronologies and timelines with links to information on major periods in U.S. History: American Revolution | Civil War | 20th Century Topics | World War II & Nazi Germany | Vietnam War | Presidents of the U.S.

Our Shared History: African American Heritage (National Park Service) ... Exhibits and Collections | Tools for Learning | Stories to Tell | Underground Railroad

Outline of American History (USIA-United States Information Agency)... Early America | Colonial Period | Road to Independence | Formation of National Government | Westward Expansion and Regional Differences | Sectional Conflict | Growth and Transformation | Discontent and Reform | War, Prosperity, and Depression | The New Deal and World War | Postwar America | Decades of Change | Towards the 21st Century

POTUS: Presidents of the United States (Internet Public Library) ... background information, election results, cabinet members, notable events, points of interest ... links to biographies, historical documents, audio and video files, and other presidential sites

PBS History (Public Broadcasting System) ... Ancient World | Biographies | United States History |World History | War and Espionage

Using Primary Sources in the Classroom (Library of Congress) ... suggestions for student activities to enhance your social studies curriculum using authentic artifacts, documents, photographs, and manuscripts from the Library of Congress Historical Collections and other sources

Resistance, Revolution, Republic

American Indians and the Natural World (Carnegie Museum of Natural History) ... belief systems, philosophies, and practical knowledge that guide Indian peoples' interactions with the natural world

American Revolution Homepage ... Timeline | Founding Fathers | Patriots | Battles | Generals | Other | Links

American Revolutionary War (National Park Service) ... featured sites and collections commemorate significant events and individuals of the American Revolutionary War [1775-1783]

Archiving Early America ... explore the world of Early America through the media of the day ... primary sources include documents, newspapers, maps, magazines and writings

Jump Back in Time to Colonial America (Library of Congress: America's Story) ... brief articles on a variety of Colonial topics

Liberty! (PBS) ...Chronicle of the Revolution: headlines, timelines, resource material and links to topics related to Colonial America and the Revolution / Perspectives on Liberty: Daily Life in the Colonies, the Global Village, and a Military point-of-view

National Museum of the American Indian (Smithsonian) ... online exhibits and a virtual tour of the museum

Sectionalism, Civil War, Reconstruction

Aboard the Underground Railroad (National Park Service) ... Slave Trade | Early Antislavery | Operating the UGRR | Civil War

After Reconstruction: Problems of African Americans (Library of Congress lesson plan) ... students identify problems and issues facing African Americans in the South immediately after Reconstruction ... students search the collection for documents that describe the problem, consider opposing points of view, and suggest a remedy

Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938 (Library of Congress) ... more than 2,300 first-person accounts of slavery and 500 black-and-white photographs of former slaves

Camp Life: Civil War Collections from Gettysburg National Military Park (National Park Service) ... Existing Day to Day | Battling Boredom | About the Exhibit

Civil War As Photographed by Matthew Brady (National Archives: Constitution Connection lesson plan) ... students draw conclusions about the Civil War by analyzing primary source photographs

Civil War Links ... list of Websites from the BCPS Research Module "Civil War and Killer Angels" ... see the "Mega" Civil War Sites at the bottom of the list-- searchable sites which contain many links on a variety Civil War topics

Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System (National Park Service) ... database of basic facts about servicemen who served on both sides during the Civil War: Soldiers / Sailors / Regiments / Cemeteries / Battles / Prisoners / Medals of Honor / National Parks

First-Person Narratives of the American South, 1860-1920 (Library of Congress) ... compilation of printed texts documents the culture of the nineteenth-century American South from the viewpoint of Southerners ... includes the diaries, autobiographies, memoirs, travel accounts, and ex-slave narratives of not only prominent individuals, but also of relatively inaccessible populations: women, African Americans, enlisted men, laborers, and Native Americans

Letters Home from an Iowa Soldier ... primary source of information about a soldier's life during the Civil War

National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom ... includes a history of the Underground Railroad, narratives of Underground Railroad activity, links

54th. Mass. Infantry ... information about a unit of African American soldiers

Industrial America Emerges

Building America's Industrial Revolution: The Boott Cotton Mills of Lowell, Massachusetts ... (National Park Service: Teaching With Historical Places lesson plan) ... Getting Started: Inquiry Question | Setting the Stage: Historical Context | Locating the Site: Maps | Determining the Facts: Readings | Visual Evidence: Images | Putting It All Together: Activities | Supplementary Resources

Child Labor in America (Library of Congress lesson plan) ... asks students to critically examine, respond to and report on photographs as historical evidence ... students discover the work of reformer/photographer Lewis Hine, whose photographs give the issue of child labor a dramatic personal relevance and illustrate the impact of photojournalism in the course of American history
Glidden's Patent Application for Barbed Wire (National Archives: Teaching with Documents lesson plan) ... documents and learning activities explore the impact of invention on the development of the West

Gold Rush! (PBS--Way Back U.S. History for Kids) ... gold fever ... journey of the forty-niners ... Californios ... people affected by the goldrush

The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century (PBS) ... features interviews, maps, photographs and an interactive timeline

Hard Drive to the Klondike: Promoting Seattle During the Gold Rush (National Park Service) ... A Historic Resource Study for the Seattle Unit of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park

Lewis and Clark Online Expedition (National Geographic) ... multimedia, interactive journey West across America

Museum of Westward Expansion (National Park Service) ... take a virtual tour to explore the world of the American Indians and the19th century pioneers who helped shape the history of the American West

Technology in 1900 (PBS--Way Back U.S. History for Kids) ... technologies available to kids in 1900, the first telephone operators, early race cars, music video 1900-style, what people in 1900 predicted for the future
Two American Entrepreneurs: Madam C.J. Walker and J.C. Penney (National Park Service: A Teaching With Historical Places lesson plan) ... Getting Started: Inquiry Question | Setting the Stage: Historical Context | Locating the Site: Maps | Determining the Facts: Readings | Visual Evidence: Images | Putting It All Together: Activities | Supplementary Resources

1920's/1930's

The Great Depression and the 1990s (Library of Congress lesson plan) ... using the American Memory's American Life Histories, 1936-1940 documents, personal interviews, and the Library of Congress's on-line legislative information (THOMAS), students gain an understanding of why the government takes care of its people and how this type of welfare state started. Armed with this knowledge, they then evaluate the current need of government programs such as welfare, Medicare and Social Security, on the federal and state level.

Immigration/Migration: Today and During the Great Depression (Library of Congress lesson plan) ... students compare the immigration/migration experiences of their families to those of people living through the Great Depression using interviews with parents, and photographs, films, and documents from the Library of Congress and other sources

The New Deal: North Carolina's Reconstruction? (Library of Congress lesson plan) ... a guide for teachers that will result in imaginary Works Progress Administration (WPA) interviews (similar to those found in American Life Histories, 1936-1940 of American Memory) that demonstrate students' interpretation of the question, "Was the New Deal North Carolina's 'Reconstruction'?"

Surviving the Dustbowl (PBS: The American Experience) ... Special Features (eyewitness accounts, New Deal remedies) / Timeline / Maps / Teachers' Guide

America Assumes World Responsibility

Battlefield: Vietnam (PBS) ... A Brief History | Timeline | Guerrilla Tactics | Air War | The Seige of Khe Sahn | Web Resources

The Cold War Homepage ... created by a Russian student who moved to the U.S... interesting reading and well-done, despite some spelling/grammatical errors

Electronic Passport to the World Wars ... The World Wars | Alliances Led to a Great War | 20th Century Warfare |
America Enters World War II | A Kid's Perspective | Harry Truman's Decision | Links

Guts and Glory (PBS)... firsthand accounts from World War II soldiers and nurses

Normandy (Britannica.com Presents) ... Buildup | Invasion | Fighting Inland | Breakout | Normandy in Memory | Imagining D-Day: The History Behind Saving Private Ryan

Nothing to Fear But Fear Itself (Library of Congress lesson plan) ... using primary sources, students explore the period when 120,000 Japanese Americans were evacuated from the West Coast and held in internment camps

Pearl Harbor Remembered ... overview, maps, timeline, survivor's remembrances

Powers of Persuasion--Poster Art of World War II (National Archives lesson plan) ... students analyze posters that were part of the battle for the hearts and minds of the American people

Soviet Archive Exhibit: Cold War (Library of Congress) ... Postwar Estrangement | Soviet Perspectives | Cuban Missile Crisis

The United States Enters the Korean Conflict (National Archives: Teaching with Historical Documents) ... students analyze a 1950 statement by President Harry S. Truman, announcing his order to send U.S. air and naval forces to help defend South Korea and explaining the rationale for his decision

The United States and the Holocaust (PBS: The American Experience)... Special Feature | Timeline | Maps | People & Events

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum ... extensive collection of resources for students and teachers

Viet Nam Online (PBS: The American Experience) ... Who's Who | Timeline | Reflections | In the Trenches ...also, program transcripts PBS's "Vietnam: A Television History"

Women Come to the Front: Journalists, Photographers, and Broadcasters During World War II (Library of Congress)... War, Women and Opportunity | Eight Women Who Came to the Front | Seeds of Change | Accredited Women Correspondents During World War II

World War II Webquests, Lesson Plans, and Oral History Sites.. Webquests include: The Holocaust | Submarines | The Decision to Drop the Bomb | World War II Lesson Plans | Pearl Harbor ... Oral History links include: Guadalcanal Journal Transcript | World War II Oral History at Tankbooks.com | Eyewitnesses to World War II | Growing up in Japan during the Pacific War | Holocaust Witnesses | What Did you do in the War Grandma? | The American Experience: Fly Girls

A Time of Change: Facing New Challenges

Civil Rights Timeline (Infoplease) ... clickable timeline with basic information about significant people and events

Civil Rights Tour ... Foundations: How did the movement begin? | The Philosophy of Nonviolence | Aggressive Action for Civil Rights | U.S. Presidents in the Movement | Women in Civil Rights Movement | Native Americans in the Movement | Webfind Activity

Controversial Social Issues (BCPS) ... from the "Where Do You Stand?" research module, links to Websites on issues in these categories: educational, science and health, legal and political, media, and animal issues

Free At Last: The Civil Rights Movement in the United States (Thinkquest) ... students take the Timeline Route, the Leaders Route, or the Issues Route to explore the Civil Rights Movement ... includes a Civil Rights Dictionary and Bibliography

Little Rock 9, Integration 0? A Collaborative Webquest on Racial Desegregation in Schools (Pacific Bell) ... students examine the events surrounding the desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas

National Civil Rights Museum ... take an Interactive Tour of the museum

Newsweek/MSNBC ... articles from the current issue of Newsweek Magazine and a searchable archive

Social Issues (from Bigchalk) ... many links to Websites about current social issues in these categories: Affirmative Action, Bilingual Education, Death Penalty, Ethics of Genetics, Free Expression & School Uniforms, Gun Control, Homelessness, Immigrant Issues, Religion in Public Schools, Social Inequality, Students' Rights, Tobacco and Cigarette Control

Sunspot.net ... local, national, and international news

Time.com ... articles from the current issue of Time Magazine, and a searchable archive

Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement (Western Michigan University) ... 1954-Brown v. Board of Education | 1955-Montgomery Bus Boycott | 1957-Desegregation at Little Rock | 1960-Sit-in Campaign 1961-Freedom Rides | 1962-Mississippi Riot | 1963-Birmingham, March on Washington | 1965-Selma

You Teach the Decades (Webquest) ... students create a multimedia lesson about a decade in the 20th century ... includes Weblinks

Washington Post.com ... national and international news

We Shall Overcome: Historic Places of the Civil Rights Movement (National Park Service) ... The Need for Change | The Players | The Strategy | The Cost | The Prize ... includes a clickable map

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, 1960-1966 ... One of the major civil rights groups of the 1960's, SNCC started the sit-in's and went on to become one of the most militant advocates of "black power"

20th Century History By the Decades (Chico High School Library, CA) ... links to Websites about each decade in the 20th century and categories including: General Collections | Timelines & Historic Overviews | African American Resources | Chicano-Latino Resources | Art, Photos and Images | Biographical & Famous People | Music of the 20th Century | Wars and Military

Oral History Project

BCPS Oral History Project ...  How to Guides | Oral Histories | Libraries | Associations. Developed in collaboration with Karin Kopciak, Resource Teacher of the Gifted/Magnet Programs by Della Curtis, Coordinator, Office of Library Information Services to support the oral history studies in the Baltimore County Public Schools.
Immigration/Migration: Today and During the Great Depression (Library of Congress lesson plan) ... students compare the immigration/migration experiences of their families to those of people living through the Great Depression using interviews with parents and photographs, films, and documents from the Library of Congress and other sources

Learning About Immigration Through Oral History (Library of Congress lesson plan) ... "The primary goal of this activity is to give students the genuine experience of oral history in order to appreciate the process of historiography" ... includes Steps in Putting Together an Oral History Project with Middle School Students

Living History Project (Library of Congress lesson plan) ... students learn how to analyze life histories from American Life Histories, 1936-1940 in American Memory, then apply their experience by conducting interviews with people in the community and collecting their life histories