Teachers Discovering History As Historians

New World Beginnings: Primary Resources & Websites

The following link from a United States Advanced Placement Course includes an exceptional list of recommended web sites and primary source documents related to this topic:

 

Founding the Colonies Web Links

(Click for 100+ topic specific primary sources and websites)

The original list of resources for this historical time period were compiled by educators at from Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, New York at http://www.historyteacher.net/index.htm  Visit this site for exceptional materials and additional historical links.
We wish to fully credit their enormous and highly beneficial effort. However, due to a number of dead or forwarding links, we have created a parallel listing on our Teachers Discovering History as Historians website which we will attempt to update
every sixty days.  

Two exceptional electronic textbooks: the Title will take you to the entire text.  The specific chapters/resource guides related to this topic are noted below the description.

Digital American History Textbook

A new and exceptional digital history text Includes a full textbook, guided readings, documents, timelines, exhibits, reference materials, study guides, and other materials for teaching American History. 

         

Chapter: The Origins and Nature of New World Slavery

          Resource Guide:  Exploration

          Native American Voices:  Part I

We recommend you combine the digital text with THE ANNENBERG VIDEO SERIES-- Biography of America at  http://learner.org/resources/series123.html#  an exceptional FREE video instructional series for high school and college students produced by WGBH Boston in cooperation with the Library of Congress and the National Archives and Records Administration.  These 26 thirty minute lectures incorporate first person narratives, photographs, film footage and documents related to various historical time periods—from New World Encounters through Contemporary History.

National History Education Clearinghouse

Welcome to the National History Education Clearinghouse, the central online location for accessing high-quality resources in K-12 U.S. history education. This site began in 2008 and is rapidly becoming one of the best sources for United State History Educators including access to History Content, Teaching Materials, Best Practices, Issues and Research, Professional Development, and TAH Grants.

http://teachinghistory.org/

 

An Outline of American History

This hypertext provides textbook information, documents, biographies, timelines and links for each chronological topic.

Chapter 1:  Early America

 

Exploring the Early Americas

An online exhibition from the Library of Congress, Exploring the Early Americas features selections from the more than 3,000 rare maps, documents, paintings, prints, and artifacts that make up the Jay I. Kislak Collection at the Library of Congress. It provides insight into indigenous cultures, the drama of the encounters between Native Americans and European explorers and settlers, and the pivotal changes caused by the meeting of the American and European worlds. The exhibition includes two extraordinary maps by Martin Waldseemüller created in 1507 and 1516, which depict a world enlarged by the presence of the Western Hemisphere

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/earlyamericas/

 

Best of History Web Sites

The Best of History Web Site is an incredible portal created for teachers, students, and general history enthusiasts.  After accessing your historical subject or topic of choice, sites are listed by historical topic with a description of what you will find and an evaluation.  A keyword search function is also available.  Scroll beyond the sites provided and you will find time period specific lesson plans, activities and teacher guides.

          http://www.besthistorysites.net/index.shtml

 

An expansive collection of sites for each of the following topics:

The Aztecs

          The Incas

The Mayans

          Latino-Hispanic Heritage

WWW-VL History of the United States

The World Wide Web: Virtual Library provides a comprehensive collection of internet sources for a variety of topics including United States History.  The link included in the heading is for the time period: Before The Europeans  and  Discovery and Exploration   Links are provided for gateway Sites, Maps, Timelines, Documents, Lecture Notes, Journal Articles, and other related items.

The introductory page for the entire U.S. History collection:  http://vlib.iue.it/history/USA/women.html

Women's History (general and by time periods):  http://vlib.iue.it/history/USA/women.html

Slavery:  http://vlib.iue.it/history/USA/slavery.html

The American West:  http://www.kwanah.com/vl/military.html

Military History of the U.S. http://www.kwanah.com/vl/military.html

 

Academic Info:  History Gateway

Access to thousands of internet sites related to specific time periods and topics of United States History.  A recommend source to visit for a wide range of materials--do not allow the advertisements to irritate you.

http://academicinfo.net/histus.html

 

Eyewitness to History

100 Eyewitness accounts, most from United States History (1608-1971).  View the index or search by time period or event.  http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com

     Check the index here:  http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/eyindx.htm

Smithsonian Source

Primary source materials and tools for using them in social studies classrooms.  The site's current topic areas include:  Colonial America, Native American History, Westward Expansion, Invention, Transportation and Civil Rights.  Each section also contains lesson plans and DBQ's  arranged by grade level.

http://www.smithsoniansource.org/

 

American Women Through Time

This is a new website featuring the best internet based materials related to American Women from pre 1599 to Present. Each section includes two sections:  1. A timeline that links specific events with relevant online sources, such as diaries and letters, photograph collections, and lectures by historians  2.  Each section also includes a guide to research sources that simplify access to sources covering specific time periods.       http://www.mtsu.edu/~kmiddlet/history/women/wh-timeline.html

 

American Women's History Research Guide

Provides citations to print and Internet reference sources, as well as to selected large primary source collections—covering a wide range of topics from Abolitionist to Writers. 

http://www.mtsu.edu/~kmiddlet/history/women/wh-intro.html

 

Modern History Source Book

Professor Halshall has compiled an incredible collection of history sourcebooks utilizing the wealth of information available on the internet.  The Modern History Source Book provides historical material from the Reformation through the new millennium. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook.html

          Other Sourcebooks by Professor Halshall:

         Ancient History Sourcebook

         Medieval Sourcebook

         Women's History Sourcebook

         African History Sourcebook

         East Asian History Sourcebook

         Global History Sourcebook

A Biography of America:  New World Encounters

An exceptional multimedia enriched site beginning with the Ice Age and including:  Maps, Images of early culture, Native Americans, Spanish explorers, Roots of other European powers in America, and an in-depth Flash feature of an earlier Native American society.

          http://www.learner.org/biographyofamerica/prog01/index.html

 

A Biography of America:  English Settlement

A supplement to the series A Biography of America, this site offers an in-depth view of European colonies, Indian relations, systems of agriculture, Puritanism and a look to the future using a Flash enhanced timeline.

          http://www.learner.org/biographyofamerica/prog02/index.html

Introduction to 1492 An Ongoing Voyage

http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/1492/intro.html

 

The Age of Exploration About.com

About.com maintains listings of recommended web sites for a variety of historical topics. Often a very good starting point for research and general information.  Provides a search function to access subjects within topics.

http://americanhistory.about.com/cs/ageofexploration/

 

Hargrett Rare Map Collection

          An exceptional resource of maps and graphic materials from early America.

           http://www.libs.uga.edu/darchive/hargrett/maps/neworld.html

 

Academic Info:  Extensive Directory of Native American Links and General Resources

An excellent place to begin your research.

http://www.academicinfo.net/nativeammeta.html

Index of Native American Cultural Resources on the Internet.

This site contains thousands of links related to Native American culture, individual tribes, history, art, genealogy, education. There are direct links to museums including the National Museum of American History and the Library of Congress.

www.hanksville.org/NAresources

 

Encyclopedia Smithsonian:  Native American history and Culture

Thousands of links to Native American Resources listed by category including Native American Resources for Teachers and Parents, books, organizations, genealogical research.  Links to the National Museum of the American Indian, the Smithsonian Institute Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.  This includes links to recordings, sounds and current exhibits.  Other categories (most within the Smithsonian) include Biographies with links to Pochahantas, Black Hawk and Geronimo.  Each of these contains links to more resources for each person.  Under American Art: Native American Life and Culture are links to 618 works of art with an image and description, and keywords for each.  There are links to anthropological papers like “Hair Pipes in Plains Indian Adornment.”  This gives an in-depth description of the subject and illustrations.  Selected exhibits are those chosen specifically for Native Americans.   www.si.edu/resource/faq/nmai/start.htm

 

Native Culture

A comprehensive portal site for Native American resources on the Internet.  This site features information on the history and culture of Native Americans.  The home page contains links to the American Indian Library Association.  It also hosts Lisa Mitten’s site (a former librarian, now Social Sciences subject editor for CHOICE magazine).  It is divided into 12 categories with thousands of links available. It also features an archives of relevant articles and recommended books page that can browsed by child, young adult and adult in a variety of areas of interest.  Includes an interesting link to American Indian Radio and the ability to listen to broadcasts. www.nativeculture.com

     

 West Nyack Free Library:  Native American Page

Categories include the Tri-State Webpages that encompass tribes in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.  Of local interest, a link to the Seneca Nations tribal home page and the Seneca Nation of Indians Tonawanda Reservation created by Cindy Amrhein, historian for the Town of Alabama.  The Just for Kids site features a link to the Internet Public Library. Arts, Cultures,  features sites on Native American Art and culture.  Museum and Music contains links to online museums and music sources.   www.westnyacklib.org/NatAmer.htm

 

American Indian Cultural Research Center

The Topics of Interest Section includes:  Culture contains pertinent articles on Native American issues.  Of Note a list of “Do’s and Don’ts relating to Native Americans and a quiz with informative answers on “What Do You Know About Native Americans?”  Education contains links to resources on teaching Native American students.  Myths (Story Telling) contains stories related to the Dakota Indians, Spiritual Heritage contains stories describing religious symbols and issues, Dakota Spirituality contains stories about the Dakotas, and Catholicism and Native Americans.  Women’s Issues include stories on  women’s roles, medicine women,  and botanists, just to name a few.  Fr.Stan Notes are links to articles he finds of interest and links to Indian newspapers.    Bibliography contains bibliographies to the latest books and journal articles related to Native Americans.  .
www.bluecloud.org/dakota.html

 

500 Nations Supersite

The two categories:  Places and Nations have extensive amounts of tribal and general Native American data helpful to the history instructor.

          www.500nations.com

 

American History Sources For Students:  Indigenous People

Fifty sites related to the various cultures of indigenous peoples of the western hemisphere.
http://www.geocities.com/jk02.geo/indian6.html

 

 

TCI:  HISTORY ALIVE

In 1989, Teachers’ Curriculum Institute (TCI) was formed to create teaching strategies and materials to allow social studies teachers to reach all learners in the diverse classroom. They have created some excellent free access online resources including test questions, supplemental essays, lesson plan support materials/sites, etc. http://www.teachtci.com/resources/onlHistory.aspx

History Alive! America's Past Internet Tutorial

History Alive!  Online Resources

SOURCES FOR DIGITIZED DOCUMENTS, ARTICLES AND BOOKS

The Avalon Project at the Yale Law School

Pre 18th century through 21st Century Documents with an Alphabetic Author/Title List of ALL Project Documents.  Exceptional!!
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/avalon.htm

Bartleby:  Great Books On Line

Free access to great works of literature, reference and verse.  An incredible collection with a simple search process.

http://www.bartleby.com/

 

The University of Virginia Hypertext Project

Over sixty hypertexts of various great works--with many from the 19th century.  This collection is especially helpful to United States History teachers as it features some of the classic works from Cooper, Crane, DuBois, Jefferson, Louis and Clark Journals, Madison,  Sinclair, Turner, Twain and others.

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/hypertex.html

 

On Line Books and Authors

A collection of hypertext versions of hundreds of literary works,

         Easy search by author or title.

http://digital.library.upenn.edu/books/authors.html

 

 

www TDHAH.com

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