1492: An Ongoing Voyage
This site examines the rich mix of societies coexisting in the New World before Europeans arrived. It looks at what was life like here before 1492; how Europeans, Africans, and Americans reacted to each other; and the immediate results of their contact.
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/1492/intro.html
Abraham Lincoln Pages - Library of Congress
The complete Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress consists of approximately 20,000 documents. The collection is organized into three ''General Correspondence'' series which include incoming and outgoing correspondence and enclosures, drafts of speeches, and notes and printed material. Most of the 20,000 items are from the 1850s through Lincoln's presidential years, 1860-65. Treasures include Lincoln's draft of the Emancipation Proclamation, his March 4, 1865, draft of his second Inaugural Address, and his August 23, 1864, memorandum expressing his expectation of being defeated for re-election in the upcoming presidential contest. The Lincoln Papers are characterized by a large number of correspondents, including friends and associates from Lincoln's Springfield days, well-known political figures and reformers, and local people and organizations writing to their president. In its online presentation, the Abraham Lincoln Papers comprises approximately 61,000 images and 10,000 transcriptions.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/alhtml/malhome.html
Adeline Hornbek and the Homestead Act
Explores how Adeline Hornbek, single mother of four, defied traditional gender roles to become the owner of a successful ranch under the Homestead Act. (National Park Service, Teaching with Historic Places, National Register of Historic Places)
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/67hornbek/67hornbek.htm
Exploration and Explorers
The Learning Page looks at Europe's view of North America before and after Columbus, Martin Waldseemuller's 1507 map of the world, Diego Gutierrez's 1562 map of America, Spanish and Portuguese encounters in America, the Dutch in America, exploration and settlement of America from British and American points of view, Lewis and Clark, Henry Hudson, Jacques Cartier, and early images of the U.S.
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/community/cc_exploration.php
Cultures and History of the Americas
Features 50 highlights from rare books, maps, paintings, and artifacts. The exhibit explores pre-Columbian cultures of Central America and the Caribbean, encounters between Europeans and indigenous peoples, the growth of European Florida, and piracy and trade in the American Atlantic. Highlights include Columbus's account of the 1492 voyage, Frances Drake's maps, the first natural history of the Americas, and a 7th century wooden box that recorded Mayan dynastic lineage.
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/kislak/
American History and Art from New England
American History and Art from New England invites students to explore the history of New England and Massachusetts during three turns of the centuries: 1680-1720 (Colonial); 1780-1820 (Federal); and 1880-1920 (Progressive and Colonial Revival). Examine daily life during those three time periods. Explore more than 1700 artifacts, documents, and learning activities. (Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, supported by National Endowment for the Humanities)
http://www.americancenturies.mass.edu/
Smithsonian Source: Colonial America
Offers primary sources and tools for using them in the classroom. Watch an anthropologist examine skeletons for clues to daily life in Jamestown. Find lessons on the Boston Massacre, Stamp Act, patriot women, Pocahontas, and money. Use questions -- built around primary documents -- to explore the clashing views of revolutionary colonists and loyalist colonists. Examine the political, religious, economic, and social reasons for the Revolution.
http://www.smithsoniansource.org/display/topic/viewdetailshis.aspx?TopicId=1004
Elizabeth Murray Project
The eventful life of Elizabeth Murray as a window into the world of revolutionary America. Murray was a shopkeeper in 18th-century Boston (selling imported British fashions) and married three times. Her friends included officers in both the Colonial and British armies, and her home was used as quarters by both armies.
http://back.acs.csulb.edu:8080/emurray/
Digital Archaeological Archive of Comparative Slavery
Focuses on enslaved Africans and their descendants living in the Chesapeake region of Virginia during the colonial and antebellum periods. Analyze artifacts, deposits, and architectural plans from different sites, including Monticello, Mount Vernon, Stratford Hall, and Williamsburg. Join researchers from different disciplines to discover the cultural dynamics behind slavery and early Chesapeake society.
http://www.daacs.org/
Vistas in American history
Examines colonial-era Spanish America -- a region that covered much of the Americas, extending from California to Chile from the 16th century to the early 19th century. Primary sources, essays, and 70 images are provided.
http://www.smith.edu/vistas/index.html