Tip: Press ctrl and F (or apple and F on a Mac) to
perform a keyword search of this page. To keyword search all Best of History
Web Sites pages use the search engine located on the home page. This page
was last updated June 8, 2007.
Lewis
and Clark: The National Bicentennial Exhibition
The Missouri Historical Society has developed an extensive award-winning
web site and web-based curriculum developed to complement their Lewis
and Clark, The National Bicentinnal Exhibiton. Written for grades 4-12,
the units focus on nine major themes of the exhibit and feature hundreds
of primary sources from the exhibit. The curriculum uses the Lewis and
Clark expedition as case studies for larger themes such as Diplomacy,
Mapping, Animals, Language, and Trade and Property. It presents both the
Euro-American perspective and a particular Native American perspective.
The online exhibit has two sections. One is a thematic approach that highlights
the content from the main galleries of the exhibit. The other is a map-based
journey that follows the expedition and introduces primary sources along
the way, including interviews with present-day Native Americans.
The
Price of Freedom: Americans at War
This Smithsonian website skillfully integrates Flash video and text to
examine armed conflicts involving the U.S. from the Revolutionary War
to the war in Iraq. Each conflict contains a brief video clip, statistical
information, and a set of artifacts. There is also a Civil War mystery,
an exhibition self-guide, and a teacher's guide. The War of 1812 and Eastern
Indian Wars sections contain an introductory movie and short essay on
each conflict as well as historic images and artifacts.
They
Made America
This engaging American Experience web site complements a PBS four-part
television
series and focuses on the lives and accomplishmments of twelve American
inventors throught the nation's history. "Who Made America?" is a Flash-generated feature to learn about each inventor and one can
view each profile by category, chronologically, geographically. The web
site also contains primary documents, first-hand reports, and a discussion
area in the About the Series section. The "Revolutionaries" section is about
four early American innovators "who got the new nation up and going."
Tales of the Early Republic
Tales is an organized collection of essays, original sources, and reference material about the Early American Republic. Nearly all of it is about the years from 1815 - 1850.
Alexander Hamilton on the Web
On this site you will find biographies, Hamilton's writings - including the complete Federalist Papers - images of Hamilton, reviews and excerpts from some of the recent books about Hamilton, essays on the Hamilton/Burr duel, and more.
James Madison: His Legacy
Part of the James Madison Center at James Madison University, this site covers the public life of James Madison through a presentation of primary sources.
The Triumph of Nationalism: The House Dividing
This National Humanities Center has produced this site on nationalism and sectionalism in the United States from 1815 to 1850. If features primary sources and the contributions of a dozen high school history teachers.
George Washington Resources
This electronic collection of papers by and for George Washington contains a staggering 17,400 letters and documents.
Thomas Jefferson (PBS)
This site accompanies Ken Burn's PBS film on Jefferson and explores the Enlightenment spirit in Jefferson's words and provides an archive of his most important and controversial writings.
The Thomas Jefferson Digital Archive
Provides more than 1,700 texts written by or to Thomas Jefferson. The site also includes a biography of Jefferson and The Jeffersonian Cyclopedia, which organizes more than 9,000 quotes according to theme and other categories.
Thomas Jefferson Papers
From the Library of Congress. The largest collection of its kind with 27,000 documents.
Jefferson's Blood
This companion site to the PBS Frontline program deals with the controversy regarding Thomas Jefferson and his relationship with Sally Hemings, his slave. It contains video clips and historical evidence surrounding the controversy.
Lewis
and Clark (PBS)
A companion to Ken Burns' PBS film, this site provides background on the
world of Lewis and Clark, an archive of their expedition, audio excerpts
by historians, a discussion of Native American tribes they encountered, classroom
resources, and an interactive story where you lead the expedition.
Lewis and Clark and the Revealing of America
The exhibition features the trek of the Corps of Discovery as a culmination in the quest to connect the East and the West by means of a waterway passage. The exhibition's epilogue focuses on the transcontinental railroad, which replaced the search for a direct water route with a "river of steel." The site also features a virtual tour and animations of the cross-country exploration.
Discovering Lewis and Clark
This site has more than 1400 pages and revolves around a nineteen-part analysis of the Lewis and Clark expedition by historian Harry Fritz.
Divining
America: Religion and the National Culture - 17th and 18th Centuries
TeacherServe is an interactive curriculum enrichment service offering
teachers practical help in planning courses and presenting rigorous subject
matter to students. Divining America: Religion and the National Culture
features concise essays by scholars designed to help teachers of American
history bring their students to a greater understanding of the role religion
has played in the development of the United States.
Sullivan-Clinton
Campaign of 1779
The Sullivan-Clinton Campaign was the largest expedition ever before mounted
against the Indians of North America and led to the development of the
East Coast, the Erie Canal, and eventual expansion of the US. This website
is a culmination of recent and historical photographs, texts written by
Generals and Native Americans, and contemporary artists responding to
this historical event.
America's West - Development & History
Covers westward expansion, Native Americans, Cowboys, Pioneers, Gunslingers, etc. Has images, maps, music, small 'research' areas and even a 3-D tour.
The Alexis de Tocqueville Tour: Exploring Democracy in America
This C-Span site contains biographical information on de Tocqueville, modern references to Tocqueville and his writings, information on Tocqueville's visit to America, famous passages from Democracy in America, writings by Tocqueville and Beaumont from each stop along their journey, and more.
American Studies (U. VA)
Features a museum for American studies, cultural maps, on-going hypertext projects, an electronic classroom, and special features. Check out the section on Tocqueville's America.
History of the Cherokee
A tribal member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma produced this well organized and informative site. Topics headings: Before the Europeans, First Contacts with Europeans, The New United States, The Removal and Between Two Fires.
Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600-2000
This website is a project of the Center for the Historical Study of Women and Gender at the State University of New York at Binghamton. About a fourth of the projects on Women and Social Movements remain freely available; the other projects, in addition to 25,000 pages of primary documents and enhanced searching tools, are available through Alexander Street Press. In the Teacher’s Corner there are twenty comprehensive lesson plans with over a hundred lesson ideas and six DBQ units, although some of these materials require the subscription.
Feature Presentation on Immigration in America (Library of Congress)
The feature provides an introduction to the study of immigration to the United States. It is far from the complete story, and focuses only on the immigrant groups that arrived in greatest numbers during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The presentation was shaped by the primary sources available in the Library's online collections and these questions
African-American Mosaic: Abolition
Part of a Library of Congress exhibit, this section includes antislavery petitions and other original sources documenting the struggle to abolish slavery.
Stanton and Anthony Papers Project Online
Elizabeth Cady Stanton proposed in 1848 that the first convention for woman's rights proclaim it "the duty of the women of this country to secure to themselves their sacred right to the elective franchise." Susan B. Anthony, then a schoolteacher, paired up with Stanton in 1851, forming one of the most remarkable partnerships in American history. The mission of this project is to find and copy all of the Stanton and Anthony papers that still survive--as manuscripts and printed texts--and make those primary sources available and useful for research.
Activity: The Alien and Sedition Acts
Students will study the Alien and Sedition Acts in this SCORE lesson plan. Students are encouraged to make connections to present day politics as well. Recommended for 11th grade.
War of 1812 in the News
A good class or individual exercise for grades 7-9. Students will act as reporters in 1812 and create a newspaper that details the war. The lesson plan only provides one resource link (which sometimes doesn't work), so students must conduct research on their own.
Mount
Vernon Educational Resources
Go to the Learn section and you'll find an online tour of Mount Vernon,
lesson plans about George Washington’s life and times, an online exhibit
about George Washington and slavery, a Reading List, and an Essay and Discussion section.
Lewis
and Clark: Online Resources, Lesson Plans (LOC)
This Library of Congress page provides many helpful online resources including Fill
Up the Canvas - Rivers of Words: Exploring with Lewis and Clark,
a Learning Page Activity in which students experience Lewis and Clark's journey westward
through words, images, maps and other documents. In American
Treasures: Lewis and Clark, visitors examine maps and manuscripts
documenting the Lewis and Clark expedition. There are also lesson plans which debate the controversies inherent in conservation programs and the historical perspectives of nature and the environment.
Lewis
and Clark: Classroom Resources
The 17 Lewis and Clark lesson plans on this page offer a wide array of
classroom activities. Created by PBS, the activities address all parts
of the famous expedition.
Lewis
and Clark: Lesson Plan
In this DiscoverySchool.com lesson plan students answer the questions
and compare their ideas to archaeological work.
Lewis
and Clark: A Legacy to Remember
In this National Geographic lesson plan, students will design a memorial
that illustrates the legacy of the expedition from a geographic perspective.
Thomas Jefferson: Lesson Plan
In this DiscoverySchool.com lesson plan students will learn that Thomas Jefferson was accomplished in many spheres of human activity. Grades 6-8.
HistoryTeacher.net: AP United States History Quizzes
A New York teacher has produced a great general site for history teachers that offers AP-level United States history quizzes on many different periods and topics.
Interpreting Primary Sources
Digital History provides brief excerpts from primary sources and statistics and questions to think about. Check out Federalists and Jeffersonians; War of 1812; Jacksonian Democracy; Indian Removal; Political Battles of the Jacksonian Era; An Industrializing Nation; and Religion and Social Reform.
The American People: Consolidating the Revolution
PowerPoint Presentation on the early American republic as part of the online companion to The American People. Click PowerPoint Presentations and then Chapter 7.
The American People: Creating a Nation
PowerPoint Presentation on the young American nation as part of the online companion to The American People. Click PowerPoint Presentations and then Chapter 8.
Old Sturbridge Village: Teacher Resources
This site provide information about everyday life in New England during the early 19th century. Old Sturbridge Visitor articles is a searchable archive of articles from the Village's quarterly magazine. Look under Education and Curriculum Plans.
Digital History Resource Guides
The Digital Resource Guides provides links to American history web sites by period and provide historical overviews, readings (online textbook chapter, Reader's Companion), primary source documents (documents, maps, cartoons), teaching resources (chronologies, maps, quizzes), audio-visual resources, and additional resources. The Guides are an excellent and comprehensive teaching resource.
Missouri Compromise: Blank Map
The companion web site to The American People offers blank maps related to various topics in American history. The maps can be printed or placed in a PowerPoint presentation
US in the 1810s: Blank Map
The companion web site to The American People offers blank maps related to various topics in American history. The maps can be printed or placed in a PowerPoint presentation
Digital History Lesson Plan: Indian Removal
Students act as journalists reporting on the Indian Removal Act. They visit designated web sites and write factual articles about the developments.
Course Models: Reform Movements of the 1830s
Part of the California History-Social Science content standards and annotated course, this site includes background information, focus questions, pupil activities and handouts, an assessment, and references to books, articles, web sites, literature, audio-video programs, and a historic site.
The American Nation: Internet Activities
Prentice Hall's phschool.com offers internet activities based on their The American Nation textbook chapters. Middle School grades.
Tales of the Early Republic
