James River Plantations [Macromedia Flash Player, pdf]
Floating down the James River through the Chesapeake Bay, one begins to take note of the stately plantations that line the banks of this body of water, particularly around Richmond. As part of their ongoing Travel Itinerary series, the National Park Service has created this tribute to the cultural and historic landscape along the James River. What is particularly striking about the site is its ability to tell the stories of these plantations in a way that is well rounded in its perspective and its incorporation of compelling maps and narrative descriptions. To get a better sense of the history of the region, visitors may want to start by reading one (or all) of the three essays offered on the site. Of course, the visually inclined may wish to look at an interactive map offered on the site that will allow them access to information about a number of the plantations, such as the ancestral manses of Kittiewan or Westover.
Native Networks [Macromedia Flash Player, pdf]
Over the past few years, Native Americans have made significant contributions in a host of different media, including television, radio, and film. Involved in all aspects of this type of artistic and cultural expression, many Native Americans have also looked for a way to disseminate their substantial efforts in this arena. Fortunately, there is the Native Networks website (first launched in 2001), designed to provide information about such creations. The website was created by the Film and Video Center of the National Museum of the American Indian, and contains information about upcoming Native American film festivals and “close-up” profiles of people actively working in the field. Some of these features include material on the indigenous video makers in Mexico and an in-depth look at the film “House Made of Dawn”, which deals with a young Pueblo man in crisis. The site is available in both Spanish and English versions.
Medicine in the Americas, 1619-1914 [pdf]
The History of Medicine division of The National Library of Medicine has been responsible for a number of fine online digital collections, and this latest one is no exception. THe Medicine in the Americas website provides access to a number of key primary historical documents that deal with a number of areas, such as women's health, public health, and clinical works of enduring historical value. Currently, there are a total of eight works in the archive, and they include Clara Barton's "The Red Cross of the Geneva Convention" and L. Emmett Holt's 1894 work "The Care and Feeding of Children: A Catechism for the Use of Mothers and Children's Nurses." For many of the generally curious and those with a penchant for the world of medical and scientific history, this website will be quite a find.
Western Trails: An Online Journey
Based on a collaboration of very diverse institutions (including the University of Wyoming and the Omaga Public Library), the Western Trails digital database provides access to thousands of primary documents associated with various aspects of Western US history. Within each of these sections, visitors will be able to read a brief essay about each theme, complete with accompanying maps, images, and other primary sources. Next to each essay are links to some of the exhibits created by participating institutions. What is perhaps most impressive is the search engine which allows users to search by creator, title, keyword, or through a host of advanced options. THe site also features a selection of resources for educators to use in conjunction with the digital materials presented here.
Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition Online [QuickTime,RealPlayer]
The experiences of Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and their companions as they moved through the American West continue to fascinate almost 200 years after they were recorded during their three-year expedition. A number of scholars have marveled at the experiences of these individuals including the legendary historian Bernard De Voto and also the late Stephen Ambrose. This remarkable website produced at the University of Nebraska was begun in 2003 and currently contains several thousands pages of the explorers' journals as edited by Professor Gary E. Moulton. The project is sponsored by a host of organizations, including the Center for Great Plains Studies, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the University of Nebraska Press. Along with searching, browsing, and reading the journals, visitors must be sure to take a look at the superb extra features offered here, including several nice essays such as "Lewis and Clark as Plains Ethnographers" and "Lewis and Clark on the Great Plains: A Natural History".
Uncle Tom’s Cabin and American Culture
This amazing plethora of information regarding Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a must see. The website is divided into 3 different ways of viewing it: BROWSE MODE provides access to all the primary material in the archive -- texts, images, songs, 3-D objects, film clips, &c. -- one at a time; SEARCH MODE allows you to search all the primary material at once. You can either use or cut across the site's organizational categories; INTERPRET MODE includes an interactive timeline, virtual exhibits designed to suggest ways of exploring and understanding the primary material, as well as lesson plans for teachers and student projects.
Voices of Civil Rights [RealOnePlayer]
Designed and sponsored by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), and the Library of Congress, the Voices of Civil Rights website is the initial effort to create an online archive of stories about the civil rights movement (both historical and contemporary), essays, interviews, project updates, and special reports. While the site is a work-in-progress, currently there is a wide breadth of material available, most of which is organized into one of five sections. One notable section is the Stories area, where visitors can read (and in some cases, listen to) a wide array of personal stories about America's civil rights past. Another fine section is the one devoted to the contemporary civil rights movement and its historical legacy. Here visitors can listen to interviews about the promise of equal education with Wade Henderson, the executive director of the LCCR, and new activist voices within the fields of anti-hate crime campaigns and environmental justice. One interview that visitors will not want to miss in this section is a rather poignant recollection from Bernice Sims, an African-American folk artist known for her depictions of various moments in the civil rights struggle of the 1950s and 1960s.
PBS American Experience -- Reconstruction: The Second Civil War [Macromedia Flash Reader, RealOnePlayer]
The painful process of Reconstruction throughout the American South after the U.S. Civil War is one of the most poorly understood events of 19th century American history, and this fine website produced by WGBH (to complement the documentary released as part of the American Experience series) for PBS explores many of the complex themes of this period. The materials on the site are divided into ten thematic areas, each concerned with compelling topics that include explorations of the lives of Southern women, the transformation of former slaves into sharecroppers, and the emergence of the Ku Klux Klan. Each one of these self-contained sections features a mini-documentary for viewer consideration, a selection of primary sources (such as eye-witness testimonies and legislative documents), and question and answer sessions with prominent historians about each respective topic. Along with a number of resources for teachers, the site also contains an interactive map of the United States in 1870, from which visitors can learn how each state was affected by both the effects of the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Public History Resource Center
Public history is an important way of conveying the importance of the historical past to a broad public audience, and the Public History Resource Center is a fine online resource for persons interested in these goals, and for those looking to learn more about the practice of public history. On the website, the general public can learn more about what exactly constitutes public history, read reviews of history-focused websites, peruse syllabi on such topics as archival studies and historic preservations, and learn about degree-granting programs in public history. Additionally, the site includes a rather detailed list of related websites, thematically organized into areas such as associations, job resources, listservs, and newsletters. Along with the website reviews, the publications section includes several helpful feature articles, such as how to utilize the historical documents and still images held by the U.S. Mint.
American Journeys -- Eyewitness Accounts of Early American Exploration and Settlement: A Digital Library and Learning Center With over 18,000 pages of eyewitness accounts of North American exploration, the American Journeys Digital Library and Learning Center is the result of a collaboration between the U.S. Institute of Museum & Library Services and by private donors. Much of the work was done at the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison, Wisconsin, and visitors with an interest in digital projects and their creation and management will want to review the section that details how the website was built. Visitors with a limited amount of time will want to peruse the highlights section, which offers a number of noteworthy historical accounts, including the first encounter of Europeans with the Grand Canyon and the arrival of Captain James Cook in Hawaii. The resource section for educators is well-developed and includes suggestions on integrating documents into lesson plans, information on interpreting documents, and addressing sensitive content. As might be expected, the complete contents of the digital library may be searched in any number of ways, including by topic, author name, document type, and by keyword or full text.
Explore National American Indian Heritage Month Under the theme Strengthening the Spirit, the National Register of Historic Places (in tandem with the National Park Service) has developed this site to showcase various historic properties listed in the National Register and National Park units that celebrate the achievements of American Indians and Alaska Natives. The site was also produced to draw attention to National American Indian Heritage Month, and to assist educators with the process of incorporating into the curriculum field trips to these places. Some of the featured places on the site include the Campus Center in Alaska, which served as the location of the Alaska Federation of Natives conference in 1971 and the Southwestern Range and Sheep Breeding Laboratory Historic District in New Mexico, which was a part of a New Deal program to improve sheep breeding. Educators will want to look through the Teaching with Historic Places modules available here that profile additional historical landmarks and sites that capture important aspects of American Indian history throughout the country.
Justice Learning
Justice Learning is an innovative, issue-based approach for engaging high school students in informed political discourse. The web site uses audio from the Justice Talking radio show and articles from The New York Times to teach students about reasoned debate and the often-conflicting values inherent in our democracy. The web site includes articles, editorials and oral debate from the nation's finest journalists and advocates. All of the material is supported by age-appropriate summaries and additional links. In addition, for each covered issue, the site includes curricular material from The New York Times Learning Network for high school teachers and detailed information about how each of the institutions of democracy (the courts, the Congress, the presidency, the press and the schools) affects the issue.
History at the Smithsonian
As you might expect, the Smithsonian Institution website is a vast resource, with materials of interest to teachers in just about every academic area. We've selected this particular URL link for history and social studies teachers who are looking for fresh ways to engage students in historical topics. Each topic includes lesson plans for grades 6-8 -- some are guided, self-teaching activities.
Exploration of the Fur Trade by Canadiana.org
This site is about the fur trade in Canada and how it led to the exploration of the country and the formation of the oldest and largest company in Canadian history: Hudson's Bay Company. In fact, the history of the fur trade, Hudson's Bay Company and the exploration of Canada are so intertwined that they cannot be separated. So read on and learn more about Canada!
Putting the Movement Back into Civil Rights Teaching will provide lessons and articles for K-12 educators on how to go beyond a heroes approach to the Civil Rights Movement. The book, which is now in stock, includes interactive and interdisciplinary lessons, readings, writings, photographs, graphics, and interviews, with sections on education, labor, citizenship, culture, and reflections on teaching about the Civil Rights Movement. For more information or to place an order, contact Teaching for Change at (800) 763-9131 or visit the book's companion website
Bill of Rights Institute
Founded in 1999, the Bill of Rights Institute seeks to educate high school students and teachers about our country's Founding principles through programs which explore: What the Founders said; What the Founding documents say; and how these ideas affect our daily lives and shape our society. The site includes lesson plans, teacher resources, links to current headlines and cites landmark cases relevant to the Bill of Rights.
Gardner's Photographic Sketch Book of the War
Cornell University Library's seven-millionth volume is an 1865 edition of Gardner's Photographic Sketch Book of the War, containing one-hundred original photographic prints, mounted on boards and accompanied by letterpress-printed captions. Thirty prints are presented at this Web site, which combines the best of historical photography, digitization, and hyperlinked navigation. The images are divided into seven thematic sections, or by selecting the Images link at the main page, titles of all thirty pictures are displayed in a table. Cropped versions are laid out on pages with the original captions, and full-sized images can be viewed by clicking. Some page layouts are striking; see Pontoon Bridge Across the Rappahannock Virginia, May, 1863, in the Devastated by the Army section. Despite their grim subjects - A Harvest of Death Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, July 1863, shows dead Union soldiers on the battlefield - many of the photographs are quite beautiful.
The Crisis of the Union
Created and maintained by the Schoenberg Center for Electronic Text and Image at the University of Pennsylvania Library, this online document archive contains material related to "the causes, conduct, and consequences of the US Civil War." The collection is largely comprised of books, broadsides, cartoons, pamphlets, and other printed ephemera from 1830 to 1880. Drawing heavily on materials held by the Library Company of Philadelphia, the documents include speeches by Charles Sumner, cartoons by Thomas Nast, and promotional material from the Know-Nothing Party. The entire archive can be browsed by author, date of publication, title, or subject. Using a built-in viewer, each document can also be viewed in its original format, and visitors can zoom in or out on discrete areas. Finally, visitors can also search the entire archive by keywords, subjects, graphic elements, or date.
National Constitution Center [RealOne Player]
On July 4, 2003, the new National Constitution Center will open in a brand new facility within Independence Historical Park in Philadelphia that will help it pursue its mission of "increasing public understanding of, and appreciation for, the Constitution, its history, and its contemporary relevance." Visitors will want to take the virtual tour available online, which moves through the building's Great Hall, the Kimmel Theatre (which will be used for museum orientation programs), the DeVos Exhibit Hall, and the rest of the building's different areas. As might be expected, the Web site has an online version of the complete Constitution (in English and Spanish), along with helpful educational resources such as lesson plans for grades K-12. The site is rounded out by information for visitors and a "Save the Bill of Rights!" educational game where students help recover the Bill of Rights by looking for clues in a series of graphic images depicting each right protected by this important document.
Big Dig Archeology [QuickTime]
From the Boston Museum of Science comes the Big Dig Archeology educational Web site. Visitors get a chance to explore Spectacle Island, an archaeological site just offshore from the City of Boston. They begin by learning about the site itself, what it looked like, what tools the Native Americans used, what food they ate, and other physical and natural histories of the island. A wide range of descriptions and photographs are available, as well as several interesting QuickTime movies of the island's early history, its recent history, and a description of the excavation from an actual archaeologist. The well-designed site does a good job of providing non-technical descriptions and enough multimedia content to make it enjoyable for kids of all ages.
League of Nations Photo Archive
Created by the League of Nations Archives, the Center for the Study of Global Chance, and the Indiana University Libraries, this online archive of League of Nations photographs is a fine resource for persons looking for visual documents related to the development and history of this former international organization dedicated to the promotion of international peace and security. The photo collections themselves are divided topically into groups that include personalities, assemblies, councils, delegations, and a "various" category that contains photographs of the League's headquarters in London. The site also features digital versions of two important promotional documents: The Illustrated Album of the League of Nations and The League of Nations: A Pictorial Survey. Both of these intriguing documents were designed to promote the mission and work of the League to the broader public, and as such, are fascinating repositories of visual material. Finally, the complete 224-page book titled "The Aims, Methods, and Activity of the League of Nations," published by the League Secretariat in 1935, is also available here for perusal.
Lewis and Clark as Naturalists [.pdf, Flash, Quick Time]
In late May of 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark sent forth from St. Charles, Missouri with a directive from President Thomas Jefferson. One of their charges was to collect and record information about the plants and animals they found along their journey westward. Anticipating the bicentennial of their departure, the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History has created this fine Web site that allows visitors to travel with Lewis and Clark as they moved across the Great Plains and into the Pacific Northwest, examining the plants and animals they encountered. Regrettably, very few of the actual specimens collected by the explorers are intact, so the Smithsonian has drawn on its own massive collections to stand in as surrogates for the original specimens. Visitors can browse the collection by species, state in which each specimen was collected, or by date each specimen was collected. Each specimen contains information about where it was found and comments from the explorers about each specimen. The interactive map allows viewers to move along the trail of Lewis and Clark and click on each place where specimens were collected to obtain a detailed description of the locality and the object. Finally, there are a number of lesson plans designed to be used in conjunction with the Web site.
Black Facts Online Black History -- not just for February
Black Facts Online is a free service provided by Inner-City Software, founded by MIT graduate Kenneth Granderson. At Black Facts Online, visitors can find out numerous facts dealing with African American history, along with searching for facts by date and keywords. One sample search on the words "Angela Davis" revealed numerous facts about the well-known activist, scholar, and author. Each fact also contains a graphic that informs readers whether additional material is also available, such as a link to a Web site, an audio clip, or a picture. Visitors to the site are also offered the opportunity to become a research associate for the site and make contributions to the existing database of facts. Visitors to the site have the opportunity to make a goodwill donation to keep the database up to date and current.
National Geographic Online: The Underground Railroad
Just in time to celebrate Black History Month, this multimedia educational Web site from National Geographic offers a diverse set of materials that describe the Underground Railroad, the famed network of individuals who helped transport African-Americans to freedom before the abolition of slavery. Students will want to start by taking The Journey, which, with the aid of visual materials (such as historical photographs of slaves and abolitionists) and audio selections (such as popular spirituals of the day), allows young people to make decisions about what to do in order to reach the North and freedom. Next, visitors can look at a map of the Underground Railroad routes, including those specific to Harriet Tubman. Also, a nice timeline provides some context to the history of slavery in the New World, beginning with the importing of slaves by Spaniards to Santo Domingo in 1501, and concluding in 1865 when slavery was abolished by the passage of the 13th Amendment. The site is rounded out by a number of educational resources for teachers, divided by grade levels
The Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition
Located at Yale University, the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition is "dedicated to the investigation and dissemination of information concerning all aspects of the Atlantic slave system and its destruction." Researchers and students will want to first examine the Source Documents section, which features primary and secondary source materials related to slavery, slave resistance, and the abolitionist movement. Also, visitors will want to examine the Bibliographies section, which contains extended bibliographies on topics such as "Abolitionists Abroad: American Blacks and the Making of Modern West Africa." Finally, scholars will want to examine the materials about the Center's fellowships, which support research projects that are complementary to the aims of the Center.
Across the Generations: Exploring U.S. History through Family Papers
Includes photographs and documents from the papers of four families: the Bodmans, Dunhams, Garrisons, and Hales and focuses on four broad themes in U.S. social history: Family Life; Social Awareness and Reform; Arts and Leisure; and Work. Family papers can offer a window onto evolving social conditions, on-going economic change, new political trends, and cultural shifts over time. Although this is but a tiny sampling of the treasures found in these valuable collections of family papers, we hope the exhibit will serve to enrich the viewer's understanding by offering glimpses of a handful of moments in American history through the eyes of individuals who experienced them.
Martin Luther King Day
Dr. King's birthday will be observed on January 20th this year. Use these activity ideas and reference materials to plan a lesson or two that really speaks to the man's spirit and message.
Freedom: A History of US
Collaborating with WNET New York, PBS has created this Web site as the online analogue to the 16-part television series. Based on the books by Joy Hakim, the series (and the Web site) are dedicated to exploring the theme of freedom throughout the history of the United States, noting that "Freedom is what has drawn to America countless human beings from around the world; it is what generations of men and women have lived and died for; it is, in a profound sense, our nation's highest calling." While anyone with an inkling to learn more about the notion of "freedom" will benefit by perusing the site, it is especially well-honed to serve the needs of educators and students. The site contains 16 "Webisodes," which are both visually and textually rich repositories of information, chronologically ordered, beginning with the American Revolution and concluding with the presidency of Richard Nixon. Additionally, each Webisode contains essays that contain hyperlinks to word definitions, photographs, and brief biographical profiles. Also, each Webisode contains standards-based teacher guides and lesson plans prepared by the Talent Development Middle Schools Programs at Johns Hopkins University. Overall, this site is a fine example of utilizing the Web for educational purposes, both for young students and those looking for general edification.
Two Towns of Jasper
The subject of race and race-relations in the United States is one that is at times avoided by many persons, but the documentary Two Towns of Jasper and its well-conceived Web site developed by PBS foster meaningful dialogue about these issues. The documentary deals with the murder of James Byrd (a black man), who was dragged to his death behind a truck driven by three white men in Jasper, Texas. On the Web site, visitors can read about what has happened in Jasper since the events of 1998, including hearing from the family of Mr. Byrd, the ongoing town-hall meetings, and about the convicted murderers. The Web site also allows visitors to listen to a series on "Race in America," hosted by Amy Goodman. Visitors can also ask questions of the documentary filmmakers, Marco Williams and Whitney Dow, along with browsing a fine selection of related Web sites and related classroom resources that will help educators facilitate discussion on race.
History Channel: This Day in History
For those looking to find out about a variety of important historical events on a particular day, this site provided by the History Channel will be both entertaining and informative. This Day in History collects information about historical events organized around a number of topical sections, such as Cold War History, Literary History, Old West History, Technology History, Wall Street History, and Civil War History. Along with brief essays describing the events of a particular day, some of the more recent events also have short video clips that users can watch. On one recent day (January 28th), events covered included the tragic explosion of the Challenger space shuttle in 1986 and the United States' failure to capture Pancho Villa, the Mexican revolutionary. Visitors can also type in their birthdays to find out about events that occurred on that day, as well as for a list of well-known persons who share their birthday.
Liberation Curriculum is mainly focused on modern African-American history
Calvin Coolidge: 30th President of the United States
Sponsored by the Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation, this site contains important historical material and a variety of galleries featuring rotating exhibits of visual material related to President Coolidge, there is an archive of his speeches ranging from his time as governor of Massachusetts to his time as President. There is also a section offering a chronology of his life and a research section outlining the location of various important primary materials. Perhaps the most engaging part of the site is a section titled "Ask the President," where visitors can ask Jim Cooke, a professional actor who has played Coolidge in a one-man play since 1985, questions about the President's life.
Trails to Utah and The Pacific: Diaries and Letters, 1846-1869
Presented by the Library of Congress, this online archive and exhibit contains 49 diaries of pioneers, who made their way westward across America to Utah, Montana, and the Pacific from 1847 to 1869. Culled from materials held by the Lee Library at Brigham Young University and the Utah Academic Library Consortium, these diaries are an excellent primary source for reading about and investigating the day-to-day experiences of individuals and families making their way west in the middle of the19th century. The source materials for the collection also include published guides for overland emigrants, photographs of trail locations, and maps. Visitors to the site can browse these materials by subject, author, trail name, title, and category. The site is rounded out with a collection of related thematic essays and several interactive thematic maps showing the different landmarks, cities, and rivers in the regions surrounding the major overland routes. The site provides a good introduction to understanding the difficulties and everyday realities of overland travel during the period, and may also serve as an educational tool for students looking for primary source documents.
Exploring Themes in American Art
Provided by the National Gallery, this site explores ten themes in American art through illustrated essays. Each brief essay includes links to featured images, a list of artists, a glossary, and a bibliography. An interesting, useful, and compact site for anyone interested in American painting.
Bring History Home
An interactive website designed to engage children ages 8-13 in the fun of learning about American history. Developed in partnership with Plimoth Plantation, Paul Revere House, and the Tsongas Industrial History Center at UMass/Lowell, this experimental website gives children the chance to explore the lives of three young Americans, each living in a different time and place: Mary Cooper in 17th century Plymouth Colony, Paul Revere, Jr. in British-occupied Boston, and Eliza Paige in 19th century Lowell. The site also provides timelines, bibliographies, and other resources drawn from the three museums. For more information, contact jruskin@mfh.org or call (617) 923-1678.
The Nation Magazine has set up a special online site for black history month called Voices of History. In commemoration of Black History Month, we've collected a small sampling of original Nation essays, editorials and articles published in our pages since the magazine's founding by abolitionists in 1865.
ANGELA ARDS: Rhyme and Resist, July 26, 1999
PATRICIA J. WILLIAMS: America and the Simpson Trial, March 13, 1995
JESSE JACKSON: On Patriotism, July 15, 1991
JAMES BALDWIN: Notes on the House of Bondage, November 1, 1980
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.: Let Justice Roll Down, March 15, 1965
W.E.B. DU BOIS: I Won't Vote, October 20, 1956
LANGSTON HUGHES: The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain, February 3, 1926
WILLIAM WHITE: The Eruption of Tulsa, June 29, 1921
OCTAVIUS BROOKS FROTHINGHAM, The Liberator Released, January 4, 1866
Westward by Sea: A Maritime Perspective on American Expansion, 1820-1890
This online research compilation is a part of the Library of Congress's American Memory collection and presents pictorial and textual materials illustrating major themes in the history of maritime westward expansion. Some of these themes include the California Gold Rush, the roles of women, the immigrant experience, whaling life, life at sea, shipping, and native populations. The collection is comprised of ships' logbooks and secondary sources, such as nineteenth-century published narratives of voyages and travels, photographs, paintings, maps, and nautical charts. This collection provides "a rich look at the events, culture, beliefs, and personal experiences associated with westward expansion from the maritime perspective." The site can be searched by keyword or browsed by subject, name, or title.
American History and Art from New England
Features of the site include: the Digital Collection, a searchable database of over 1,000 artifacts selected from 70,000 in the Museum's holdings; In the Classroom, a collection of curriculum ideas for teachers; and the Turns of the Centuries exhibit. This exhibit presents images and artifacts on five broad themes: Family Life, Native American Indians, African Americans, Newcomers, and The Land. The exhibits span across three eras: 1680-1720, 1780-1820, and 1880-1920. There is also an Activities section, with Scavenger Hunt, Dress Up, Make a Chronology, and a Tailor Your Visit pages. The later suggests resources for teachers, researchers, and K-12 students.
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Before 1863, the Underground Railroad was a system of cooperation among Black slaves, abolitionists, sympathetic Whites, and Native Americans to help slaves escape the bondage of American slavery. The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center wants to educate the public about the legacy of the Underground Railroad and its historic struggle to abolish human enslavement. The Center's site currently contains a timeline dating from 1501 - 1865, a list of major players and contributors of the Underground Railroad Movement along with brief descriptions, and a list of related resources on each individual. The site also contains family stories and links to other related history sites.
Project, 1936-1938
This new collection from the American Memory Project at the Library of Congress presents digitized transcripts of interviews of former slaves, conducted under the auspice of the Federal Writers Project (FWP), a Depression-era Works Progress Administration program that put unemployed writers to work. Between 1936 and 1939, the FWP collected the life stories of ordinary people. Over 2,000 of these narratives are in the Library of Congress collection, which were bound into seventeen volumes in 1941. Accompanying the digitized narratives are more than 500 photographs. Users can search the narratives by keyword, browse by narrator's name or volume, and search and browse the photographs.
"Making the World Better: The Struggle for Equality in 19th-Century America"
The Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities and the Tsongas Industrial History Center at UMass/Lowell have just reprinted the curriculum packet, "Making the World Better: The Struggle for Equality in 19th-Century America," developed as part of the State House Women's Leadership Project. The centerpiece of the project is a new work of public art, permanently installed in the State House in October 1999, that honors six women who made significant contributions to public life in Massachusetts. Designed for middle and high school students, the curriculum focuses on two of these women: abolitionist and suffrage leader Lucy Stone (1818-1893) and African-American abolitionist Sarah Parker Remond (1824-1894). It includes a folder with biographical information and a time line, a selection of edited primary source documents, and a Teacher's Guide with learning activities and resources. "Making the World Better" is available, free of charge, to classroom teachers and home school parents.
HistoryWired: a few of our favorite things
This new site from the National Museum of American History (NMAH) showcases hundreds of items from the Museum's collection, many currently not on display. What makes this site particularly notable is its organization, which eschews the standard division into categories and subcategories (where users "drill down" to reach items) for a front page from which all items are accessible with a click. The interface here is quite nifty. NMAH aimed to replicate the serendipitous experience of wandering through a museum and encountering unexpected and interesting items. Mac users may need to download Mac OS Runtime for Java to use all of the features at the site (see the Technical Requirements section of the site for a hyperlink).
