American History Sites
American Memory
Search, browse and learn from the Historical Collections for the National Digital Library at the Library of Congress. Includes thousands of historical documents, maps, photographs, movies, and prints.
The American Revolution
Timelines of significant events before, during, and after the Revolutionary war.
Ad*Access
The Ad*Access Project, funded by the Duke Endowment “Library 2000” Fund, presents images and database information for over 7,000 advertisements printed in U.S. and Canadian newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955. Ad*Access concentrates on five main subject areas: Radio, Television, Transportation, Beauty and Hygiene, and World War II, providing a coherent view of a number of major campaigns and companies through images preserved in one particular advertising collection available at Duke University.
America’s Story
Meet amazing Americans, jump back in time, explore the states, join America at play, see, hear and sing along with video. Brought to you by Library of Congress.
1492: An Ongoing Voyage
What happened when Columbus arrived in America–and after?
Famous Trials
From Moussaoui, to Bill Clinton’s impeachment, to O.J. to Salem Witch Trials. You will find out about many of the famous trials of all time.
Library of Congress: American Treasures
Thomas Jefferson’s handwritten draft of the Declaration of Independence, Maya Lin’s original drawing for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the first motion picture deposited for copyright and more! Of the more than 110 million items in the Library of Congress, which are considered treasures.
From Revolution to Reconstruction…and what happened afterwards
Descriptions of early American life, colonial times and on through the 20th century. Produced in the Netherlands.
Uncle Sam
The American symbols, their origins, and history in US culture.
The 13 Originals: Founding the American Colonies
Short summaries of the founding and expansion of the colonies. An animation of the boundaries of the contiguous United States from 1650 to the present included.
Colonial Kids
This celebration of life in the 1700s tells all about life in Colonial America. Includes interviews, games, video excerpts, and photographs.
Colonial Williamsburg History
Experience Colonial Life by exploring the trades, politics, and other aspects of 18th-century living. Browse the Colonial Dateline highlighting events from. The section on food includes recipes.
Witchcraft in Salem Village
The site’s “purpose is to introduce…. collections relating to the infamous Salem Village Witchcraft Trials of 1692. This websiteis designed to provide accurate general information about these witchcraft events, as well as information on other aspects of Danvers’ history.
A Day in the Life: History Game
“Are you ready to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes? Imagine what it would be like to live in another time, in another place, as some other person. How would your life be the same or different compared to today? See how you would survive a day in the life of one of these nineteenth-century boys and girls.”
Pioneer Life in America
Many years ago people in the United States traveled to the new frontiers. Although in the 1700s the frontier was the Appalachian Mountains, later with westward expansion the frontier moved to the territories beyond the Mississippi River. Our web page will provide information about the pioneers who traveled not only to Oregon on the Oregon Trail and the Natchez Trace to Texas but all early American Pioneers. We have discovered that all pioneers had many of the same experiences. This page will tell the story of the pioneers and their adventures on the trail to their new lives on the frontiers of North America.
Donner Party
The Donner Party was the most famous tragedy in the history of the westward migration ninety wagon train emigrants were unable to cross the Sierra Nevada before winter, and almost one-half starved to death. Perhaps because they were ordinary people farmers, merchants, parents, children — their story captures the imagination. The logs on this site contain the words of the participants from their diaries, letters and first-hand accounts, balanced by the perspective of later historians. The logs describe the locations of their trail and camps in deetail so you can follow in the Donner Party’s wagon tracks and footsteps.
Making It Their Own: Women in the West
Biographies of western women, and a photographic section which complements the biographies and other information about women in the west.
New Perspectives on The West
The truth about the West is far more complicated, and much more compelling than generally known. Visit this website and you can explore The West. The site includes an interactive timeline tracing events from pre-Columbian times to the early twentieth century, an interactive map covering the territory and the times, Interactive biographical dictionary of historical figures, and games and puzzles to test your knowledge of the West.
Pioneer General reference
What types of illnesses and diseases did pioneers have? How were buffalo chips resources to travelers? What games and toys did children have on the journey West?
Statue of Liberty
An illustrated history, statistics and visitor information from the US National Park Service for this landmark.
Ellis Island
As you move through this online exhibit, you’ll experience Ellis Island as one of the over 12 million people who landed here, seeking to pass through this gateway to a life where hope replaced fear. Brought to you by The History Channel.
The Whitman Massacre by Mary Marsh Cason
Original account by Mary Marsh Cason of the Whitman Massacre.
Ghost Towns
A guide to ghost towns in the western USA, divided by states and regions. Includes information and photos.
All About the Oregon Trail
This web site is based on the award-winning documentary film from PBS. Read about the history of the trail and see the historic sites located along the way. Learn about where the pioneers “jumped off” (started their trips), how they camped, which animals they used to pull their wagons, and more! Brought to you by Idaho State University.
Pony Express Home Station
Ranked among the most remarkable feats to come out of the 1860 American West, the Pony Express was in service from April 1860 to November 1861. A comprehensive site featuring site map, riders, history museums.
History of Women’s Suffrage
From the Anthony Center for Women’s Leadership, the campaign for woman suffrage met such staunch opposition that it took 72 years for the women and their male supporters to be successful.
Woman Suffrage and the 19th Amendment
National Archives and Records Administration provide this detailed website about women’s right to vote.
The 20th Century
America in the 20th Century – Eyewitness accounts to events of the 20th Century. Children at work, Theodore Roosevelt, the San Francisco earthquake, early automobiles, Harry Truman and more.
People’s Century: 1900-1999
PBS Online presents the history of important events throughout the 20th century.
Time 100
Here’s Time magazine’s list of the 100 men and women whose power, talent or moral example is transforming the world..
Historic Audio Archives
From Michigan State University’s MATRIX Center, Audio, video, and still images from American and world history. Organized by the potpourri principle.
History and Politics Out Loud
A searchable archive of politically significant audio materials for scholars, teachers and students. Read or listen to John F. Kennedy’s inauguration speech, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s war declaration on Japan and more.
History of the Panama Canal
The history of the construction of the Panama Canal is the saga of human ingenuity and courage: years of sacrifice, crushing defeat, and final victory.
Temperance & Prohibition
A series of illustrated articles on the history of prohibition in the United States from Ohio State University History Department.
Voices From the Dust Bowl
The library of Congress American Memory site is an oline presentation of a multi-format ethnographic field collection documenting the everyday life of residents of FSA migrant work camps in central California in 1940 and 1941. This collections consists of audio recordings, photographs, manuscript materials, publications and ephemera generated during two separate documentation trips supported by the Archive of American Folk Song.
America’s Great Depression
An overview, timeline, books, links, and other information on America’s Great Depression.
A History of Social Security
In this extensive collection of history-related materials, both the institutional history of the Social Security Administration and the history of the Social Security program are presented.
McCarthyism
This witch-hunt and anti-communist hysteria became known as McCarthyism. Some left-wing artists and intellectuals were unwilling to live in this type of paranoid hunt for infiltrators and Communists. Discover information about communist spies, historic court cases, investigators, informers, blacklisted people, and more.
The Equal Rights Amendment
As supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment between 1972 and 1982 lobbied, marched, rallied, petitioned, picketed, went on hunger strikes, and committed acts of civil disobedience, it is probable that many of them were not aware of their place in the long historical continuum of women’s struggle for constitutional equality in the United States.
Iran Hostage Crisis
This Wikipedia entry includes an overview of events and many links to biographies, and history, including a link to a picture gallery which was shot from within and around the embassy during the crisis.
Watergate 25
An excellent overview of the events and people surrounding the scandal, this time from the perspective of investigative journalism..
Columbine High School Massacre
This Wikipedia site presents an article including a timeline and information about the Columbine High School shootings.
September 11: Bearing Witness to History
September 11, 2001, will be remembered as one of the most shocking days in American history. Armed terrorists hijacked four passenger jets and used them as weapons against the United States. The attacks destroyed the World Trade Center, damaged the Pentagon, and killed more than three thousand people.
Hurricane Katrina
PBS/Nova website devoted New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina.