Go Back: Virtual Middle School Library Home / Web Sites for Students Menu /Social Studies Menu/ U. S. History

The Thirteen Colonies | The American Revolution | From the Constitutional Convention to 1860 | The Civil War | From Reconstruction to 1900 | The Twentieth Century | General Information | People of America |

The Thirteen Colonies

• The Age of Exploration - Christopher Columbus and all of the other explorers who traveled far and discovered the new world. From the Mariners Park and Museum
• History of Jamestown - English settlement in 1606.
• Mayflower History - The Mayflower Compact, the Mayflower passenger list, and lots more information on the first permanent settlement in New England.
• The Pilgrim Story - The history of the Pilgrims from Pilgrim Museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
• The Road to American Revolution - This is a history of the 13 colonies. Check the menus on this page for more information. This is from Thought Co.
• Colonial Williamsburg - Visit a colonial town.
• USHistory.Org - Information on colonial Philadelphia, and links to other American history sites. By the Independence Hall Association of Philadelphia
• Virtual Tour of Historic Philadelphia - Take a tour of the most historic mile in America. See Independence Hall, Carpenters Hall, The Liberty Bell and much, much more.
• Explore Pennsylvania History - Information about the history of the state.
• Fort Necessity - The French and Indian war started at this fort in Pennsylvania.
• The French and Indian War - A YouTube video by Watertown High School.
• The French and Indian War Timeline - From PBS.

The Revolution and the Writing of the Consitiution

• Seven Black Heroes of the American Revolution - From History.com
• Uniforms of the American Revolution - From the Boston Tea Party Museum.
• The Museum of the American Revolution - A great place to visit in Philadelphia.
• The Philadelphia Campaign 1777 - Revolutionary war battles in the Philadelphia area - includes Germantown, Brandywine, Whitemarsh, and Valley Forge.
• Historic Valley Forge - Visit the site of the winter camp of the Colonial army during the Revolutionary War.
• The Betsy Ross Homepage - Information on the history of the US flag.
• The Revolutionary War in the South - Important battles for American freedom were fought in the Southern States.
• The War in the South - a video about the war in the Southern States.
• The Declaration of Independence - See a copy of the Declaration and read about its history.
• Important American Historical Documents - The Declaration of Indepence, the Constitution and other important document. This is from Ben's Guide to the Government.
• The Constitutional Convention

Up to Top

From the Constitutional Convention to 1860

• Lewis and Clark - For two years, Lewis and Clark explored the western part of North America.
• The War of 1812 Website - This site has articles, a chronology and battle maps.
• The Star Spangled Banner - Inspired by the raising of the flag over Fort McHenry in 1814, Francis Scott Key wrote the words for our national anthem.
• The Erie Canal: A Brief History - Opened in 1825 in New York, this canal was important to the growth of the young United States.
• The Westward Expansion Timeline
• The Donner Party - Logs of the members of a wagon train who were trapped in the snow in the mountains of the west in the years of 1846 - 1847.
• The Mexican War - One page summary of the Mexican war.
• The Oregon Trail - OK, you've played the game, now learn more about the trail.
• The California Gold Rush - The discovery of gold in California caused many people to travel to California in 1849 and the years after this.
• The Discovery of Gold in California - John A. Sutter tells how he discovered the gold in California.
• The Pony Express - Early way to deliver mail by very daring riders.
• I Will Be Heard - Abolitionism in America. This site tells about the history of movement to abolish slavery. It also has biographies of abolitionists.
• Journeys to Freedom - The Underground Railroad. From the US National Park Service.

Up to Top

The Civil War

• The Civil War - A chronology of the Civil War.
• The Civil War - This site has lots of information about the war. Look at some of the Harper's Weekly magazines which have articles and pictures of the war.
• Eyewitness History: The Civil War - Real people describe the historical events that they lived through.
• Manassas Battlefield - Site of the first and second battles of Bull Run (Manassas).
• Antietum - Sept. 17, 1862. The bloodiest battle of the Civil War.
• Vicksburg - The battle for Vicksburg was conducted from March to July of 1863.
• The Battle of Gettysburg - from Ducksters.
• Sherman's March to the Sea
• Appomattox Court House - Where the Civil War ended.

Up to Top

From Reconstruction to 1900

• The Transcontinental Railroad - Americans could now cross the continent by train. From Ducksters
• The Gilded Age - The time period between 1865 and 1901 which saw industrial prosperity, westward expansion, the arrival of many immigrants, and the beginning of the formation of labor unions.
• The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow - A century of struggle for rights for African Americans which begins with Reconstruction. From PBS
• The Western Indian Wars - "If white men take my country, where can I go" - Sitting Bull.
• The Cattle Trails - The cowboys brought beef from the ranch and into the American diet.
• The Age of Imperialism - The history of the US during the late 19th and early 20th century. Expansion of the US interests to Pacific and Latin America.
• Timeline of the Woman's Rights Movement - from Infoplease.
• Votes for Women - A history of how women got the vote. This site has nice time line.
• The Spanish American War - An introduction.
• The Spanish American War in Motion Pictures - the first time that the motion picture camera was used to film a war.

Up to Top

The Twentieth Century

• World War I Facts - From National Geographic.
• The Jazz Age - An age of spending, prohibition, the Harlem Renaissance, and jazz.
• The Great Depression - Many Americans lost their jobs and their money. Western farms suffered from a long drought, and many farmers had to move.
• The New Deal - America during FDR's administration between 1930 and 1940.
• World War Two - The United Kingdom in World War II by the BBC.
• The Korean War - Information from InfoPlease.
• The Civil Rights Timeline - a history of the modern civil rights movement. From Infoplease.
• The Vietnam Veterans Memorial - A monument to theleast popular war in American history.
• The First Gulf War - 1990 - 1991. America secures its oil interests in the Persian Gulf.
• The Iraq Timeline - A history of Iraq and its wars.

Up to Top

Other Information

• America's Story - Introduction to American history and geography. Meet amazing Americans, visit the states, travel in time, and learn about America's music.
• The American Currency Exhibit - The history of money in the United States. There are lots of illustrations.
• Historical Maps of the United States - From the Perry Castenada Map Collection.
• Nature Transformed: The Effect of Environment on American History - Essays on the impact of the environment on the development of America.
• The American Memory - A variety of topics in American history illustrated with photos and other materials from the Library of Congress.
• The American Experience - Videos and articles from PBS

The People Who Make America

• Native Americans
  • America's Stone Age Explorers - Who were the first inhabitants of the Americas and where did they come from?.
  • Index of Native American Resources on the Internet - A good starting point for your search for information on Native Americans.
  • Native American Nations - Links to web site by and about Native American tribes.
  • NativeTech: Native American Technology and Art - The arts and crafts of New England's native Americans. Very clear explanations of how the native Americans used beadwork, plants, weaving, and pottery.
  • The Indians of Pennsylvania
• African-Americans
  • K-12 Electronic Guide for African Resources on the Internet - From the University of Pennsylvania.
  • The African-American Mosaic - Exhibits on African-American history from the Library of Congress.
• Arab-Americans
  • Famous Arab Americans
• Asian-Americans
  • Asian-Nation: The Landscape of Asian Americans - information on the history and culture of Asian-Americans.
  • Ancestors in America - This site has a timeline and links to other Asian-American web sites. By PBS.
• European Americans
  • Ellis Island - Huge numbers of immigrants to American came through Ellis Island in the 1800's and 1900's.
  • Jews in America - From the Jewish Virtual Library.
  • The National Museum of American Jewish History - Located in Philadelphia

Up to Top

This site is maintained by Linda Bertland, retired school librarian. Please address any comments, additions, or corrections to info@sldirectory.com.