Social Studies Sites

Ancient History

Exploring Ancient World Cultures

Here is "an introductory, online, college-level textbook of ancient world cultures constructed around a series of cultural pages consising of The Ancient Near East, Ancient India, Ancient Egypt, Ancient China, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Early Islam, and Medieval Europe." The site freatures an anthology, chronology, essays, maps, and an interactive quiz for each culture.

Guardian's Egypt

Click on Ancient Egypt, Sites and Monuments, Mummies, Hieroglyphs, Egyptian Art, Mythology and Religion, and Other Egypt Links.

Odyssey Online

Odyssey provides an in-depth view of ancient Near Eastern, Egyptian, Greek and Roman cultures using the artifacts of two museums as a foundation. (Best of the Web)

Perseus Project

This is an extensive collection of resources to study the ancient world. Search by keyword or browse by such topics as art, archaeology, atlas, texts, text tools, historical overview, encyclopedia, essays, and catalogs.

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

This site contains links to historical, mythical, religious and artistic information associated with each "wonder." The visuals load quickly and provide student with a look at these structures. Related links to other sites are included.

Black History

General Information

The African American Village

This site has current information relating to African Americans in the news. Features include African American headlines, Politics and Law, Education, Art and Culture, Family and Lifestyle, Business and Finance, and Career and Employment. Also links to other minority websites.

African American Odyssey: a Quest for Full Citizenship

From the Library of Congress, a special presentation that showcases the Library's incomparable African American collections. Inclluded are a wide array of important and rare books, government documents, manuscripts, maps, musical scores, plays, films, and recordings.

African American Perspectives

Also from the Library of Congress, a panoramic and eclectic review of African American history and culture, spanning the period from early 19th through the early 20th century.

The African American Web Connection

An African American Cyber Gateway for the entire family, the site includes sections on Art and Poetry, Authors, Businesses, Entertainment, History, Organizations, Resources, and much more.

African Voices (Smithsonian Natural History Web)

Examines the diversity, dynamism, and global influence of Africa’s peoples and cultures over time in the realms of family, work, community, and the natural environment.

Black/ African Related Resources

This is a list of online information storage sites (FTP, Gopher, Telnet, WWW, BBS, Database, etc.) that contain a significant amount of information relating to or of concern to Black or African people, culture, and issues around the world.

National Urban League

The mission of the National Urban League is to assist African Americans in the achievement of social and economic equality. The Board of Trustees of the National Urban League and all of its affiliates reflect a diverse body of community, government, and corporate leaders. The League implements its mission through advocacy, bridge building, program services and research.

African American History

TIME: Celebrating Black History CNN: Black History Month 1999

Black History Month Exhibitions With Images and Articles:

Black History: Exploring African American Issues on the Web

Created by PacBell Educatioon First Fellow, Tom March. A Wide variety of Internet activities and links are offered, with more than a dozen learniing activities related to Black History and Culture. Local and off-site links provide a vast amount of information to accompany the excellent acivities.

Black History Hotlist

Good collection of resources on African American History and Culture!

Black History Pages

The best of Black History online from Freedmen's Bureau.

A Black History Treasure Hunt

Here's a chance for students to read ten clues on the assigned page, then read ten internet biographies listed at the bottom of each page. Lastly, they will match each clue to one of the ten biogtraphies.

Black Military History

African Americans in the service of their country through military service. Includes a further list of useful sites

The Encyclopedia Britannica Guide to Black History

Excellent online presentation made available by Btitannica.

Harlem 1900-1940: An African-American Community

"Harlem's early days as the Cultural Capital of African Americans are represented here by graphic and photographic images. Some of the subjects include political movements, education, sports, social organizations, religion, the Harlem Hospital, theater, business and music." From the N.Y. Public Library.

Internet African American History Challenge

"An interactive quiz that helps you sharpen your knowledge of African American History. It's an "open book" test. So if you're not sure of an answer, you can check our reference material for help."

Library of Congress Resource Guide for the Study of Black History and Culture

This site has sections on the Influence of prominent Abolitionists, Migration of African Americans to Chicago, and African American authors.

Taking the Train to Freedom

"The study includes a general overview of the Underground Railroad, with a brief discussion of slavery and abolitionism, escape routes used by slaves, and alternatives to commemorate and interpret the signficance of the phenomenon."

Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement

Brief comments with striking images highlighting important events in the American civil rights movement. From CNN

African American Biographies

Dr. Martin Luther King Holiday

The Seattle Times has put together a Dr. Martin Luther King site in celebration of the holiday.

The Faces of Science: African-Americans in the Sciences.

Biography resources for African-Americans in the Sciences.

Langston Hughes

Informative essay about this very influential American poet.

Mathematicians of the African Diaspora

Links related to Afican contributions to the field of mathematics.

Some Important 19th Century African Americans

Biographical essays of some important 19th Century African Americans are offered here as part of the Internet African American History Challenge, which "helps you sharpen your knowledge of African American history."

Taking the Train to Freedom

"The study includes a general overview of the Underground Railroad, with a brief discussion of slavery and abolitionism, escape routes used by slaves, and alternatives to commemorate and interpret the signficance of the phenomenon."

African American Culture

African American Arts, Culture, History, Etc.

A nicely organized set of links.

African-American Literature Links

Collection of links to books related to African Americans and their writings.

African American Literature Syllabi

From the Teaching American Literature (T-AMLIT) archive at Georgetown University.

African-American Women Writers

"A digital collection of some 52 published works by 19th-century black women writers. A part of the Digital Schomburg, this collection provides access to the thought, perspectives and creative abilities of black women as captured in books and pamphlets published prior to 1920. Key-word-searchable."

African Art

"African artifacts have generally been exhibited with reference only to cultural context and use. In view of recent studies of African aesthetic principles and related moral and religious values, there is good reason to emphasize the formal aesthetic aspects of the objects and the moral and religious ideas they express."

Black Film Center/Archive

The Black Film Center/Archive (BFC/A) is a repository of films and related materials by and about African Americans.

Harlem 1900-1940  An African-American Community

An online exhibit with images and text.

KWANZAA Information Center

Information on KWANZAA, the African-American spiritual holiday that was formulated, devised, developed and initiated by Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga on December 26, 1966.

Selections from The African-American Mosaic:

A Library of Congress Resource Guide for the Study of Black History and Culture.

Soldiers Without Swords

Tells the story of the pioneering men and women of the Black press who gave voice to Black America.

Writing Black USA

An excellent online collection of writings by African American authors, from the Colonial period to modern times.

Cultural

African Americans in Science

Louisiana State University features The Faces of Science. This site features African American men and women, past and present, who have contributed to the advancement of science and engineering.

Armenian National Institute in Washington, D.C.

The site contains a research photo collection, personal narratives, scanned documents, maps, scholarly writings, bibliographies, and more. The educational section provides research material and offers classroom curriculum support for teaching the sensitive subject matter of Armenian genocide.

Cambodian Heritage

Hear the language spoken and see the writing used in this culture.

Chinese Historical and Cultural Project

Preserving and promoting Chinese American and Chinese history and culture through community outreach activities is the Chinese Historical and Cultural Project.

Hmong History

This resource includes a teen question and answer section. Find a collectioon of resources relating to Hmong history, culture, language, and current events

Islamic Civilization and Religion

Rated as one of the best on the internet for quality, accuracy of content, presentation, and usability by Encyclopedia Britannica.

Japanese American Exhibit and Access Project

This educational site documents the experiences of the first group of Japanese American citizens relocated to the Puyallup Assembly Center, prior to permanent incarceration in internment camps at the onset of World War II. Many original source documents are included.

Korean American Museum

An excellent resource on Korean-American history, culture, and organizations. Its best feature is its "Links" page, which connects users to many Korean-American publications, educational programs, media sites, and community centers.

Latino USA

Latino USA, from the University of Texas at Austin is a National Public Radio station offering multiple perspectives on issues affecting Latinos. For the nearest Latino USA radio station, special reports and selected reports for students and teachers visit their website.

Library of Congress Resource Guide for the Study of Black History and Culture

This site has sections on the Influence of prominent Abolitionists, Migration of African Americans to Chicago, and African American authors. (Selected from Cybrarian's Cyberworld)

National Museum of the American Indian

The Smithsonian Institute offers information on Native Americans. Educational resource programs, films, videos, publications, and recordings, and more.

PBS Hidden Korea

This site depicts aspects of Korean life through brief articles and beautiful color photographs.

Essays

The Concord Review

Read exemplary essays by high school students of history. This Web site is an online representation of the quarterly journal, The Concord Review. Twenty complete essays (averaging 5000 words) are posted here. They could serve as models for the Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate students or as resouce material for students writing on similar topics.

Geography

CIA World Factbook

The CIA Factbook contains information on every country in the world. Maps are included.

Country Studies

These are area handbooks prepared by the Department of the Army's Country Studies divison prepared by a team of social scientists. The depth and breadth of the coverage make the handbooks uniquely valuable. Students can search for information about each country, compare social and political life, and learn about countries affecting current events.

National Geographic

Search the site, search the archives, or look at one of their feature pages.

Historical Documents

The Avalon Project at Yale Law School

Major historical documents dating back to the 12th century are presented in entirety, with links to supporting documents, glossaries, and indexes for each one. Major documents relevant to Law, History, Economics, Politics, Diplomacy and Government are found here. Some of the topics are American History: A Chronology 1492-1973, Annual Messages of the Presidents, The Barbary Treaties 1816-1836, The Cold War, Economic and Legal Treatises, Foreign Relations of the United States, Nuremberg War Crimes Trial, and many, many more.

Core Documents of U.S. Democracy

This is a basic electronic depository collection to essential documents of our democratic society. Topics include, Legislative and Legal, Office of the President, Demographic, and Economic. Good place to get Supreme Court Decisions, and much more.

Top 100 American Speeches of the 20th Century

Browse by rank and decade. Criteria included social and political impact, rhetorical artistry, eloquence, and power.

The University of Oklahoma Law Center

This site houses a chronology of U.S. Historical Documents.

Lesson Plans

EDSITEment

This site includes online learning guides and a hotlist of links to top humanities sites. The learning guides include lesson plans in History and Social Studies, English and language arts, foreign languages, and art history.

History Web Resources and Activities

Best of History Web Sites features categorized and annotated lists of links to hundreds K-12 history lesson plans, teacher guides, activities, games, quizzes, and more throughout its pages

The Inaugural Classroom

Included are Steps in Selecting a President, The People and Their President, The 1992 and 1996 Elections, and more.

Lesson Plans and Resources for Social Studies Teachers

"The lesson plans are abundant. They are from sources like ERIC and don't necessarily incorporate technology-use, but, Dr. Levine also links to a host of very good Web-based resources."

Online Social Studies Activities

This site lists online activities for everything from campaign advertising to the underground railroad.

Project Vote Smart

Tracking the performance of over 13,000 political leaders, this is a wealth of facts on candidates and elected officials. Choose Vote Smart Classroom where you'll find resources for students and teachers including lesson plans and other resources. Sections include vote smart lessons, suggestions for teachers, links to lesson plans and resources, and more.

Rebuilding Iraq

Lots of information including Latest News, New Government; Humanitarian Needs, During the War, Path to War, History of Conflict with activities and lessons.

Maps

Library of Congress Geography and Map Room

Resources on mapping for grades K-12.

Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection

This site is a list of sites that have many kinds of electronic maps that are organized by continent, region, and country, including historic and special interest maps. Links to other map sites is extensive. If you need a map, you will find it by starting here and choosing other links if needed.

USGS Maps

Resources on mapping for grades K-12.

World Outline Maps

This site provides printable outline maps of world regions and continents. Included are some historical maps.

Site Lists

History/Social Studies Web Site for K-12 Teachers

Created by CSUN and recipient of many awards for excellence.

Internet Scout Project

This project points out excellent resources in Science and Engineering, Social Sciences, and Business and Economics.

SCORE History-Social Science Resources

Sections include, Resources/Lessons by grade level, Resources by theme/Topic, Internet Classrooms, and more.

US History

American Memory

This is a digitized collection from the Library of Congress designed for educators. The collection includes photographs and recorded interviews that illustrate various political, social, and economic themes in the American experience. The entire site is searchable.

The American West

This is a presentation of the history and development of the American West from frontier and pioneer days to today. Find out about Cowboys, Indians, Pioneers, Gunslingers, Outlaws, Ghost Towns, Saloons, Tombstone, Virginia City, Doc Holliday, Kit Carson, Wyatt Earp, Billy the Kid, and more and more and more. Be ready for the musical background.

Core Documents of U.S. Democracy

This is a basic electronic depository collection to essential documents of our democratic society. Topics include, Legislative and Legal, Office of the President, Demographic, and Economic. Good place to get Supreme Court Decisions, and much more.

The History Channel Website

Here's a nice Website for accessing reliable, primary source historical documentation. The archives are especially useful for speeches. Also take a look at the "This Day in History" section and the program listings.

The History Net

This rich Web site could serve as a central resource for teachers or students. From a huge archive of informative and appealing articles from U.S. and world history to personality profiles and eyewitness accounts, it is a treat.

The History Place

This Web site offers graphically enhanced timelines of World War II in Europe and the life of Abraham Lincoln. Also included are a photo journal of the life of John F. Kennedy, a featured speech of the week and a hotlist of historically related tourist sites across the US. The available topics are continuing to increase (including the Holocaust and Civil War.)

Making of America

This project is a collaborative endeavor to preserve a significant body of primary sources related to the U.S. The thematically-related digital library documents American social history from the antebellum period through reconstruction.

New Deal Network

The New Deal Network includes a database of photographs, political cartoons, and texts (speeches, letters, and other historic documents) from this period. Every few months new features are added. These include lessons and student projects.

POTUS: Presidents of the United States

This comprehensive site on the American presidency includes biographies, speeches and writings, election results, and more. Links to other sites on the presidents are also included.

RE: Vietnam - Stories Since the War

This site is a collection of oral histories presented by those who remember the Vietnam era which give "personal perspectives as well as insight to those studying that period." Tips on conducting oral histories are included.

Top 100 American Speeches of the 20th Century

Browse by rank and decade. Criteria included social and political impact, rhetorical artistry, eloquence, and power.

The University of Oklahoma Law Center

This site houses a chronology of U.S. Historical Documents.

Words and Deeds in American History

This site collects and posts original manuscripts and letters archived at the Library of Congress. Some have been grouped by such topics as The Presidency, Military Affairs, Arts and Literature, etc. Included is a chronological list to help you navigate.

Women's History

Women's History Month

" Welcome to the Women's History free resource site. Thomson Gale has assembled a collection of activities and information to complement classroom topics." From Gale Group, the same people who created the Student Resource Center and Biography Resource Center, resource tools from your library.

History Channel site for Women's History Month

This offers many profiles of prominent women from all fields.

Celebrate Women's History Month with Scholastic.

Start here with women who changed history.

Women's History Month Link list.

At Glendale College in Glendale, CA, Associate Professor of Mass Communications Mike Eberts had some of his students search the net for women's history links. The result is this eclectic, student-generated list. Dozens of good links. (Please remember that this list may not be updated for broken links.)

World History

The Avalon Project

The Avalon Project at Yale Law School is an incredible resource for students and teachers alike. Major historical documents dating back to the 12th century are presented in entirety with links to supporting documents, glossaries, and indexes for each one. Documents relevant to Law, History, Economics, Politics, Diplomacy, and Government can be found here.

Medieval Scrapbook

This site has sections on all aspects of Medieval history.

Middle Ages

Find out what it was really like to live in the Middle Ages. This site explores feudal life, religion, homes, clothing, health, arts and entertainment, town life, and lists related Websites.

The Middle Ages

This site has four guides --- a knight, a merchant, a nun, and a peasant, who describe their world and their everyday lives.

Middle Ages

What was it really like to live in the Middle Ages? In reality, life in the Middle Ages, a period that extended from approximately the fifth century to the fifteenth century in Western Europe, was sometimes all these things, as well as harsh, uncertain, and often dangerous.

First World War

Extensive site created and maintained by Michael Duffy. Numerous sections include: How It Began, Battles, Who's Who, Timeline, On this Day, Vintage Audio, Photos, First person accounts, and more. It also includes a search tool.

Famous Trials

A straight-forward homepage full of thumbnails that lead to various trials throughout history. From Socrates to OJ Simpson, you'll find timelines, photos, excerpts from the trial, maps and other materials.

Fifty Years From Trinity

The Seattle Times' outstanidng WebEdition of The Nuclear Age includes full test reprints from the Seattle Times, supplementary material, interactive activities, and a collection of related sources across the net.

Flight History

An archive of aviation history including stories, photos, plane details, and ability to send an electronic postcard.

People's Century

This Website extends the PBS television series that "offers new insight into the turbulent events of these hundred years through the revealing personal testimony of the people who were there." Thematic overviews, timelines, and a teacher's guide all help put the episodes into perspective. Some subjects are Age of Hope, Killing Fields, Red Flag, People Power, Great Escape, Breadline, Master Race, and Freedom Now.

The Japanese American Exhibit

"The Japanese American Exhibit and Access Project is a multifaceted project to create a permanent Web site which provides enhanced access to the UW Libraries holdings on the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. Included in the project is a virtual exhibit focusing on the Puyallup assembly center, Camp Harmony, and enhanced access to archival guides and inventories of the UW Libraries Manuscripts and University Archives Division."

Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust

This is a "must see" Website. With a combination of music, words, photographs, and art, the site provides a factual account of the Holocaust, its victims and perpetrators. Included are teacher resources, classroom activites, Web links, and a Holocaust glossary and timeline.