In This Guide
Introduction to U.S. History
Native American History
European Explorers and Colonists in America
Slavery in America
The American Revolution
Early United States History
The Civil War
Settling of the American West
The Late 19th Century, the Industrial Revolution, and the Gilded Age
The United States in World War I
The Roaring ’20s and Prohibition
The Great Depression and the New Deal
The United States in World War II
The 1950s United States and the Cold War
The 1960s United States
The 1970s United States
Community Links in U.S. History
U.S. History: Resources for Students, Teachers and Researchers
Information about the
Educators: Sign up for our education newsletter.
Expand All Guide SectionsIntroduction to U.S. History
Even a quick glance at the history section of your local library or a basic search on the Internet ... read more »
Native American History
The history of America begins not with the first European explorers to visit the continent but with ... read more »
European Explorers and Colonists in America
The internet is wonderful source for discovering European explorers and colonists in ... read more »
Slavery in America
The tragedy of slavery in America is an undeniably influential part of ... read more »
The American Revolution
Many of the most famous events in American history happened during the Revolution. From the first ... read more »
Early United States History
The early years of the United States, roughly 1800–1840, drastically shaped the political and ... read more »
The Civil War
There may be as many Web sites devoted to the Civil War as there are for the rest of American history combined. Use the Web sites listed in this guide as starting points for your discovery of the people, issues, and events that make up one of the most-discussed events in U.S. history—when the country was divided against itself.
Insights for the Civil War
- The Civil War is also sometimes known as “The War Between States.”
- The two decades before the Civil War, the 1840s and 1850s, are often referred to as the Antebellum period. This is when the southern slave-owning aristocracy was at its height, and when the issue of slavery came to the forefront of American politics. The abolitionist movement gained strength in the North, and every admission of a new state to the Union provoked a fight over whether it would be a slave-holding or free state.
- The Civil War affected people in the North and South quite differently. For a good perspective on this, visit “Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the American Civil War,” which chronicles two counties, Augusta County, Virginia, and Franklin County, Pennsylvania, contrasting their experiences from John Brown’s Raid to the end of Reconstruction. There are diaries, letters, speeches, and newspaper accounts from residents of each county, all in an easily navigable layout.
- After the Civil War, Reconstruction was an attempt to change the South politically and socially. The backlash against Reconstruction resulted in the system of segregation that lasted until the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
Top Sites for the Civil War
For the causes of the Civil War …
The Library of Congress
has this exhibit called Abolition: The African-American Mosaic. It features sections on “Abolition as a Social Movement,” the “Influence of Prominent Abolitionists,” and “Abolition & Slavery.” There are illustrations and citations with links to source material, including maps, photos, songs, and meeting minutes for abolitionist gatherings.
National Geographic
has this feature called The Underground Railroad.” The Web site details the experience of a runaway slave. There’s a section for kids and one for teachers looking for classroom ideas. Add in a timeline, illustrations, bibliographies of famous escaped slaves and abolitionists, and links to many other resources, and you have a Web site that is both eye-catching and useful. Visit “The Journey” section of the site to trace the path of a runaway slave—or choose to stay at home and see what life as a slave is like.
About North Georgia
offers the “Causes of the Civil War.” It does a good job of presenting the reasons why many Southerners felt they had a cause worth fighting for. The site has an interesting essay, backed up with references and links throughout the text to other valuable sources.
Georgia's Blue and Gray Trail
has this piece called, “America’s Civil War.” This is the companion piece to the page listed directly above, but deals instead with the Northern perspective. The format is the same, but the reader will notice that the emphasis here is on political issues, the compromises that involved the admission of new states, and the South’s continuing control of the senate and the presidency.
Assumption College
provides the story of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, when the dispute over admitting new states first broke out into open violence. There are excerpts from newspapers and speeches of the time, and plenty of references and links to source material regarding an historical debate that remains active to this very day.
African American History
is a project detailing major events in African American history. Visit this section called, “Dred Scott: Introduction.” This paper provides an historical background to Dred Scott, plus sections on differing reactions to the decision among Democrats and Republicans. This resource clarifies why Dred Scott was such a formative moment in Civil War history.
For Civil War battles, people, and events …
The American Civil War Homepage
is a comprehensive guide to Civil War resources on the Internet. Topics touch upon music of the Civil War, biographies of generals, politicians, income tax records, and animal mascots of the Civil War. The page, which began as a class project at the University of Tennessee, is updated regularly, and is an invaluable resource for students of all ages.
The Confederate States of America
provides a thorough history of the Confederacy, covering Jefferson Davis, Confederate generals, the experiences of the average Confederate soldier, Southern women in the Civil War, the treatment of prisoners of war, and much more. The site also includes links to important documents from the history of the Confederacy.
Civil War Battles
contains extensive descriptions of individual battles complete with photographs, maps, and links to other resources. The site also has biographies of participants, including Robert E. Lee and other Confederate and Union generals, an article on Civil War medicine, and a year-by-year index of events in the Civil War. Click on any year on the left-hand side of the page, and you’ll find links to Civil War newspapers published that year.
Lincoln/Net
is a site devoted to the life of Abraham Lincoln before he became president of the United States. This is a monumental collection of writings, source material, and topics, including Lincoln and the Mexican War, the Lincoln-Douglas debates, and Lincoln’s time as an attorney in Illinois. The “Teacher’s Parlor” is an especially good resources for teachers, with a possible field trip to Springfield and lesson plans detailing Lincoln’s life.
Mr. Lincoln’s White House
details the years of Lincoln’s presidency, his life in the White House, and his relationships with other residents and politicians in Washington, DC. The site is part of the Lincoln Institute Web sites, which also includes pages called “Lincoln and Freedom,” “Lincoln and the Founders,” and “Abraham Lincoln’s Classroom,” a resource for students and teachers.
The Library of Congress
presents the “Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln,” which is part of the Abraham Lincoln Papers. The page includes an essay on the assassination, a timeline, and a gallery of illustrations and photographs of Lincoln’s assassination and the country’s reaction. Browse through this site for other worthwhile information on the former president.
National Archives and Records Administration
provides the Emancipation Proclamation. The site includes discussions of both the preliminary and final Emancipation Proclamations, describing the effect the speech had on the Civil War, and its significance in U.S. history. There are links to other resources, including an audio file of Charlie Smith, an ex-slave who talks about his life before and after the Emancipation Proclamation.
Duke University Libraries
offers this collection of diaries, letters, photographs, prints, and other documents depicting the role and life of women in the Civil War. Presented by the Sallie Bingham Center for Women’s History and Culture, this is a great resource for anyone researching or teaching the subject of women in the Civil War.
The Center for Civil War Photography
offers these Civil War photographs. The Civil War was the first war to be documented in photographs; this site contains many of these photos, along with descriptions of the photographic methods used at the time, and links to other sites with Civil War photography.
For Reconstruction and the war’s aftermath …
PBS
presents this documentary, Reconstruction: The Second Civil War. You can watch the entire show online, or use the Web site to explore Reconstruction by topic. There’s a state-by-state map that lists what happened in each state after the Civil War, and a special section on the experiences of freed slaves as they attempted to enter the political and social life of the South. The site also includes a teacher’s guide.
PBS
also publishes this feature, The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow. It examines the backlash to Reconstruction, which resulted in the system of government-enforced segregation that lasted until the civil rights movement of the 1960s. The site details the establishment of the Jim Crow laws with maps, and stories from the people most affected. Visit the “Tools and Activities” section for an interactive experience. Educators should visit the “For Teachers” link for lesson-plans, activities, and other resources.
A Hundred Years of Terror
is a report from the Southern Poverty Law Center, linked from the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Web site. The essay is on the origins and history of the KKK, a racist organization whose activities and influence are still felt today. The report details how the Klan initially used scare tactics, and eventually embraced violence and murder as a means of terrifying and controlling black Americans. Read this site to learn how the Klan was instrumental in bringing the era of Reconstruction to a close.
Settling of the American West
The exploration and settling of the American West began well before the Civil War. ... read more »
The Late 19th Century, the Industrial Revolution, and the Gilded Age
In the late 19th century the United States began to change from a rural nation to an urban one. The ... read more »
The United States in World War I
It took a few years, but eventually the United States became involved in the great global conflict ... read more »
The Roaring ’20s and Prohibition
After World War I it seemed as if the whole country decided to loosen up. Welcome to the ... read more »
The Great Depression and the New Deal
In the 1930s the United States faced its greatest crisis since the Civil War. The Stock Market ... read more »
The United States in World War II
World War II transformed the United States from a country mainly concerned with its own problems to ... read more »
The 1950s United States and the Cold War
After World War II Americans returned to the business of living their lives and raising families, ... read more »
The 1960s United States
The 1960s in the United States was one of the most turbulent decades in ... read more »
The 1970s United States
Many of the political, social, and cultural movements that began in the 1950s and 1960s, including ... read more »
© 2009 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
