Social Studies
Countries
Geography
Government
U.S. History
War
World & Ancient History
Sites offering primary source information are marked with a 
.
Calisphere
http://www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/
Explore thousands of primary sources to discover California history! Find photographs, documents, newspaper clippings, political cartoons, art, and other cultural artifacts.
Culture Grams access from outside
a library branch or in-library use.
Up-to-date information on countries and states, including statistics, flags,
maps, currency, common greetings and phrases, and much more. Each entry has a
photo gallery, biographies of famous people, and recipes.
Social Studies Fact Cards access from outside
a library branch or in-library
use.
A wide selection of important information on California, U.S., and World History
helpful for completing homework assignments.
BBC News World Edition: Country Profiles
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/country_profiles/default.stm
Profiles on news, history, politics, event timelines, and economic background
of world countries. Includes print, audio, and video pieces from the
BBC archives.
Country Background Notes
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/
Basic information on countries from the U.S. Department of State.
Country Reports
http://www.countryreports.org/
Clear images of world flags with corresponding maps, plus quick facts
on each country.
Globastat
http://Globastat.com/
Features rankings in more than 140 categories of over 200 countries,
based on the CIA World Factbook.
World Fact Book of Countries
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
The CIA government source for geographical, political, economic, and
statistical information on the countries of the world. A basic map for
each country is included, as are numerous regional and world maps.
World Flag database
http://www.flags.net/mainindex.htm
An extensive graphic collection of flags of the world and historical
flags from the Flag Institute.
Civil War Maps
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/collections/civil_war_maps/
Over 2,000 maps and charts from the American Memory project at the Library
of Congress.
Geography Merriam-Webster Atlas
http://www.m-w.com/maps/moremapsnyt.html
A good site for world maps.
Maps and Geography
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/maps/index.html
A comprehensive location for maps from National Geographic.
Maps of the World (Map Zone)
http://www.map-zone.net/
Find geographical locations using the interactive world map, go directly
to one of seven regional maps, or use the alphabetic index of countries.
Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/index.html
Large collection of maps arranged by continent, as well as historical
maps, city maps, and links to other map sites on the web.
Ben's Guide to U.S. Government
http://bensguide.gpo.gov
Information about the United States government, organized by grade level.
Core Documents of U.S. Democracy
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/coredocs.html
Direct online access to the basic Federal Government documents that
define our democratic society, a core group of current and historical
Government publications is being made available for free, permanent,
public access via GPO Access.
The Presidents of the United States
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/
Brief biography and picture of every President, links the site with
information on all the first ladies, quizzes and interesting trivia
facts, and current information on happenings at the capital.
State and Local Governments
http://lcweb.loc.gov/global/state/stategov.html
Mega and individual state links to local government from the Library
of Congress.
African American Mosaic
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african/intro.html
A Library of Congress source for the study of Black history and culture.
American Memory
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html
A gateway to over 7 million digitized primary and historical source
materials relating to the history and culture of the United States in
the Library of Congress collection; includes photographs, manuscripts,
rare books, maps, recorded sound, and moving pictures.
America's Story
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi
Appealing site all about our nation's history from the Library of Congress.
Select "Jump Back in Time" to study a particular time period.
Charters of Freedom
http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/charters.html
View the primary documents containing the Magna Carta, the Declaration
of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, and numerous
other American documents.
Digital History
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/resource_guides/content_readings.cfm?tpc=33
Readings, primary sources (documents, maps, historic newspapers, newscasts),
timelines, biographies, and virtual exhibits on American History.
Historic Speeches
http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/sites/hisspeeches.html
Read the famous speeches that have influenced and shaped the United
States from its foundation to present times.
History Buff
http://www.historybuff.com/
Media coverage of American history. Read the actual newspaper articles
about the assassinations, criminals, wars, famous people, disasters,
and other events throughout American history.
The History Channel
http://www.historychannel.com/broadband
View video clips and listen to speeches in categories such as Military
& War, Arts & Society, and Science & Technology.
Links to the Past: Explore America’s Past
http://www.cr.nps.gov/colherit.htm
Links to America’s cultural resources including buildings, landscapes,
archaeological sites, objects and documents and much more.
National Museum of American History: History Explorer
http://americanhistory.si.edu/explorer/index.cfm
Explore our nation’s history by era, theme, or year; includes
links to related information on the museum’s exhibits, collections,
and programs.
This Day in History
http://www.historychannel.com/thisday/
Find out what happened this day in US history, or on your birthday,
from the History channel.
13 Originals: Founding the American Colonies
http://www.timepage.org/spl/13colony.html
Overview of the original thirteen colonies, including numerous maps
and links to more resources.
The History Explorer
http://www.history.org/Almanack/almanack.cfm
The History Explorer at Colonial Williamsburg introduces you to the
people, places, and life of colonial America.
The Age of Imperialism
http://www.smplanet.com/imperialism/toc.html
An overview of America's policy of expansionism in the late 19th and
early 20th century.
Immigration
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/features/immig/introduction.html
An introduction to immigration, complete with timelines, primary documents,
and more representing the vast cultural groups who have immigrated to
this continent.
Journey to a New Land
http://www.sfu.museum/journey/en/03middle/index.php
Learn about the people who first arrived in America 12,000 years ago;
includes videos, photos, games, and timelines.
Discovering Lewis and Clark
http://www.lewis-clark.org/
Includes a synopsis of the expedition, as well as maps, journal selections,
photos, animation, and sound.
Lewis and Clark: a Journey
http://www.ucdp.uc.edu/lewisandclark/journey.asp
Maps, journal, timeline, links and more, provided by the University
of Cincinnati.
Museum of Westward Expansion
http://www.nps.gov/jeff/expansion_museum.html
History of the 19th century American West, from the Louisiana Purchase
life on the frontier.
The Overland Trail
http://www.over-land.com/
Follow the trail's route and other significant trails west. Learn about
the people and places along the way.
The Atlantic Slave Trade and Slave Life in the Americas:
A Visual Record
http://gropius.lib.virginia.edu/Slavery/
A thousand images selected from a wide range of sources, most of them
dating from the period of slavery.
Reconstruction: The Second Civil War
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/
Companion site to a PBS American Experience program that shares the
extraordinary stories of ordinary Americans as they struggled to shape
new lives in the aftermath of the Civil War.
The Underground Railroad
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/99/railroad/
An interactive adventure in pursuing freedom as a slave in the 1850s,
resources and links are included too.
Voices from the Days of Slavery: Former Slaves Tell
Their Stories
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/collections/voices/
A number of recordings of former slaves, interviewed between 1932 and
1975, are made available by the Library of Congress American Folklife
Center.
Not For Ourselves Alone women's movement
http://www.pbs.org/stantonanthony/menu.html
Explore the women's movement with a focus on Elizabeth Cady Stanton
and Susan B. Anthony from the PBS show, narrated and rich with visual
images.
American Cultural History - The Twentieth Century
http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/decades.html
Useful web guides on the decades of the twentieth century.
Decades in the 20th Century
http://www.aclibrary.org/teenroom/decades.asp
Link to resources about each decade of the 20th Century.
History of Fashion
http://www.vintageblues.com/history_main.htm
Fashion information and photos for each decade from 1900-1990.
The New Deal Network
http://newdeal.feri.org/
Information, primary sources, and images on the public works and art
projects of the New Deal, designed for middle and high school students
and teachers.
A More Perfect Union: Japanese Americans
http://americanhistory.si.edu/perfectunion/experience/index.html
An online exhibit of Japanese internment from the Smithsonian Institution.
National Civil Rights Museum
http://www.civilrightsmuseum.org/default.asp
The civil rights movement via an online exhibit.
Powerful Days: The Civil Rights Photography of Charles
Moore
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/features/moore/mooreIndex.shtml
More than 50 photographs, organized under topics such as "Birmingham"
and "Martin Luther King." Other material includes photo captions
and a biographical essay on Moore.
Remembering Jim Crow
http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/remembering/
The companion site to an American Radioworks documentary about Jim Crow
segregation, with interviews, sample Jim Crow laws, and links to related
sites.
Separate is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education
http://americanhistory.si.edu/brown/
The history of segregation, the battle for education, and the events
leading to the historic decision are chronicled on this site.
Unseen. Unforgotten.
http://www.al.com/unseen/
A gallery of some recently discovered, never-published newspaper photos
from the civil rights struggle in Birmingham, Alabama.
Voices of Civil Rights
http://www.voicesofcivilrights.org/
A collection of personal accounts from civil rights activists.
American Civil War homepage
http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/warweb.html
Online resources about the Civil War, including battles, biographies,
letters, music, and more.
Anne Frank Guide
http://www.annefrankguide.net/en-US/index.asp
This website contains
information about Anne Frank, World War II, and the Holocaust. It
is a great resource to help with projects, providing
a timeline and allowing students to collect relevant information
and images.
The Civil War
http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/civilwar/cwar.htm
This site includes battle histories, a timeline, maps of the period,
biographies of various leaders, and the texts of the Gettysburg Address
and the Emancipation Proclamation.
Civil War Timeline
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/tl1861.html
Illustrated timeline of Civil War events.
The Great War
http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/
Understand the history and effects of World War I from PBS, with interviews
with historians, additional resources, and recommended sites.
Hyper War: World War II
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/
An extensive hypertext history of the second world war, additional links
too.
Iraq
http://www.npr.org/templates/topics/topic.php?topicId=1010
NPR offers objective, in-depth news about the war in Iraq.
Newseum
http://www.newseum.org/warstories/technology/flash.htm
Washington, DC’s Newseum provides the media’s coverage of
various American wars.
The Second World War Encyclopedia
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WW.htm
Information on war and history topics as well as recommended links.
The Vietnam Project
http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu
A wealth of resources including photographs, slides, audio and video
recordings, and oral histories, from Texas Tech University.
Vietnam Online
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/
From the PBS series of the same subject, this site includes a timeline
of the war, basic statistics, maps, a glossary of terms and acronyms,
texts of key U.S. government war documents, and more. For related information
also by PBS see Battlefield Vietnam.
War on Terrorism: Saddam Hussein and Iraq
http://www.lib.ecu.edu/govdoc/iraq.html
From the Joyner Library at East Carolina University, a well-organized
collection of news links, key documents, background and analysis of
the war in Iraq.
World War I
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWW.htm
Scroll down on this website to access important information on all aspects
of the "War to End all Wars."
The World War I Document Archive
http://www.lib.byu.edu/estu/wwi/
Primary documents of WWI. Includes conventions, treaties, official papers,
documents by year, personal reminiscences, and a biographical dictionary.
Ancient China
http://www.ancientchina.co.uk/menu.html
Key areas relevant to ancient China are thoroughly presented by the
British Museum.
Ancient Japan
http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/ANCJAPAN/ANJAPAN1.HTM
Explore the history, religion, and culture of Ancient Japan.
Ancient Japan Pathfinder
http://web1.caryacademy.org/library/pathfinders/ancientjapan.htm
Links to art and literature, politics and government, general history
and every day life.
Castles on the Web
http://www.castles.org/
Numerous sites all about castles are compiled; castle collections, photos,
and interesting links.
Edo Japan, A Virtual Tour
http://www.us-japan.org/edomatsu/
Take a virtual tour of the ancient city of Edo, where Shogun ruled Ancient
Japan. Watch sumo wrestling, learn about food, music, and everyday life.
The History Net
http://www.thehistorynet.com/
Information and links to world and U.S. history.
History World
http://www.historyworld.net/
History resource that looks at over 4000 events. Students can take “tours
through time”, view timelines, and read numerous articles.
Holocaust Encyclopedia
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum provides information on
the Holocaust and World War II through print, images, and video and
audio clips.
HyperHistory Online
http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/History_n2/a.html
Enhanced timelines, with maps, text, and graphics for events in world
history covering 3,000 years.
Middle Ages
http://www.byu.edu/ipt/projects/middleages/index.html
Travel to the middle ages to learn about the music, games, lifestyle,
and people of the time.
Middle Ages
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/middleages/
Learn what it was really like to live in the middle ages in this informative
and well organized site.
MummyTombs
http://www.mummytombs.com/
Information about mummies from around the world; learn the latest mummy
findings, visit mummies in museums, discover mummies in books and movies,
and learn how to make a mummy yourself.
The Museum of Tolerance
http://motlc.wiesenthal.org/index.html
The Museum of The Simon Wiesenthal Center, offers a multimedia learning
center on the Holocaust and World War II that includes virtual exhibits,
teacher resources, and special collections.
NOVA Medieval Siege
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/trebuchet/
Learn about medieval warfare and life in a castle. Build a trebuchet
and try to knock down the castle walls!
Portals to the World
http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/portals.html
Library of Congress provides links to in-depth information about nations
of the world.
Renaissance
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/renaissance/
A well organized site on the Renaissance, offering information on artistic,
social, scientific, and political change
Renaissance Secrets
http://www.open2.net/renaissance2/
This site addresses four different aspects of the Renaissance, the many
faces of Venice, medical care and hospitals, the conspiracy to assassinate
Queen Elizabeth I, and Johannes Gutenberg.
Virtual Renaissance
http://www.twingroves.district96.k12.il.us/Renaissance/VirtualRen.html
Travel through space and time to visit a renaissance town and meet interesting
characters who will tell you about their life and times. Includes a
timeline of major events during the Renaissance period.