France and Britain engaged in a succession of wars in Europe and the Caribbean at several intervals in the 18th century. Though Britain secured certain advantages from them -- primarily in the sugar-rich islands of the Caribbean -- the...

In 1692 a group of adolescent girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, became subject to strange fits after hearing tales told by a West Indian slave. When they were questioned, they accused several women of being witches who were...

View pictures and read descriptions of the oldest surviving featherwork from colonial Mexico in this essay.

This PBS series site reveals the diverse circumstances and living conditions experienced by slaves and indentured servants in America by reading documents dating to the Colonial, Antebellum, and Reconstruction periods.

How did we go from thirteen British colonies to the United States of America? Explore the major hardships of life under British rule, how the colonists decided to break away, and how they set a path for a new and independent government....

At the online home of the Winthrop Society find information on the early settlers of Massachusetts, the ships that brought them to America, the documents that the colonists lived by, and the Great Migration of Puritans to the New World.

John Singleton Copley (1738-1815) is commonly considered the greatest portrait painter in the history of the American colonies. Read about his background and view pictures of his portraits in this essay.

Bom Jesus de Matosinhos in Congonhas do Campo is a sanctuary for many pilgrims in Brazil. This elaborate complex of architecture, sculpture, and painting shows scenes of the life and death of Christ. View pictures and read the history of...

John Singleton Copley was the undisputed king of portraiture in the American colonies. Read about his life and view a picture of his family portrait in this essay.

"Watson and the Shark" is an energetic and emotional work by John Singleton Copley. It retains a special place within the history of late-eighteenth-century English Romanticism. View the picture and read the details of this painting in...

This resource provides a brief overview of how many settlers in the colonies were indentured servants and how the system of indentured servitude tied to slavery.

Essay on the growth and development of towns settled by the Dutch in and around present day New York City. The author provides interesting details about leaders and landmarks.

Had history taken a different turn, the United States easily could have been a part of the great Spanish or French overseas empires. Its present inhabitants might speak Spanish and form one nation with Mexico, or speak French and be...

The Atrial Cross at Acolman offers a fascinating look into the interactions between Spanish friars and Nahua converts in the years directly following the conquest of Mexico. View pictures and descriptions of the cross and the Augustinian...

A collection of primary sources to explore the motivations and realities behind life in the American colonies.

Essay examining the cultural and environmental changes spanning 300 years in the pre-Revolutionary South as three worlds, Native American, European, and African collide. Site includes guiding questions for student discussion and scholars...

This guide focuses on twenty-four paintings from the impressive collection of American art housed at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. The earliest work, a portrait of the children of a Puritan family, dates from 1670. The last piece...

A collection uses primary sources to explore the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

English immigrant in the New World, Anne Bradstreet became an acclaimed poet of Puritan New England. Click on "Anne Bradstreet Activities" for related artifacts and activities.

Explore the tremendous amount of information on the history of the Central American country of Honduras ranging from Pre-Columbian times to the present.

Provides a detailed history of New Netherland. Looks at why it was founded, where settlers came from, how they reached there, why they came, their homes, occupations, possessions, diet, childhood, school, play, and what eventually...

Brown University boasts ownership of one of the greatest collections of early Americana in the world. In 2007 the university's John Carter Brown Library introduced a thorough exhibit after the publication of "Report of the Brown...

examines the social conditions in Mexico before and after independence from Spain and the impact of internal conflicts between people of different social castes.

In 1773, however, Britain furnished Adams and his allies with an incendiary issue. The powerful East India Company, finding itself in critical financial straits, appealed to the British government, which granted it a monopoly on all tea...