Detailed essay which shows how colonial self-government developed prior to the Revolutionary War.

A beautiful presentation of needlework from 1700s America, accompanied by an explanation of the type of education girls and young women received during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and how fabric arts were a prominent part of...

An overview of how the Age of Enlightenment influenced the American colonies in thought, Benjamin Franklin, and the colony of Georgia.

Discusses development of representative government especially in the New England colonies.

This resource contains an article written by David A. Copeland on how five American newspapers covered the French and Indian War in the colonial period. See copies of three old newspaper issues.

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.

Timeline of the social, political, and literary history of America from pre-1650 through 1929. Contains information on writers of the periods, along with links to related websites. Click on the time period to see the information for that...

European countries began exploring and seeking to dominate the rest of the world during the 15th and 16th centuries, thanks to their ability to control sea routes and to the discovery of the American continent. In the 19th century,...

This Bibliomania site surveys the literary history of the English in colonial Virginia. Includes analysis of the work of Captain John Smith, William Strachey, and George Sandys. Links to other notes about early American literature.

This site contains definitions and analysis of American captivity narratives. Describes the conventions, rhetorical purposes, and themes of the captivity narrative genre. Lists example captivity narratives.

Provides a brief explanation of the role of captivity narratives in the pre-Colonial and Colonial periods in American history. Contains reproductions of primary source documents. RI.11-12.9 17,18.19th Cen Historic

This resource presents a brief overview of the life, works, and poetic style of Edward Taylor.

The essay describes the devlopment of the Southern colonies as agricultural centers and the cultural aspects associated with rural, agricultural life.

Most settlers who came to America in the 17th century were English, but there were also Dutch, Swedes and Germans in the middle region, a few French Huguenots in South Carolina and elsewhere, slaves from Africa, primarily in the South,...

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...

A summary of the events of the American Revolution. Includes diary entries written by a patriot in Boston and a girl stationed at Valley Forge in 1777. Students can also do arts and crafts activities, write a journal entry, and design...

Society in the middle colonies was far more varied, cosmopolitan and tolerant than in New England. In many ways, Pennsylvania and Delaware owed their initial success to William Penn.

In contrast to New England and the middle colonies were the predominantly rural southern settlements: Virginia, Maryland, North and South Carolina, and Georgia.

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...

The Our Documents group offers information on Richard Henry Lee's 1776 resolution proposing colonial independence. See the original document, read the transcript, and download a printer-friendly version.

An overview of the Great Awakening and how the Protestant Revivalism effected England and the American colonies during the eighteenth century.

Match the portraits of eight famous Americans who played major roles in the American Revolution with their famous deeds. A short exercise that can be used by individual learners to test their understanding of basic U.S. history content...

This letter written by Guaman Poma is the most famous manuscript from South America dated to this time period in part because it is so comprehensive and long, but also because of its many illustrations. View pictures of the illustrations...