This site from the Fordham University contains the introductory text of "The Significance of the Frontier in American History, 1893" by Frederick Jackson Turner.

Four nineteenth-century landscape paintings that suggest the meaning of the West in American life.

Students will examine a variety of documents that reference reasons why Americans living in the East migrated west of the Mississippi immediately before, during, and right after the Civil War. Documents cover the mining industry, new...

Discusses the history of the people on the Great Plains, both the Native Americans and early settlers.

Contains an article written on the African American exodus to Kansas to farm in the late 19th century.

A short report on America by 1900: "..the American nation had established itself as a world power. The West was Won. The frontier -- the great fact of 300 years of American history -- was no more."

A program from the Buffalo Bill Wild West show that depicts the thrills of the American West and illustrates how American influence was spreading beyond the nation's borders.

From the critically acclaimed PBS series, "The West," this site provides a brief biography of Benjamin "Pap" Singleton, a leader of the "Great Exodus" which brought thousands of African Americans west from the post-Reconstruction South.

From the PBS critically acclaimed series, "The West" comes this introduction to the Indian Wars that were waged in the course of settling the frontier.

This chapter covers a time in Texas history during the mid-nineteenth century when Mexico offered land grants to American settlers, but conflict developed over religion and other cultural differences.

Read about one of the most interesting early Americans. From Tennessee to Congress to the Alamo, find out what drove this extraordinary man.

A brief article about the Texas Rangers, the oldest law enforcement organization on the North American continent with statewide jurisdiction.

This is an article about Bierstadt's painting of the western frontier. Also includes a copy of his painting "Yosemite Valley".

Find out why Texas was the last frontier of slavery in the United States during the middle of the nineteenth century.

The Homestead Act of 1862 gave free land to Americans willing to improve it, regardless of race, sex, or nation of origin.

Investigate man's impact on the environment. Observe different species to see how sensitive they are to human presence, and record your observations in a field notes log.

Explore the challenges of communicating without speaking or moving by creating a communications board from plastic alphabet letters. Explore speech synthesis files for people with communication disabilities.

Investigate the invention of the Pathfinder rover's landing apparatus by designing, constructing and testing an original model of a bouncing lander. Compete to see which landers work best to keep the cargo from breaking.

Shown are images and descriptions of artifacts that express the challenges that the migrants, Mexicans, and Indians shared in their quest for westward expansion in the United States during the 1800s.

Article outlines President Kennedy's plan to restore economic growth and other legislative measures.

Read about the advances made in agriculture during the last part of the 19th century which allowed for the increase in production of farm products.

Discusses the transition of the United States in the late 19th century from an isolationist country into an imperial power with colonies of its own and the reasons for this abrupt change in foreign policy. Includes questions for students...

From cossacks to cowboys, this Library of Congress special online collection looks at American westward exploration and expansion, and Russia's eastward reach into and conquest of Siberia. Includes historical information and timelines,...

This site from the PBS production, Scientific American Frontier "Never Say Die", includes a section entitled "The Clock of Life". It provides a discussion of cell death through shortening of the telomere. A good class activity included.