[Free Registration/Login Required] This passage is about Cornelius Vanderbilt, who helped to build America by providing transportation via railroads and steamboats so that America could expand.

After reading this section, students will be able to locate on a map the major American civilizations before the arrival of the Spanish, discuss the cultural achievements of these civilizations and also the differences and similarities...

A look at the people who make up Brazil including their history, living conditions, culture, sports, and more.

The First Peoples of America have a rich and long history, much of it passed down through stories or legends, and involving animals and nature. 5 short legends, each from a different tribe, are told here.

Excerpt from Horatio Alger's well-known novel, "Ragged Dick, Or, Street Life in New York," that describes the values and attitudes needed to make it in the capitalistic, urban America of the late-nineteenth century.

Learn about the different cultures that make up Middle America and the Caribbean. Using this alphabetical list, click on a specific group of people and read information about their culture, history, economy, sociopolitical organization,...

Written in 1784, this piece by Benjamin Franklin, considers the relative meaning of civilization and manners while he recalls several anecdotes of interaction between the European settlers and the Natives of North America.

Learn about the art of the native Americans of the Arctic region in this overview of their art with a selection of relevant objects each with it's own detailed object description.

A chapter taken from the U.S. State Department's "Outline of U.S. Government," that focuses on the foundation of American representative democracy. Provides comparison with other democracies, along with the essential role of the U.S....

Replica of the Salisbury, North Carolina railway station teaches about riding and working on the railroad in the 1920s when railroads were a central part of American life. Railroad lines crisscrossed the country. They carried people,...

Here you will get good information on Ben Franklin, George Washington, Daniel Boone, Thomas Jefferson, and Paul Revere.

This lesson examines seven Lewis Hine photographs of recently-arrived immigrants at Ellis Island.

Here is a brief article from PBS on the life and accomplishments of abolitionist Harriet Tubman, who risked her life on several occasions to ensure the freedom of others. Links to a teacher's guide and primary sources are provided.

Much of our dependence on Chinese-manufactured consumer goods owes itself to the diplomatic efforts of President Richard M. Nixon. Learn how this historic relationship began during the early 1970s.

Learn about the of indigenous people of America.

The Wessels Living History Farm of York County, Nebraska, offers a look at what it was like to live on a Great Plains farm in the 1920s. The farm's attractive and well organized website includes interviews with people who remember life...

A large collection of high-quality resources for learning and teaching about the Thirteen English Colonies. The main page outlines examples of student project possibilities. There are individual pages for primary resources, people from...

Comprehensive reference tool with an abundance of country specific information about the South American country of Venezuela. Content covered includes photos, symbols, history, economy, geography, climate, population, culture, maps, and...

An exhibit by the Library of Congress supplies diverse facts on the famous 1492 voyage. The exhibition first examines the encounter between the European explorers and the native people. They explore five geographical areas: The Caribbean...

Concise information on American customs and habits aimed at older students. With coverage on meeting new people, introductions, speaking on the phone, eating out, tipping, and smoking. Also includes extensive internal links to other...

Native Americans inhabited the New World long before European explorers began establishing settlements on the land. This entry addresses the challenges the natives had to face upon Europe's arrival, trials in relationships, and how...

This brief biography from The Nobel Foundation on the life and struggles of Nelson Mandela, who, while in prison, "Was widely accepted as the most significant black leader in South America," includes several resources for further reading...

The resources in this set highlight the people and political acts that were central to the abolitionist movement.

Describes the history of coffee production, where it is grown, and efforts by Fair Trade to help coffee farmers make a decent income.