This website briefly describes the life of Phillis Wheatley, poetess and freed slave.

A brief biography of James Madison. Find out why James Madison was called the father of the constitution. Learn how his life affected the United States. (In Spanish)

Test your knowledge of the thirteen colonies with these interactive games. You'll find matching, concentration, flashcards, and a word search, along with a list of terms to refresh your memory.

A biography of Patrick Henry which focuses on his years as a lawyer and his involvement in the American Revolution. Content also includes a fact sheet on his life.

The Anthropology Division's African collection is extensive in terms of geographic coverage. It includes North Africa, West Africa, and Madagascar, although its greatest concentration of material is from central and southern Africa. The...

A look at the life of a brilliant colonial American who was a mathematician, astronomer, inventor, surveyor and writer. (In Spanish)

Understand the virtues valued by Franklin, and other eighteenth-century men and women, by perusing this list.

Portraits of early New Englanders as well as four buildings from seventeenth-century New England that accompany accounts in those British colonies of struggles, Indian hostilities, and economic success.

See a picture of the tricorn hat, worn by militiamen in the Revolutionary War. You can also read about the history of this particular hat.

Comprehensive description of slaves in South Carolina. Click on the topics on the left to take you to a wealth of information about the lives of slaves in South Carolina.

Four original source accounts, and four related maps, of successful English, French, and Spanish settlements in North America and the Caribbean that explain the qualities of these settlements and their reasons for permanence and prosperity.

Three seventeenth-century homes in Pennsylvania and New York and three accounts from those English colonies of the factors leading to prosperity and permanence.

As part of the Smithsonian Art Museum's database of artists, this site provides biographical information on Childe Hassam in addition to an extensive listing of his works as displayed at the museum.

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

[Free Registration/Login Required] Learners use primary source documents to investigate central historical questions. In this investigation, students critically examine the passenger lists of ships headed to New England and Virginia to...

[Free Registration/Login Required] Lesson in which students analyze original documents to evaluate the conflict between colonists under King Philip and Native Americans.

This is a comprehensive site that tells the story behind one of John Singleton Copley's most famous paintings, "Watson and the Shark." The site discusses the artist's life and provides compositional information about the painting....

A detailed lesson plan depicting life in the early American colonies.

By reading this section of a chapter on "Colonial Societies," students will be able to explain the reasons for the rise of slavery in the American colonies, describe changes in Indian life, including warfare and hunting, contrast...

Fourth graders learn about the American Revolution and evaluate the decisions and choices colonists had to make leading up to and during their fight for freedom from England. Students explore the idea of taking sides and how, despite...

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.

This resource describes how New Netherland, later to be called New York, was originally possessed by the Dutch. Many traditions stem from the practices that they started.

[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart covers the life of Paul Revere, his accomplishments, and his contributions to America's freedom. It identifies how Paul Revere's environment and personal characteristics contributed to...