Digital History
Digital History: Overview of the Colonial Era
The year 1492 marks a watershed in modern world history. Columbus's voyage of discovery inaugurated a series of developments that would have vast consequences for both the Old World and the New. It transformed the diets of both the...
Huntington Library
Early English Exploration and Settlement of the Colony of Virginia
For this lesson, 5th graders learn about the individuals and groups who first founded the different colonies in America and what their motivations were. Students participate in a reader's theater activity, create a poster that would...
PBS
Pbs: Africans in America the Haitian Revolution
This site, which tells of L'Ouverture's role in the revolution, is part of a larger PBS documentary on Africans in America. Included are a teacher's guide and a narrative of the topic. Also, make sure to use the links at the bottom of...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: European Colonization
A self-assessment of European colonization in the America's.
University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota: Immigration: Racial Encounters in Colonial America
Copper plate engravings offer one example of the racialization of colonized peoples. At the turn of the 17th century, most Europeans' visual conceptions of the Americas came from the engravings of the workshop of Flemish print-maker...
Library of Congress
Loc: France in America
A bilingual overview about the French colonization of the New World. Primary source documents are provided on this Library of Congress site.
CommonLit
Common Lit: "The Road to American Independence" by Jessica Mc Birney
This informational text recounts America's road to independence, starting from the beginning of English colonization in North America and ending with the final battle of the American Revolution. A specific purpose for reading and...
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: America in Class: Failed European Colonies in the New World
Lesson that examines some of the reasons European efforts to establish colonies in the New World were often met with failure. It focuses on the story of nine Jesuit priests who started a small colony on Chesapeake Bay in the hopes of...
The History Cat
The History Cat: Age of Exploration: The Columbian Exchange
A fascinating look at the exchanges that took place around the world after the Americas were discovered. This covered the gamut from diseases which wiped out 90% of the native peoples in North and South America, to farm animals, tools,...
Library of Congress
Loc: American Memory: Colonial Settlement 1600s 1763
The settlement of the colonies in America is the focus of this article. The course of events is divided into topics and time periods, making it easier to understand. Note is made of the effects to the already present Native Americans as...
University of California
Uc Santa Barbara: What Brought the Europeans to America?
Short essay addresses reasons that brought the Europeans to America. Covering many important points, he also provides compelling reasons and a map.
Wikimedia
Wikipedia: South America
Offers an overview of the continent of South America, featuring information about politics, geography, and population statistics. Click on the name of a country to discover more details.
Wikimedia
Wikipedia: Latin America
Article on Latin America that provides a great overview of the region. Discussions include history, religion, culture, links to information about each of the countries, and more.
Other
Brooklyn Expedition: Latin America
Excellent site about Latin America from the Brooklyn Children's Museum. Explore ancient beliefs and rituals, celebrations, culture, the land, animals, and the history of Latin America.
Quia
Quia: The English Colonies
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.
PBS
Pbs Africans in America: Forten Letter to Cuffe
Read about James Forten's opposition to Paul Cuffe's American Colonization Society, which sought to recruit African-Americans to emigrate to Africa in the early 19th century. In addition, this site provides a link to the text of Forten's...
Library of Congress
Loc: America as a Religious Refuge
One of the primary reasons for colonization of the New World was to escape European religious persecution. This site provides stories of religious nonconformists, militants, zealots, reformers, and the faithful.
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: America's History in the Making: Mapping Initial Encounters
Columbus' arrival laid the basis for encounters between Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans. This unit examines how these contacts altered the way of life of peoples around the globe.
Curated OER
National Park Service: The Forts of Old San Juan: Guardians of the Caribbean
Visit such Spanish sites in Puerto Rico as El Morro, the fort that provided the keystone to protection of the Spanish Empire that spread across the Caribbean. Many photographs and drawings.
Other
New Mexico Office of the State Historian: Pope
Read this fascinating information about Pope, the leader of the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. Learn how he was able to unite several tribes of Pueblo Indians who did not even speak the same language into a force that was able to push out the...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Pre Colonization European Society
The Church, disease, and large urban centers dictated societal structure in European societies before the colonization of the New World. Read more about Europe during the Middle Ages.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Motivation for European Conquest of the New World
God, gold, and glory motivated European nations to explore and create colonies in the New World. This article discusses the Crusades and how they influenced European colonization projects.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Native American Cultures
The America that greeted the first Europeans was, thus, far from an empty wilderness. It is now thought that as many people lived in the Western Hemisphere as in Western Europe at that time -- about 40 million. Estimates of the number of...
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: Colonial Settlement: Interactive Timeline
In this interactive timeline see how other European nations, along with the British, colonized America and how events in Europe impacted colonization.