Eighteen primary sources-historical documents, literary texts, and visual images-that explore the industrial, racial, and technological progress of the late-nineteenth century.

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.

A site telling of the trains during the late 1800s that took orphans and unwanted children from the cities and transported them to the West to work on farms and hopefully be adopted.

Use this site to learn about Hedy Lamarr (1913-2000 CE), the movie actress who "helped the Allies win World War II" through her involvement in inventing "a classified communication system."

This site discusses the cultural icon of the western "outlaw" in the context of the state of Utah.

[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart covers the history of the conflict between the US government and Native Americans on the Great Plains in the late 1800's.

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.

Explains what the term 'Manifest Destiny' meant during the expansion of the frontier as the United States grew and consolidated its borders.

Detailed facts and information about the 1854 Ostend Manifesto that planned for the annexation of Cuba from Spain.

The purpose of the Homestead Act of 1862 was to shape the future of the Western regions of the United States by taming the region by populating the area with farmers. This article provides an overview of this important political incident...

An exciting account of the stirring events of the battle between Loyalists and Patriot backwoodsmen at the Battle of King's Mountain in October 1780.

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.

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

Experiences during the colonial years certainly were not the same for different cultural groups. This site compares and contrasts the housing, clothing, food, religion and family life of Native Americans, French settlers, and African...

A brief look at the conflict between Native Americans in the last half of the 19th century. By the end of the century, Native Americans were relegated to reservation life. See how the struggle was fought and find out the advantages of...

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.

A short page on the discovery of gold at Sutter's Fort as well as the impact of mining in the west on relations with Native Americans.

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.

A synopsis of the life of Jesse James in timeline form. Has links to his family tree, members of the James Gang, and photos.

A series of lessons utilizing primary texts, including narratives, photographs, and maps, through which students explore the following question: "What motivated thousands of people to journey west during the 1800s?"