Resources for Field Trips

Professional Corporate and Media Resources:

The History Channel: http://www.history.com/
Public Broadcasting System: http://www.pbs.org/
See the PBS list of American History sites: http://www.pbs.org/history/history_united.html
National Public Radio: http://www.npr.org/
National Geographic: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
The American Historical Association: http://www.historians.org/

Archives and Documentary Resources:

American Memory: Library of Congress: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html
Prints and Photographs Reading Room: Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/catalogabt.html
An American Time Capsule: Three Centuries of Broadsides:
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/connections/time-capsule/history6.html
Primary Documents from American History: Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/PrimDocsHome.html
British National Archives: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
National Archives and Records Administration of the United States: http://www.archives.gov/
Yale University Avalon Project: Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy: http://avalon.law.yale.edu/
University of Oklahoma American Historical Documents: http://www.law.ou.edu/hist/
Fordham University Modern History Sourcebook: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook.html
Perry Castañada Library Map Collection: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/map_sites/hist_sites.html
National Museum of American History: http://americanhistory.si.edu/
CIA Electronic Reading Room (Documents): http://www.foia.cia.gov/

United States Government Resources:

U.S. Air Force History: http://www.airforce.com/learn-about/history/
U.S. Army History: http://www.army.mil/info/history/
U.S. Coast Guard History: http://www.uscg.mil/history/
U.S. Marine Corps History: http://www.tecom.usmc.mil/HD/
U.S. Navy History: http://www.history.navy.mil/
History of the Department of State: http://www.state.gov/www/about_state/history/dephis.html
History of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): http://www.fbi.gov/libref/historic/history/historymain.htm
History of the Whitehouse: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/history
History of the United States Treasury: http://www.ustreas.gov/education/history/
Art & History of the United States Senate: http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/art/a_three_sections_with_teasers/art_hist_home.htm
History of the United States House of Representatives: http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/house_history/index.html

American History:

Digital History: American History Text: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/hyper_titles.cfm
History Matters: The U.S. Survey: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/
American History Org: http://www.ushistory.org/
American Heritage: http://www.americanheritage.com/
President and The White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/
The Miller Center for Public Affairs: The American President: http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident
HyperText in American Studies, University of Virginia: http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/hypertex.html
African American Odyssey: American Memory, Library of Congress: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/
Chronology of American History (documents), Avalon Project: http://avalon.law.yale.edu/subject_menus/chrono.asp
A Chronology of United States Historical Documents: http://www.law.ou.edu/hist/
New Deal Network: http://newdeal.feri.org/
National Museum of American History: http://americanhistory.si.edu/
Famous Supreme Court Decisions from Cornell University School of Law: http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/cases/name.htm (use search button in the first paragraph)
Digital History: Landmark Supreme Court Decisions: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/supreme_court/supreme_court.cfm
History of the Department of Labor: http://www.dol.gov/oasam/programs/history/

The American Civil War:

The American Civil War Homepage: http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/
Eyewitness to History: Civil War: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/cwfrm.htm
Civil War Net: http://www.civil-war.net/
American Civil War EText Center: http://etext.virginia.edu/civilwar/
Selected Civil War Photos: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/cwphome.html
Fordham Univ. American Civil War: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook27.html

Research and Writing History:

Bowdoin University: Reading and Writing for History: http://www.bowdoin.edu/writing-guides/
Purdue University Online Writing Lab: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
A Student's Guide to History: http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/history/research/student/intro.htm
Chicago Manual of Style: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html
MLA Manual of Style, 2009 from Purdue University: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
APA Style: http://www.apastyle.org/
MTC Library, Evaluation Checklist (for evaluating a web page): http://www.lib.midlandstech.edu/?Evaluation%20Checklist

Starting the Search

If you wish to go to speakeasies of the 1920s, "Google" for "history of American prohibition"; or "historical speakeasies".

You can also "Google" for "documents about World War I". Using this phrase with any topic usually produces good results. The first three results are all excellent sites about the war complete with primary documents--one from Mount Holyoake College; one from the Brigham Young University Library; and one from "firstworldwarcom".

If you  Goggle "civil rights" you get several online dictionaries--which must be avoided. But if you Google "history of the American Civil Rights Movement" you get pages from CNN, PBS, and the American Civil Right Museum--all reputable web pages.

For some history searches you need information before you begin. For example sports history is hard to find because there are some many types of sports. You can Google "NFL History" and the a great history page on the National Football League. To find pages about women's sports, African American sports, city leagues, etc you must know a team name, team player, or other information to search well.

Just think about your interest and key in the phrase "history of...blank..."; the phrase "documents about...blank..."; and you'll be good to go!