Why to young people act the way they do? Scholars investigate the stages of adolescent development incorporating high school psychology techniques. Using research from the American Psychological Association, they uncover the five areas...

A site with examples and information about early American paintings from 1671-1829. Use the timeline to click on a time period, or click and select by artist, genre, or place of origin. Also includes an extensive bibliography.

This article is a brief history of the Early American novel with citations.

In this Curriculum Unit, learners will consider "The Monroe Doctrine: Origin and Early American Foreign Policy" in 4 Lessons. The unit also includes worksheets and other student materials that can be found under the resource tab.

Background information about the literary traditions of the pre-Colonial and Colonial period. Includes information about Native American oral traditions and Native American cultures. Follow the links to the Early American era and to...

Introductory article on American Colonial History in which the author takes a look at the first European settlers who made the voyage to America and addresses the essential question of who they were as people and hence, why they made...

Most well-educated American colonists (including early American leaders like Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Benjamin Franklin) were familiar with the writings andideas of European scholars, so it makes sense that Americans came to...

During this project-based lesson, students will become detectives looking for information about early American explorers. Students will have the opportunity to navigate the Internet to locate important facts about these explorers....

Article and activity on the Whiskey Rebellion in which students read about this historic event for class discussion and identify larger themes of justice in early American government. Individual and small group participation.

A collaborative project of the Wisconsin Historical Society and National History Day, this site contains over 18,000 pages of primary source, eyewitness accounts of North American exploration starting with the Vikings.

Students explore different aspects of the cultures of the First Americans in this lesson plan. Stereotypes are often associated with Native Americans through movies and in the context of the Thanksgiving holiday. Specific information and...

A survey of fifty-seven landscapes and portraits that reveal visions of early America and its birth as a new nation as rendered by early American artists.

A multi-purpose site that provides information on history and historic artifacts from New England. There are also some interesting games that serve to enhance learning about New England. Be sure to watch video demonstrations of Early...

These artworks are visual interpretations of Native Americans through the eyes of American settlers. Follow a timeline from 1500-1900 to see the perceptions of Native Americans of the white settlers at that time.

This biography features Mark Twain as a regional realist author, world renown for his ability to portray real Americans in the late nineteenth century. Click "Mark Twain Activities" for artifacts and activities.

Brief article about Native American culture and history prior to European settlement and with arrival of Europeans.

Once the colonies gained their independence, American ships began to search the oceansfor markets to replace the British colonial markets from which they were now excluded (theWest Indies) or in which they were subjected to heavy tax...

After the American Revolution, Americans believed there were great profits to be made in the China trade. The successful voyage of the Pearl, which returned to Boston in 1810, demonstrated the kinds of profits that could be made.

"A Model of Christian Charity" is a 1630 sermon by Puritan layman and leader John Winthrop, who delivered on board the ship Arbella while en route to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It is also known as City upon a Hill and denotes the...

The early China trade was a small but important part of the developing economy of the United States. Trade with China provided opportunities for great profits although it also carried great risk.Merchants who engaged in trade with China...

American businessmen in the late 18th and 19th centuries were very interested in finding markets all over the world for their goods and actively pursuing opportunities for foreign trade. The young nation needed to earn money to pay back...

The following are excerpts from logs of the Empress of China, the first American ship to sail toChina after American independence. The ship left New York on February 22, 1784 and reached Canton on August 28. All excerpts are taken from...

The following is excerpted from a book called Vade Mecum published in France in 1707. Although the book was written to establish basic standards of behavior, punishment, protocol, and procedure on French naval ships, it served as...

The American ship Empress of China left New York on February 22, 1784 and arrived in Canton, China six months later on August 18. John White Swift, the ship's purser, wrote the following letter to his father in Philadelphia in July,...