Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Harcourt: Biographies: Stephen Austin
A good description of the energetic life of this Texas colonizer. Following his father's lead, Austin leads Americans to Texas and works for years at improving the colony and working to pacify the Mexican government as well. (In Spanish)
Digital History
Digital History: The Sections [Pdf]
Soon after the end of the Revolutionary War, the characteristics of the various parts of the new United States established themselves. Find out about the sectionalism, economy, and needs in the country in the early 1800s--the...
Texas A&M University
Sons of De Witt Colony Texas: Gutierrez De Lara: In Nuevo Santander
Jose Gutierrez de Lara, the first governor of Mexican Texas, was determined to free Mexico from Spain. Read about the early Texas settlement of Nuevo Santander, and how it was settled by Spanish American colonists.
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: Frontier Life: The Crow Indians and Montana Settlers
Find out how the Crow Indians were affected by the opening of the Montana Territory to white settlement. From a companion essay to the PBS series, Frontier House.
Library of Congress
Loc: John Bull and Uncle Sam
Part of an exhibit that talks about the British exploration and settlement of America.
Other
Oregon: Culture: History and Economy
This history summary about the state of Oregon starts with settlement via the Oregon Trail and includes such milestones as statehood in 1859. There is also information about Oregon's economy and government.
Indiana University
Iupui: Historic New Harmony, Indiana
This is the home site for the landmark town of New Harmony, Indiana, which is the site of two attempted communal livings. Both the Harmonists, from 1814-1825, and the Owenites, from 1825-1826, called New Harmony home in hopes of a great...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Us History: 1865 1898: The Homestead Act and the Exodusters
The Homestead Act of 1862 gave free land to Americans willing to improve it, regardless of race, sex, or nation of origin.
Other
Society for German American Studies: German Settlement in Colonial America
Includes key personalities among German immigrants, main trends, and suggestions for further reading.
History Teacher
Historyteacher.net: Early Discovery & Settlement: Quiz (5)
Choose the correct word from the drop down menu for each of the nineteen questions to determine your proficiency of early Colonial America.
Other
Images of the American West: Oklahoma
This is a photo gallery of white homeseekers known as Boomers and other homesteaders settling the Oklahoma Territory in the late 1800's.
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: Mass Exodus From the Plains
This site is from PBS.org explaining the migration of people out of the plains during the dust bowl. Use this article to learn all about the reasons people left and where they went.
University of Groningen
American History: Documents: An Ordinance & Constitution of the Virginia Company
This resource gives the text to this Ordinance and Constitution of the Virginia Company which set up a council and assembly for the first colony of Virginia. Be sure to click on "Context" to see how this fit in with the House of Burgesses.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Colonial House
Colonial House video segment in which Colonists and the Passamaquoddy people encounter each other for the first time in a reenactment of a New England settlement in 1628. [4:38]
Other
State Museum of Pennsylvania: The William Penn Treaty Collection
An online exhibit featuring a collection of historical articles and pictorial images from the founding of Pennsylvania.
Other
Armstrong Atlantic State University: English Language
Discover more about the history of the English language when you visit this informative site. Students and teachers will benefit from this educational resource.
Rutgers University
Rutgers University: History of the English Language
This site provides a brief description of the history of the English language.
Library of Congress
Loc: Teachers: Journeys West
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?"
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Images of the New World
In this lesson plan, students will consider "Images of the New World." The plan includes worksheets and other student materials that can be found under the resource tab.
Digital History
Digital History: Struggles for Power in Colonial America
A very brief explanation of the power struggle between the French and English in the New World and how the Native Americans were caught in the middle.
Curated OER
National Park Service: Nicodemus National Historic Site
This site from the National Park Service provides the history of Nidodemus, Kansas, first western town planned by and for African-Americans. Settled by exodusters, the town served as a symbol as a land of opportunity for blacks escaping...
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Transcontinental Railroad
Explore the mechanics of railroad trains. Investigate boom towns and explore the life and challenges of sheriffs in these frontier settlements.
Other
English Royal Proclamation of 1763
This resource presents a map and a brief explanation of the royal Proclamation of 1763 that prohibited the settlement of lands west of a line drawn by the King.
Curated OER
Etc: New Settlements & Proposed Comm in the West, 1775 1782
A map of the new settlements and proposed communities in the Tennessee and Kentucky country between the Allegheny Mountains and the Ohio River, from 1775 to 1782. The map shows the proposed proprietary colony of Transylvania under Judge...