Smithsonian Institution
National Portrait Gallery: Mathew Brady's Portraits
Exhibition of photographic portraits taken by Civil War-era photographer Mathew Brady, who made portraits of many illustrious Americans on both sides of the conflict before, during, and after the war. Includes an animated explanation of...
Wikimedia
Wikipedia: Leon Trotsky
A detailed biography of the life of Leon Trotsky. Discusses his life before the Russian Revolution, his political accomplishments afterwards, his opposition to Stalinism, his exile and his assassination.
Other
Stratford Hall Plantation: General Robert E. Lee
This biography of Robert E. Lee is part of a larger site about the Lee family plantation, Stratford Hall. Read about his personal life before and after the war. Included are links to his farewell address and information about the horses...
Louisiana Department of Education
Louisiana Doe: Louisiana Believes: Social Studies: Grade 8: Louisiana Economy During the Antebellum Period
Read and study the sources about the economy of Louisiana during the antebellum period.
Harp Week
The Presidential Elections 1860 1912: James A. Garfield
This biography of James A. Garfield covers his participation in the Civil War, terms in the House of Representatives, and tumultous time in the presidency, serving only four months before he was shot by a would-be assassin.
CommonLit
Common Lit: "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass" by Fredrick Douglass
Selected (11) reading passages (grades 7-11) to pair with the autobiography "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass" by Fredrick Douglass. Frederick Douglass recounts his experiences as a slave in Maryland, and his treatment at the...
A&E Television
History.com: Tailgating: How the Pre Game Tradition Can Be Traced to Ancient Times
The ritual grew as ownership of automobiles and then mass production of portable grills and plastic coolers soared. Tailgating before college and professional football games is an American tradition. Temporary tent cities pop up in...
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Gilder Lehrman Institute: History Now: George Washington and the Newburgh Conspiracy, 1783
[Free Registration/Login Required] Discover how General George Washington handled the Newburgh Conspiracy which threatened his authority and civil authority just before the provisions of the Treaty of Paris, ending the Revolutionary War,...
Library of Congress
Loc: America's Story: West Virginia
Before the Civil War, West Virginia was part of Virginia. What happened? Find historical facts and other lore from the Library of Congress.
Columbia University
Columbia University: Columbia University & Slavery 10. Columbia
This website was created by faculty, students, and staff to publicly present information about Columbia's historical connections to the institution of slavery. Like most northern colleges, Columbia admitted no black students before the...
Digital History
Digital History: Southern Nationalism
An interesting look at the Southern attempt to, at first defend the institution of slavery, and later, to become defiant about it. See how Southern intellectuals, religious leaders, and politicians strove to create a self-sufficiency in...
Digital History
Digital History: What Was Life Like Under Slavery?
A sobering look at the life of the plantation slave in the decades before the Civil War. Read about the malnutrition, severe treatment, and inadequate living conditions.
Columbia University
Columbia University: Columbia University & Slavery 9. John Jay Ii
This website was created by faculty, students, and staff to publicly present information about Columbia's historical connections to the institution of slavery. In the decades before the Civil War, Columbia produced only two graduates who...
Blackdog Media
Classic Reader: "Love Before Breakfast" by Frank Stockton
Text of the short story "Love Before Breakfast" by American author Frank Stockton. (Free site registration offers some additional features, e.g., the ability to insert annotations.)
Curated OER
Etc: First Defenses of the South During the American Civil War, 1860 1865
A map from 1920 of the Southeastern States showing the South's first line of defenses during the American Civil War (1861-1865). The map is color-coded to show the eastern Confederate States (indicating the States seceding before and...
Siteseen
Siteseen: American Historama: Black Segregation Timeline
This article features short, interesting facts in a historical timeline format on black segregation in America in the years before the Civil War up to the Civil Rights Movement in the late 1900s.
US National Archives
Docsteach: Reasons for Westward Expansion
Students will examine a variety of documents that reference reasons why Americans living in the East migrated west of the Mississippi immediately before, during, and right after the Civil War. Documents cover the mining industry, new...
Other
American Antiquarian Society: Exhibitions: A Woman's Work Is Never Done
Images with accompanying narration on women's work from before the American Revolution through the Industrial Revolution. Exhibit describes the domestic work that women did and continue to perform and also provides information on women...
Curated OER
National Park Service: Little Bighorn Battlefield: George Armstrong Custer
Short description of Custer just before the Battle of the Little Bighorn, as well as a brief listing of information about his military career.
University of Virginia
Miller Center at Uva: u.s. Presidents: Ulysses S. Grant
A comprehensive biography of Ulysses S. Grant including information about his life before his presidency, detailed essays on various aspects of presidency, brief biographies of members of his cabinet, and copies of his presidential papers.
Ducksters
Ducksters: Biography: Harriet Beecher Stowe for Kids
Investigate the biography of Harriet Beecher Stowe who was a woman who wrote about the horrors of slavery before the Civil War.
ClassFlow
Class Flow: African Heritage: Fighting for Freedom
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart aims to help students understand the role the Underground Railroad played in leading people out of slavery in the United States, particularly before the Civil War.
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Political Divisions
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart details the growing political divisions in the United States in the decade before the Civil War. It includes information on the election of 1856, the Dred Scott Decision, the Lincoln...
Curated OER
Educational Technology Clearinghouse: Maps Etc: Secession of the South, 1861
A map of the Southern States during Secession, showing the states which first seceded (before April 15, 1861), and those which followed after the outbreak of the American Civil War.