National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Becoming American: The British Atlantic Colonies, 1690 1763
Primary source documents on how the political relationship between the colonies and Great Britain changed from 1690 to 1763 and how the colonists responded.
Other
Hillcrest High School: The Colonies Come of Age: The Commercial North [Pdf]
A chapter from a history text that looks at the Northern colonial economy, colonial town life, the immigrant groups who settled there, slavery in the North, the role of women, the Salem witchcraft trials, and the influence of the...
National Women’s History Museum
National Women's History Museum: Anne Hutchinson
Considered one of the earliest American feminists, Anne Hutchinson was a spiritual leader in colonial Massachusetts who challenged male authority.
Yale University
Yale New Haven Teachers Institute: Connecticut: A Case Study in Anti Imperialism
Lesson plan for 7th and 8th grade. Gives notes on imperialism, mercantilism and how Great Britain used the colonies as a source for raw materials.
Brown University
John Carter Brown Library: Slavery and Justice
Brown University boasts ownership of one of the greatest collections of early Americana in the world. In 2007 the university's John Carter Brown Library introduced a thorough exhibit after the publication of "Report of the Brown...
Digital History
Digital History: Problems England Faced After the French and Indian War [Pdf]
This offers a good overview of the problems England needed to deal with after signing the Treaty of Paris in 1763, ending the French and Indian War. What to do about the new lands they controlled, how to deal with their loss of income...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Liberty Bell Timeline
Independence Hall Association provides a listing of important colonial dates. Also listed are the historical events which the Bell commemorates throughout American History.
Other
Access Genealogy: Pequot Indian History
A description of the history of the Pequot Indians and their relations with their neighboring tribes and the early English colonists in New England.
Curated OER
Educational Technology Clearinghouse: Clip Art Etc: Early Settlers in New England
A scene of early English colonists, or Pilgrims, in snow.
Other
Pilgrim Hall: King Philip's War
This site is nicely organized and describes the war's impact on the colonists as well as the Indians.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Harcourt: Biographies: John Smith 1580 1631
Presented here is a brief biography on Captain John Smith, one of the original settlers of Jamestown and explorer of New England.
The History Cat
The History Cat: History of Colonial America: Witchcraft in Salem
Describes what happened in the Puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 when a group of young girls began to have visions and were accused and tried for witchcraft.
Other
Colonial Gazette: Smallpox Scourge of the Colonies
Explains when smallpox was first documented, and what to expect if you got it.
PBS
Africans in America: Phillis Wheatley
This website briefly describes the life of Phillis Wheatley, poetess and freed slave.
Digital History
Digital History: Overview of the Colonial Era
The year 1492 marks a watershed in modern world history. Columbus's voyage of discovery inaugurated a series of developments that would have vast consequences for both the Old World and the New. It transformed the diets of both the...
Georgetown University
Georgetown: Sarah Kemble Knight
This colonial document was written by Sarah Kemble Knight (1666-1727 CE). It is used in classrooms today.
Other
Time Page: 13 Originals: Founding the American Colonies
Information about each of the thirteen colonies with links to additional good quality resources.
Other
Commonwealth of Massachusetts: The Declaration of Rights
Read the original, A Declaration of Rights of the Inhabitants of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, including Articles I through XXX, complete with all parts of the adopted constitution and its amendments for governing colonial...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: The Middle Colonies
Society in the middle colonies was far more varied, cosmopolitan and tolerant than in New England. In many ways, Pennsylvania and Delaware owed their initial success to William Penn.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Southern Colonies
In contrast to New England and the middle colonies were the predominantly rural southern settlements: Virginia, Maryland, North and South Carolina, and Georgia.
Other
The Descendants of Henry Doude: Perspectives: The Pequot War
A brief description of the Pequot War, a conflict between the Pequots and the English colonists from the Massachusetts Bay colony. There are two maps showing the location of Indian tribes in 1636 and again in 1639.
Other
America Dept. Of State: Outline of American Literature [Pdf]
This online book presents an overview of American literature chronologically. Eras and movements are explained and biographies of significant authors are provided. This is a good way to understand the background and influences of...
Other
Fairbanks House Historical Site, Dedham Massachusetts, 1637 41
At the online home of the Fairbanks House, believed to be the oldest surviving timber frame house in North America, see views of the home's interior and exterior. Learn about the home's architecture and history, how it survived over the...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: The Witches of Salem
In 1692 a group of adolescent girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, became subject to strange fits after hearing tales told by a West Indian slave. When they were questioned, they accused several women of being witches who were...