Article
Virginia Historical Society

Virginia Museum of History and Culture: Early Images of Virginia Indians

For Students 9th - 10th
A collection of images of early Virginia Indians that includes information on interpreting the images and shows fanciful images that were not historically accurate.
Website
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: American Indian Culture of the Southwest

For Students 6th - 8th
We can thank the Indian tribes from the Southwest for introducing us to corn. Corn was seen as a spiritual gift in Pueblo societies. Study more of the cultural characteristics of these tribes such as their irrigation system which allowed...
Website
The Newberry Library

Women on the Move: Gender and Mobility in American Culture, 1890 to 1950

For Students 9th - 10th
Newberry Library learning module uses primary source documents and literature to explore the influence of gender on social and physical mobility and the concept of freedom in American culture from 1890 - 1950.
Website
Other

Early Cultures: Paleo Traditions

For Students 5th - 8th
This interesting site shows many aspects of the Paleo culture. Learn about the ways the Paleo Indians hunted for food, the tools they used, and find a chart which organizes all the information.
Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Alex: Native Cultures in the Americas

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
This lesson is part of a project-based, hands-on unit in which children discover the native cultures that existed in the Americas prior to the arrival of explorers. The students will "become" part of their assigned culture through...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Mexican Immigration

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Excellent site that examines the Mexican immigrant group beginning with early settlement in New Mexico in 1598 through to present times. The history as well as the intricate multiculturalism of this immigrant group is addressed.
Website
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: American Indian Culture of the Plains

For Students 9th - 10th
The Plains Indians had a dynamic society that changed over time. See how the introduction of the horse changed their way of life. Read about their religion, societal structure, housing, and tools. Included are pictures, maps, critical...
Activity
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: Many Cultures Blend

For Students 9th - 10th
Brief discussion of early immigration and its effect on the population of Colonial America between 1680 and 1775.
Handout
Other

The Great Plains in Midwestern Culture

For Students 9th - 10th
Discusses the history of the people on the Great Plains, both the Native Americans and early settlers.
Primary
Calisphere: University of California Libraries

University of California: Calisphere: 1900 1940s: Early Advertising

For Students 9th - 10th
Primary source images show the development of the modern advertising industry and highlight what these ads reveal about American culture during the early 20th century compared to today.
Website
University of California

The Bancroft Library: Italian Americans in California

For Students 9th - 10th
An introduction to the history and culture of Italian immigrants and their descendants in California from 1687 to the present. Shows how the people, industries, and neighborhoods of an area change over time. Includes a virtual exhibit...
Primary
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Popular Culture, Making of African American Identity: V. 2

For Students 9th - 10th
A sculpture, poster, poem, and a painting that challenge black stereotypes in the early-twentieth century. Links to these precursors to the Harlem Renaissance are provided at the top of the page.
Primary
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Poetry, Making of African American Identity: V. 3

For Students 9th - 10th
This study of black protest poems from the early part of the twentieth century through the late sixties can provide insight into the issues African Americans faced during that time and the ways they responded to them. Works from seven...
Primary
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Making of African American Identity: The Promised Land?

For Students 9th - 10th
A short story and a painting illustrating African American perceptions of Northern cities. Rudolph Fisher's short story "The City of Refuge" and William H. Johnson's painting Moon over Harlem offer insight into life within the black...
Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Alex: The Early Americas Civilizations Power Point

For Teachers 6th - 8th
This lesson is for cooperative learning groups. This lesson will take place in the classroom and the computer lab. Students will create PowerPoints on the early Americas civilizations of the Hohokam, Anasazi, Mississippians, Inuit,...
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Neh: Edsit Ement: Then and Now Life in Early America

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Select from lesson plans that challenge learners to compare everyday objects from colonial times to present day objects. Links to sites with photos and other primary sources will assist students in their comparison.
Article
Scott Alexander

Red Hot Jazz: The Origins of Jazz

For Students 9th - 10th
Red Hot Jazz outlines the origins of jazz, taking a look at the blend of cultures that existed in New Orleans at the turn of the century when jazz first emerged as a unique musical form. Includes links to additional information about...
Handout
Harp Week

Harp Week: Immigrant and Ethnic America

For Students 9th - 10th
Website with detailed information from Harpers Weekly on various immigrant and ethnic groups that were a vital part of American culture during the second half of the 19th century. Page features the Chinese-American experience, 1857-1892.
Website
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: Early America: Mound Builders and Pueblos

For Students 9th - 10th
A brief survey of the mound building and cliff dwelling Native Americans in the period between 1000 BC and 1600 AD.
Handout
Other

Native Peoples of North America: Agricultural Societies in Pre European Times

For Students 9th - 10th
A good introduction to the three major Native American cultures in the Southwest prior to European contact. Find information about the Mogollon, Anasazi, and Hohokam cultures. Read how they influenced each other, and what was unique...
Website
Scholastic

Scholastic:twentieth Century: Society in the United States

For Students 9th - 10th
A brief easy to read overview of major developments in the way Americans lived during the first two decades of the twentieth century. This site also provides links to overviews of other major social events in twentieth century America...
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: The Modern Dances and How to Dance Them: The Castle Walk

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource describes the history of a dance callled the Castle Walk, which was popular in the early 1900's. Includes information on the orgins of the dance, as well as text and images from a dance manual of the period.
Handout
Georgia Humanities Council and the University of Georgia Press.

New Georgia Encyclopedia: Fletcher Henderson 1897 1952

For Students 9th - 10th
Uncover biographical facts about African American jazz musician, Fletcher Henderson, who formed the first big band orchestra in the early 1920s.
Lesson Plan
University of Florida

Florida Museum of Natural History: First Colony: Our Spanish Origins

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource is a lesson plan from the University of Florida Natural History Museum. It is a lesson on the impact that the immigrants of Jamestown, VA had on American culture and the melting pot they created in the early colonial days.