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.

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...

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.

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.

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,...

The America that greeted the first Europeans was, thus, far from an empty wilderness. It is now thought that as many people lived in the Western Hemisphere as in Western Europe at that time -- about 40 million. Estimates of the number of...

Article outlines the boom in early American economic growth as a result of Northern industry in manufacturing, steam power, transportation and the role of government between 1820 and 1860.

The theory of coastal migration of early Americans down the coast of California has been gaining much consideration. Read about some of the evidence supporting this theory.

From the American Experience series on PBS, this is "The Carter Family: Will the Circle Be Unbroken", a comprehensive multi-media look at the early American popular country music group.

Primary source document establishing a basis and foundation of early American government. This document, adopted in Virginia and drafted by George Mason and Patrick Henry, precedes the Congressional call for independence.

This unit features authors of Antebellum America and how they portray the American identity through their literature. Click on the tabs to explore the various resources available to enhance this unit.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art provides this informative page on American portrait miniature paintings of the eighteenth century.