University of Groningen
American History: Biographies: Caleb Strong 1745 1819
Strong was born to Caleb and Phebe Strong on January 9, 1745 in Northampton, MA. He received his college education at Harvard, from which he graduated with highest honors in 1764. Like so many of the delegates to the Constitutional...
Digital History
Digital History: Regional Contrasts
Read about the populations of the New England colonies as compared to the Southern colonies in the 1600s. See how the numbers of Native Americans decreased dramatically particularly in Massachusetts Bay Colony.
University of Groningen
American History: Biographies: John Fitzgerald Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born on May 29th 1917 at Brookline (Massachusetts). His father Joseph Kennedy was an ambitious politician, who became from son of a pubkeeper to a millionaire. He married the daughter of the mayor of Boston,...
Digital History
Digital History: The Puritans
This article paints a picture of Puritans somewhat different from common myth. Read about their ideas of separation of church and state, and even their love of color.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Anne Bradstreet
Biographical information and details about the themes and style of Bradstreet's poetry. Includes quotations from her poem "To My Dear and Loving Husband."
Curated OER
History Matters: Shays' Rebellion in Massachusetts
Read an assessment of Shays' Rebellion, its causes and how it could have been avoided, written by William Manning, who called himself "a laborer." He wrote this in 1799, thirteen years after the popular uprising.
Digital History
Digital History: The Puritan Idea of the Covenant
John Wintrhop's idea of the value of a covenant in social relations that was reflected in the development of the Puritan community.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: New England Colonies: Puritan Life
Find out about the life of the Puritans. Education was important, as well as church attendance. Read about the forms of punishment, and the ways Puritans had fun.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: New England Colonies: Witchcraft in Salem
The hysteria in Salem which resulted in trials of innocent people accused of witchcraft has invited many theories on why the accusing girls made such claims. Read about the evidence admitted in the trials and the results of the trials....
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Medieval Food [Pdf]
Describes food practices in medieval times. Looks at food staples, food preservation, daily diet, recipes and cookbooks, the role of the church, and social class.
Other
Stony Brook University: Sennacherib's Palace Without Rival at Nineveh
This book by John Malcolm Russell, a professor at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, was published in 1991. Written from the perspective of an art historian, he presents his ideas about the function of the Palace without Rival by...
Other
Do History: Martha Ballard's Diary Online
This site invites viewers "to piece together the life and world of an "ordinary" person from the past." The site boasts thousands of original documents that include diaries, maps, letters, and court records of a midwife from...
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Teacher Serve: Witchcraft in Salem Village
This National Humanities site gives a brief description of "This notorious episode in the history of early New England," and some ideas for presenting the topic of witchcraft to students.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: New England Colonies: Dissent in Massachusetts Bay
The Puritan clergy in Massachusetts Bay colony did not allow religious dissent. Read about the fate of colonists Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams who believed in religious freedom.
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...
National Women's Hall of Fame
National Women's Hall of Fame: Anne Hutchinson
The National Women's Hall of Fame honors Anne Hutchinson for her early advocation for religious freedom in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
OpenStax
Open Stax: The Townshend Acts and Colonial Protest
From a chapter on "Imperial Reforms and Colonial Protests," this section of the chapter describes the purpose of the 1767 Townshend Acts and explains why many colonists protested the acts and the consequences of their actions.
OpenStax
Open Stax: Transformation in North 1800 50: Early Industrialization Northeast
Examines the transformation of work from artisan-centered to a mechanized workforce. Looks at the emergence of industrialization and the impact it had on production and on the worker experience, the development of the consumer society,...
A&E Television
History.com: Minimum Wage in America: A Timeline
Since 1938, the U.S. federal government has established that workers are entitled to a base hourly wage. Which workers receive that minimum -- and how much -- has remained a political issue.
Curated OER
National Park Service: The Kennedy Family Background
Describes the birthplace of John Kennedy and the family background of his parents Joseph and Rose Kennedy.
Read Works
Read Works: The Story of the Pilgrims
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the colonists' journey on the Mayflower and their first year in Plymouth. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory
Magnet Academy: Eric Cornell
Born in Palo Alto, California, and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts - homes to Stanford and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, respectively - you could say Eric Cornell was destined to become a renowned scientist. And while he...
Internet History Sourcebooks Project
Fordham University: Modern History Sourcebook: "Lowell Mill Girls" by Harriet Robinson
Archived news article. A personal account of young female cotton mill workers in Massachusetts during the mid-1800's.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: 300 Women Who Changed History: Dorothea Dix
Encyclopaedia Britannica provides a biography of Dorothea Lynde Dix (1802-1887 CE), most noted for her report to the Massachusetts legislature about the inhumane conditions under which the mentally ill are held in prisons. Her report led...