Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Introduction to the Spanish Viceroyalties in the Americas

For Students 9th - 10th
When the Spanish Crown (the monarchy) learned of the promise of wealth offered by vast continents that had been previously unknown to Europeans, they sent forces to colonize the land, convert the indigenous populations, and extract...
eBook
OpenStax

Open Stax: Colonial Societies 1500 1700: Spanish Exploration & Colonial Society

For Students 11th - 12th
Examines the establishment of Spanish settlements in America, the differences between them, and the conflicts the Spanish had with other European interests and with the native peoples.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teaching With Primary Sources: Hispanic Exploration in America [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This is a great lesson plan from the Library of Congress that shows how to use primary sources in the examination of the Spanish Conquistadors in America. The lesson plan offers many possible activities for learners to use with the...
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Parallel Histories: Exploration and Early Settlement

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the Spanish conquistadors who explored what was to become Spanish America. Included are links to digital collections from the Library of Congress and the National Library of Spain.
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Southern Colonies: Debtors in Georgia

For Students 5th - 8th
Georgia, the last colony founded by England, was established for competing reasons. Read about James Oglethorpe's vision for a utopian colony, and find out about why that vision failed, but the colony survived.
Unknown Type
Other

Spain's Empire in the Americas [Ppt]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A brief slideshow that presents key ideas about the Spanish Empire in the Americas. Students must then answer four questions in an assessment.
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Us History: 1491 1607: Spanish Conquistadores and Colonial Empire

For Students 9th - 10th
The Spanish gained an early foothold in the colonies, quickly becoming the most powerful European power in the New World.
Primary
US National Archives

Our Documents: De Lome Letter (1898)

For Students 9th - 10th
This site features an online facsimile of the letter written by the Spanish Ambassador to the United States in which he criticized American President William McKinley. Its publication generated public support for a war with Spain over...
Handout
US National Archives

Nara: American Originals:exploring the Southwest: Don Diego De Vargas

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from the National Archives and Records Administration, describes the colonization of the United States by the Spanish. Learn about Don Diego de Vargas, read his will, and view a photo of the area he colonized.
Interactive
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: United States History Map: Colonists

For Students 5th - 8th
Use these interactive maps to see and read about the colonization of the New World by several European nations. When you are finished looking at the maps, test your skills with the European Colonies Challenge.
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Exploring the Early Americas: Competition for Empire

For Students 9th - 10th
Part of a larger site, the primary sources here deal with the competition among the European countries in establishing a foothold in the New World.
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: The Convento of San Nicolas De Tolentino, Actopan, Hidalgo

For Students 9th - 10th
After the Conquest, Spanish colonizers' first task was to convert the indigenous peoples to Christianity and eliminate their religious beliefs. Painted murals within their missions demonstrate the great fear and urgency of the...
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.
Primary
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Primary Source Set: Spanish Missions in California

For Students 9th - 10th
A collection that uses primary sources to explore the history of Spanish missions in California.
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Britain in the New World

For Students 5th - 8th
Read about the early English explorers and find out why other countries did much more early exploration than the British. The defeat of the Spanish Armada turned the tide. Discover why the English now could explore and plant colonies.
Website
Other

History of the Russian Settlement at Ft. Ross,california

For Students 9th - 10th
Details Russian expansion across Asia, over the Bering Strait to Alaska, and then down the coast to California. Their settlement, relations with the Spanish, life in Ft. Ross, and departure are chronicled here.
Article
Texas A&M University

Sons of De Witt Colony Texas: The De Leon Colony: Empresario Don Martin De Leon

For Students 9th - 10th
Read in-depth biography about Martin de Leon, a rancher and wealthy Mexican empresario descended from Spanish aristocracy. This account describes his importance to early Texas settlement.
Website
Other

New Mexico Genealogical Society: Early Spanish Exploration of the Southwest

For Students 9th - 10th
This site describes the early Spanish exploration and beginning of colonization in what we know today as New Mexico.
Website
University of Calgary

University of Calgary: The Caribbean: First Contact

For Students 9th - 10th
This site details the initial contact of the European colonizers with the Caribbean islands. The site explains how the Caribbean became colonized and also has maps, quotes, and artwork.
Activity
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media

Teaching History: The New World: A Stage for Cultural Interaction

For Students 9th - 10th
During European colonization, how did the French, Spanish, and Dutch view the Native Americans and how did their interaction differ? What affect did their interaction have on colonization?
Website
University of Notre Dame

Department of Special Collections: The Coins of Colonial and Early America

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides links to a variety of coins used in the colonies and in the confederation. Extremely detailed.
Article
Curated OER

National Park Service: John White Colony

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from the National Park Service details John White and the colony of Roanoke.
Handout
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: Jamestown

For Students 9th - 10th
The first of the British colonies to take hold in North America was Jamestown. On the basis of a charter which King James I granted to the Virginia (or London) company, a group of about 100 men set out for the Chesapeake Bay in 1607....
Handout
Internet History Sourcebooks Project

Fordham University: Modern History Sourcebook

For Students 9th - 10th
A rich Fordham University site of primary source material that include full-text, and multimedia sites. There are additional study and research guides such as Modern History in the Movies.