With so many sites to choose from, online research can be intimidating. However, it is important to only cite material found through reputable institutions. Below is a list of digital resources that are good places to begin your search, or view the PDF. Additional research resources from national, state, and local partners are also provided here.
General American History
- DocsTeach (National Archives)
- Primary sources on a wide variety of American topics, broken down by time period and subject matter. The site also includes classroom activities and lesson plans.
- Library of Congress
- Primary sources on a wide variety of topics, both American and world, broken down by subject matter. Visit https://www.loc.gov/education/ for classroom activities and lesson plans.
- Chronicling America
- Digitized versions of hundreds of historic newspapers from across the United States.
- Teaching American History
- Primary sources on a wide variety of American topics, broken down by time period and subject matter. The site also includes classroom activities and lesson plans.
- Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
- Primary sources on a wide variety of American topics, broken down by time period, subject matter, and object type. The site also includes classroom activities and lesson plans. Free registration to access all material is required.
- Smithsonian National Museum of American History
- Primary sources on a wide variety of American topics, broken down by subject matter and object type. Visit https://historyexplorer.si.edu/ for classroom activities and lesson plans.
- American Journeys
- Primary sources related to North American exploration, from AD 1000 to the 1800s.
General World History
- EuroDocs: Western European Primary Historical Documents
- Database that brings together collections from various Wester European nations, broken down by country and subject matter. Many sites are in foreign languages.
- Southeast Asian Images & Texts Project and African Studies Collection at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Primary sources related to Southeast Asia, primarily documents and photographs from the 20th century, and sources related to Africa, primarily photographs.
- Latin American Network Information Center
- Database that brings together collections and resources from various institutions with a focus on Latin American history and culture. Some sites are in Spanish.
General Virginia History
- Virginia Museum of History & Culture
- Primary sources and short historical essays on a variety of Virginia centered topics, broken down by subject matter.
- Virginia Memory and Document Bank of Virginia
- Primary sources on a wide variety of Virginia topics, broken down by subject matter and object type. Visit https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/online_classroom/ for classroom activities and lesson plans.
- Virginia Chronicle
- Digitized versions of dozens of historic newspapers from across Virginia.
- Encyclopedia Virginia
- Secondary source articles on a wide variety of Virginia topics, with accompanying primary sources. The site also includes articles broken down by SOL.
- Virginia Center for Digital History
- Home site for several digital history projects related to different periods of Virginia history. All projects rely heavily on primary sources.
- Documenting the American South
- Primary sources on a wide variety of topics related to the American South, broken down by subject matter.
Colonial/American Revolution History
- Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
- Secondary source articles that cite primary sources, explaining life in colonial and revolutionary era Virginia. The site also includes classroom activities and lesson plans.
- George Washington’s Mount Vernon
- Primary sources related to George Washington, colonial Virginia, and the American Revolution. Visit https://www.mountvernon.org/education/ for classroom activities and lesson plans.
- Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello
- Primary sources related to Thomas Jefferson, colonial Virginia, and the American Revolution. Visit https://classroom.monticello.org/lesson-plan/ for classroom activities and lesson plans.
- Museum of the American Revolution
- Primary sources related to the American Revolution, broken down by object type. The site also includes classroom activities and lesson plans.
Civil War History
- The Crisis of the Union: Cause, Conduct and Consequences of the U.S. Civil War
- Primary sources related to the Civil War and its aftermath, broken down by subject matter.
- Freedmen & Southern Society Project
- Primary sources related to the Civil War and the end of the institution of slavery, broken down by year.
- American Battlefield Trust
- Primary sources related to the Civil War, but also the American Revolution and War of 1812. The site also includes secondary sources, classroom activities, and lesson plans.
Civil Rights History
- The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute
- Primary sources related to Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. The site also includes secondary sources and lesson plans.
- Schlesinger Library – Harvard University
- Primary sources related to Women’s Rights, broken down by subject matter. The site also includes secondary source material.
- Civil Rights Digital Library
- Database that brings together collections from various institutions related to the Civil Rights Movement.
- National Women’s History Museum
- Secondary source articles that explore historical female figures, broken down by subject matter and time period. The site also includes classroom activities and lesson plans.
Science and Technology
- Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
- Primary sources related to flight and space exploration, broken down by subject matter. Visit https://airandspace.si.edu/educator-resources for classroom activities and lesson plans.
- The Henry Ford
- Primary sources related to science and technology, broken down by subject matter. Site also includes secondary sources and lesson plans.
- The Thomas A. Edison Papers Digital Edition
- Primary sources related to Thomas Edison and technology, broken down by subject matter.