While most teachers are expert in finding sources for the classroom, we all know that no one can keep track of everything in the fast-breaking world of 21st century information technology. That's where HISTORY NOW and I can be of some help. Don't hesitate to let me know, however, when I'm giving you the wrong kind of help. HISTORY NOW is a work in progress, and the format and content of the Archivist's contributions will be the subject of continuing attention and revision.
Before I turn to specific suggestions for the topics discussed in the articles and lesson plans in this issue, I'll offer a few suggestions for broadly useful websites you may want to add to the list "Favorites" or "Bookmarks" on your Internet browser.
1. If you don't know about it already, turn to the History and Social Studies section of the National Endowment for the Humanities' (NEH's) "Edsitement" website. You're probably familiar with the NEH's programs for educators, so you won't be surprised that their site offers excellent lesson plans and links to websites useful to classroom teachers.
http://edsitement.neh.gov/tab_lesson.asp?subjectArea=3
2. On the most general level, I'd suggest that you take a look at the University of Michigan's "Internet Public Library" site:
http://www.ipl.org/div/about/
Within this site, you'll probably want to focus on the "History - North America" section
http://www.ipl.org/div/subject/browse/hum30.55.00
but don't ignore the broader scope of the site. You'll find links here to research materials and reference tools on the Web.
Finally, a word about a few websites that you'll find cited in every issue of History Now.
3. First, there's the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website. This site includes images and transcriptions of hundreds of documents in the Gilder Lehrman Collection, a number that is constantly increasing. The site also provides lesson plans, quizzes and other resources for teachers:
www.gilderlehrman.org
4. There is the more broad-based "American Memory" series at the Library of Congress. This website is dedicated to the Internet publication of the Library's American history collections in all formats - photos, newspapers, books, manuscripts, broadsides, and pamphlets. You'll see several elements of "American Memory" highlighted in the lists of resources for this issue, but give yourself time to go to the website to review the breadth of choices offered in the list of all collections so far included in this series:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amtitle.html
5. Lastly, there is the "Digital History" Website, the product of a collaboration among the Chicago Historical Society/University of Houston, Museum of Fine Arts of Houston, the Gilder Lehrman Institute, and the U.S. Park Service:
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/
General resources on the history of slavery in the U.S.
Don’t miss the websites for two PBS series on African American history. The first, WGBH’s “Africans in America,” provides a small but vivid collection of images and documents, along with bibliographies and helpful “Teachers’ Guides” for each chronological segment:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/
More specifically relevant to the issues raised in this issue of HISTORY NOW is the new “Slavery in America” website with fine resources for teachers launched in advance of the 2005 PBS series of this name. You’ll find a wealth of essays, biographies, and maps:
http://www.slaveryinamerica.org/home.htm
In addition to our old favorite, “American Memory,” The Library of Congress has mounted “African-American Mosaic: A Library of Congress Resource Guide for the Study of Black History & Culture” webpage, with great links to resources for the study of African American history:
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african/intro.html
And don’t miss “Digital Schomburg,” the collection of nineteenth-century images related to African Americans and their history from the New York Public Library’s legendary Schomburg Collection:
http://digital.nypl.org/schomburg/images_aa19/
