The exhibition 1492: AN ONGOING VOYAGE describes both pre- and post-contact America, as well as the Mediterranean world at the same time. Compelling questions are raised, such as: Who lived in the Americas before 1492? Who followed in the wake of Columbus? What was the effect of 1492 for Americans throughout the Western Hemisphere? The Library of Congress' Quincentenary exhibition addresses these questions, as well as other related themes, including fifteenth century European navigation, the myths and facts surrounding the figure of Columbus, and the differences and similarities between European and American world views at the time of contact.

Sometime after 1492, the concept of the New World or America came into being, and this concept appeared differently — as an experience or an idea — for different people and in different places. This semester, we will read three groups of texts: first, participant accounts of contact between native Americans and French or English speaking Europeans, both in North America and in the Caribbean and Brazil; second, transformations of these documents into literary works by contemporaries; third, modern texts which take these earlier materials as a point of departure for rethinking the experience and aftermath of contact. The reading will allow us to compare perspectives across time and space, across the cultural geographies of religion, nation and ethnicity, and finally across a range of genres — reports, captivity narratives, essays, novels, poetry, drama, and film. Some of the earlier authors we will read are Michel Montaigne, William Shakespeare, Jean de Léry, Daniel Defoe and Mary Rowlandson; more recent authors include Derek Walcott, and J. M. Coetzee.

A part of history is often forgot when teaching younger students. This is the relocation of the Cherokee Indians when the white settlers wanted their property. The US Government moved whole groups of Indians under harsh conditions. This trip became known as the Trail of Tears. Using this as a background students will explore and experiment with persuasive writing as they try to express the position of Cherokee leaders.

The American Indian population in the U.S., S.D., and many other states has shown significant growth in recent decades. It is also a comparatively young population. In this module, you will look at these growth patterns, compare the size and age distribution of the American Indian population in the U.S., S.D., & several reservation counties (& your home state/county if you choose).

This digital collection integrates over 2,300 photographs and 7,700 pages of text relating to the American Indians in two cultural areas of the Pacific Northwest, the Northwest Coast and Plateau. These resources illustrate many aspects of life and work, including housing, clothing, crafts, transportation, education, and employment. The materials are drawn from the extensive collections of the University of Washington Libraries, the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture (formerly the Cheney Cowles Museum/Eastern Washington State Historical Society), and the Museum of History and Industry in Seattle.

In their study of artifact classification students will use pictures of artifacts or objects from a teaching kit to classify artifacts and answer questions about the lifeways of a group of historic Native Americans.

This site consists of texts and illustrations of 190 works documenting California's history from the Gold Rush to the turn of the century. It captures the pioneer experience; encounters between Anglo-Americans and the diverse peoples who had preceded them; the transformation of the land by mining, ranching, agriculture, and urban development; the often-turbulent growth of communities and cities; and California's emergence as both a state and a place of uniquely American dreams.

California Cultures documents California's rich history of diversity and multicultural contributions. This collection including photographs, documents, newspaper clippings, political cartoons, works of art, oral histories, and other primary sources draws from Calispheres total content, and also features more than 20,000 specially digitized primary sources from special contributors.

In this lesson students will learn about the varying attitudes and definitions of land ownership held by Native and European Americans by studying a variety of primary documents from the nineteenth century. They will learn about how various treaties—the Homestead Act and the Dawes Act—affected both Native and European Americans. Students will discuss these issues in the form of a debate, and will also write journal entries.

This video, adapted from material provided by the ECHO partners, presents aspects of traditional Mississippi Choctaw activities.

In this segment from Colonial House, Colonists and the Passamaquoddy people encounter each other for the first time.

This course will introduce the student to a comparative history of New World societies from 1400 to 1750. The student will learn about European exploration and colonization as well as the culture of native peoples of the Americas. By the end of the course, you will understand how the New World evolved from fledgling settlements into profitable European colonies and how New World societies were highly varied polities. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: analyze what constituted the 'New World' in the fifteenth century; identify and describe the major tribes/native civilizations of North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean at the time of European contact; identify and describe the effects of European colonization on native peoples; identify and describe the reasons for the European Age of Discovery in the New World; identify and describe early New World exploration and initial settlements by Portugal and Spain; identify and describe how and why the consolidation of powerful European states in the 1600s resulted in New World exploration, settlement, and commerce; compare and contrast New France, French Louisiana, the French West Indies, and French Guiana; compare and contrast British North America (New England, Middle and Lower Colonies), the British West Indies, and British Central and South America; compare and contrast New Spain, the Spanish Caribbean, and Spanish South America; analyze and describe Portuguese Brazil; identify and describe the African slave trade and will also be able to compare and contrast the enslavement of Africans in New World societies; identify and describe inter-European conflicts and European-Native Indian violence in the New World; analyze and interpret primary source documents that elucidate the causes and effects of exploration and colonization in the New World. (History 321)

In this course the conquest and colonization of the Americas is considered, with special attention to the struggles of native peoples in Guatemala, Canada, Brazil, Panama, and colonial New England. In two segments of the course-one devoted to the Jesuit missionization of the Huron in the 1630s, the other to struggles between the government of Panama and the Kuna between 1900 and 1925-students examine primary documents such as letters, reports, and court records, to draw their own conclusions. Attention focuses on how we know about and represent past eras and other peoples, as well as on the history of struggles between native Americans and Europeans.

This is one of the most significant and controversial representations of American Indian culture ever produced. Issued in a limited edition from 1907-1930, the publication continues to influence the image of Indians in popular culture. In over 2000 photos and narrative, Curtis portrayed the traditional customs and lifeways of 80 Indian tribes.

This site provides a selection of more than 500 letters, lectures, photos, articles, and sound recordings related to the birth of the recording industry. Hear auctioneers, animal calls, musical instruments, and Native American songs, Italian songs, Swedish songs, and more. Berliner (1851-1929), an immigrant and largely self-educated man, was responsible for the development of the microphone and the flat recording disc and gramophone player.

The ENCOUNTERS teachers' guide offers an alternative to a textbook on Arizona. It has more information, resources and activities than we, as teachers, could hope to use in any given year. In addition, the "Encounters Box," which is available in local school libraries, supplements the guide with other activities, books, videos and tapes. The Units are sequentially ordered to cover all periods of Arizona history, including the O'Odham, missionaries, Apaches, Mexican Americans, and Anglos. The thematic skills included are: Arizona history, social studies, environmental science, multicultural education, art, critical thinking, math computation, and drama. The units can stand alone, but if used sequentially, they will give the teacher and students a solid background on the cultural and environmental impacts the various cultures had on each other and on the Santa Cruz Valley.

In the The Turns of the Centuries: Everyday Life in a New England Town, 1680-1920, students learn the basic skills needed to "read" primary and secondary sources, including a broad array of documents, maps, images, and buildings, to see what they can reveal about the characteristics of everyday life in Deerfield, MA over three century turns. At the same time, they learn the historical background of each era so that the source materials will be understood in the proper context. Then, they use what they have learned to analyze the ways the town has changed since its beginning. The unit progresses chronologically through the three century turns, covering the periods 1680-1720, 1780-1820, and 1880-1920. This unit is lengthy, encompassing 15 separate lessons, some of which have many parts. However, it is designed in such a way that smaller groups of lessons can easily be extracted and used independently. Use the lessons and accompanying materials to suit your teaching needs.

This site features documents, maps, and images for learning about the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the growth of regionalism, the Amistad case, Lincoln's spot resolutions, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the petition of Amelia Bloomer regarding suffrage in the West, migration north to Alaska, and the Sioux Treaty of 1868.

This site consists of letters, journals, books, newspapers, maps, and images documenting the land, peoples, and exploration of the trans-Appalachian West. The first European travelers, their relations with Native Americans, new settlers' migration and acquisition of land, navigation down the Ohio River, planting of crops, trade in tobacco and horses, and the roles of African Americans, women, churches, and schools are documented.