Archiving Early America
http://www.earlyamerica.com
“Our main focus at Archiving Early America is primary source material from 18th Century America-- all displayed digitally. A unique array of original newspapers, maps and writings come to life on your screen just as they appeared to our forebears more than 200 years ago.”
If you can wade through the advertisements that fund and pop up all over this site, there are many valuable resources to be found. There are some interesting documents under the “Firsts” heading as well as the “Milestones” section. Within the latter is a document of particular import, the only privately held copy of the Maryland Gazette that contains George Washington’s journal. This and all other documents may be viewed as a digital image or as a textual transcription. If Internet access is available in the classroom, there are a series of short narrated slideshow movies on topics including George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Molly Pitcher, Paul Revere and the treason of Benedict Arnold. There are also portraits, paintings, maps and other useful primary documents that are all presented in a well-organized fashion. One other amusing feature is the news-ticker that runs along the top of the page, showing important events that happened on the current date. (BR)

Colonial Williamsburg
http://www.history.org/
The Colonial Williamsburg website details information about this historical area, as well as its complex and elaborate restoration project. What started out with a few buildings has now grown to encompass around 85 percent of the town's area from the 18th century. As the world's largest living history museum, Colonial Williamsburg is noted for its ability to incorporate and interpret diverse perspectives on America's colonial period. With such features as an “Explore and Learn” section, which offers information on the different social and ethnic groups that inhabited the town (such as African American slaves and colonial children), as well as the various buildings within the community, one is able to get a feel for the area without having visited it in person. This site does use Macromedia Flash Player, and as is the case, it might take a while to load on a dial up connection.

Remembering Black Loyalists, Black Communities in Nova Scotia
http://museum.gov.ns.ca/blackloyalists/index.htm
“Between 1783 and 1785, more than 3000 Black persons came to Nova Scotia as a direct result of the American Revolution. They came from slavery and war to take control of their lives, making choices within the limits they faced.”
Sponsored by the Nova Scotia Museum and Department of Canadian Heritage, Remembering Black Loyalists, Black Communities in Nova Scotia gives browsers the history of black loyalists who fled to Nova Scotia after the American Revolutionary War. Having fought for or supported the British Empire during the conflict, these individuals faced re-enslavement after the departure of the British military. Finding solace in Nova Scotia, the settlers began the long and arduous process of establishing communities in their new homeland. This website includes their story, as well as images, documents, and recordings.

St. Augustine: America's Ancient City
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/staugustine/intro.htm
“While many persons think of Boston as the first major European settlement in what is now the United States, the once tiny military outpost of Spain, St. Augustine, is significantly older…”
St. Augustine: America's Ancient City, brings the story of St. Augustine, “the oldest European town in the United States.” Funded in part with historic preservation grant assistance provided by the Bureau of Historic Preservation and Florida Department of State, along with assistance by the Historic Preservation Advisory Council, this website brings a truly interactive experience to its viewers. Through the use of an interactive timeline one is able to browse the images and artifacts in the virtual exhibit by chronological order, or to study a particular time period of interest. This website is full of great music, artifacts, and people, making it worth visiting to learn about the early colonization of North America. The site does use Macromedia Flash technology so you will need to have that loaded onto your computer.