AmericanRevolution.org
http://www.americanrevolution.org/home.html
Originally a portal site, this domain now provides an impressive amount of useful original content. It still contains over 1,000 links and claims to verify them weekly for errors. One of the interesting features is the art gallery of famous Revolutionary War paintings. Included with these paintings are biographies on the artists, histories of the paintings and even guides showing whom the key figures in the paintings represent. The “Scholars Showcase” boasts a number of digitized books on various subjects. Within these documents are links to related sites and subjects. The greatest strength of this site is that the thousands of links it provides connect to quality sites, are well organized throughout the site and most of all, work. (BR)

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)

Coins and Currency Collections
http://www.coins.nd.edu/
This site, maintained by the University of Notre Dame’s Department of Special Collections, contains three collections: Coins of Colonial and Early America; Colonial Currency; and Washington Tokens. Each of the three catalogs contains images, explanatory essays and descriptions of different bills, coins, lottery tickets, fiscal documents and tokens. They are divided into sections by type as well as into chronological and regional schemes. For each entry there is a full description that often includes bibliographic information and links to related topics. The information is so exhaustive that few questions are left unanswered. Familiar names such as Benjamin Franklin, Paul Revere and George Washington appear often and show other ventures they were involved in besides those that are well -known. The material could easily be incorporated as supplementary material to lesson plans on colonial history. (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.

The Electric Benjamin Franklin
http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/index.htm
“The remarkable Benjamin Franklin, a printer by trade, a scientist by fame, and a man of action by all accounts, continues to shape American thinking and action. The Independence Hall Association has commissioned and assembled resources for you to explore the diversity that was Benjamin Franklin.”
There is a lot of interesting things to do on this website about Benjamin Franklin. There are games, activities and even experiments which the site helps you plan and execute. There is also a large photo gallery, virtual tour Franklin’s Philadelphia and scholarly articles. One especially valuable resource is the entire text of Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography. Also, the 360º panoramas of Independence Hall, Franklin’s print shop, the Franklin Museum, the Franklin post office and other historical sites should not be missed. There are also good overviews of his life, and other general information for quick reference. The site would be of great use to teachers or students looking for information, a science experiment or even a chance to play checkers against Benjamin Franklin. (BR)

The Home of Jamestown Rediscovery
http://www.apva.org
“Welcome to the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities’ Jamestown Rediscovery archaeological project. Antiquities’ Jamestown Rediscovery is investigating the remains of 1607-1698 Jamestown on the APVA property on Jamestown Island, Virginia.”
Jamestown Rediscovery contains general information regarding the early days of the Jamestown settlement. Since much of the old colony still remains unearthed, the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities has undertaken extensive archaeological efforts to restore the historic site. To share the exciting process with the public, the APVA maintains updates, records, and descriptions of the ongoing excavation. In addition to archaeological records, the site also provides sound information regarding the history of Jamestown, biographies of colony leaders, and a treasure trove of pictures and maps.

James Madison Center
http://www.jmu.edu/madison/center/index.htm
“The James Madison Center was founded in 1999 to honor the legacy of the nation's fourth President and Father of the United States Constitution. Located on the campus of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, the Center serves as a repository for information on Madison's life and times (1751-1836) as well as that of the Federalist Era.”
The James Madison Center webpage contains an abundance of material about James Madison’s life and times. While they place special emphasis on Madison’s role in the Constitutional Convention and his presidency, they also include plenty of material about his boyhood, personal life, friends, and family. Moreover, they include excerpts from Madison, Jefferson, the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, as well as other primary sources. Teachers can access lesson plans from this website, too. Finally, this site provides links to other sites on Colonial History and the Early Republic.

The Plymouth Colony Project
http://etext.virginia.edu/users/deetz/
“This Plymouth Colony Archive presents a collection of fully searchable texts, including: court records, colony laws, seventeenth century journals and memoirs, probate inventories, wills, town plans, maps, and fort plans; research and seminar analyses of numerous topics; biographical profiles of selected colonists; and architectural, archaeological and material culture studies.”
As suggested by the website’s introduction, it promises an extensive selection of primary source material and data. Boasting awards, accolades and widespread academic and public recognition, this University of Virginia website lives up to its self praise. The best primary documents are the selection of wills and court records. Throughout the rest of the site are numerous other primary documents, biographies and texts which all prove insightful. There are numerous images of historic paintings, sites, maps, and artifacts excavated in Plymouth. Mixed in with these images and documents are essays and articles that help contextualize the material culture and artifacts being displayed. The site also contains an internal search engine to speed up the process of finding information relevant to the browse’s interests. One last valuable feature of this site is the numerous links that it provides. If something of interest is not found on this site, there are many links to other sites that will hopefully prove more fruitful. For someone interested in Plymouth, this website definitely warrants consideration and attention. BR

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.

Spy Letters of the American Revolution
http://www.si.umich.edu/spies
“The Revolutionary War was not fought by proclamations and battles alone. A major component of the war was the challenge of organizing military strategies over thousands of miles of battlefield. From the very beginning of the war, a complex network of spies, double agents, and traitors began to emerge in an effort to learn the plans of the enemy before they were enacted.”
Created by four students at the University of Michigan School of Information—Kate Foster, Cynthia Ghering, Michelle Light, and Melissa McCollum—this site is a great resource for students and teachers desiring to learn more about covert operations during the American Revolution. Utilizing primary documents as examples, the authors explain the methods employed by spies to slip their communiqués past enemy lines. Also, the site offers browsers stories about famous royal and colonial spies, as well as an overview of the war. Finally, the creators give teachers great classroom ideas in the Teachers’ Lounge. Lesson plans outline projects like making invisible ink, coded letters, and mask letters.

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.

Virtual Jamestown
http://www.virtualjamestown.org
“The Virtual Jamestown Archive consists of seven main archival sections plus other sections devoted to student/researcher and teacher usage.”
Students, teachers, and scholars desiring a detailed examination of the Jamestown colony will find this website invaluable. The primary sources digitally preserved on this site include letters, faxes, charters, constitutions, and minutes from various colonial organizations and settlers. Moreover, these primary documents are not limited to Jamestown after 1607. Filtering through the Internet pages at Virtual Jamestown, the viewer will also locate communications from Raleigh’s attempts at colonizing Roanoke Island.

The visual and interactive aspects of Virtual Jamestown demand attention, too. For teachers who wish to bring Jamestown to life, these programs will truly aid in capturing the students’ attention. With nifty clips like the panoramic view of Jamestown, the viewer is drawn into a sense of the historic past as they sit next to the settlers for a town square meeting. Even the maps have a unique ability to revive the past. The interactive nature of the maps visually unfolds the expansion of the Virginia colony or Captain John Smith’s explorations in the Chesapeake area.

Finally, the site is properly documented and free of technical pit falls. Granted, some features require an extended load time, but overall, Virtual Jamestown is a well-maintained site with many attributes that make is attractive for research.