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)

The American Revolution: National Discussions of our Revolutionary Origins
http://revolution.h-net.msu.edu/
"This site was created… to serve as a complement to the official companion site to PBS’ ‘Liberty!’ documentary series…”
The American Revolution: National Discussions of our Revolutionary Origins, as the quote above states, was created to complement PBS’ documentary series “Liberty!” To coincide with the series there are program notes broken down by episode. This site also contains essays written by university professors, which might be difficult reading for students, but serve as good information for educators. Some of the many essays to choose from are “Deeds of Desperate Valor: The First Rhode Island Regiment”, “The Argument Over the Constitution”, and “The Federalist as Road-Map for Constitutionalism”. A separate page can be accessed consisting of the bibliography and book titles where the information on this website was located, serving as a good list of resources for student work.

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)

BBC—History—Was the American Revolution Inevitable?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/state/empire/american_revolution_01.shtml
In 1775, war broke out between the British and the American colonists. By 1776, the colonists had declared themselves independent and in 1783, following a prolonged and bloody war, Britain was forced to recognise the independence of the United States. Was American independence inevitable?”
In this article, Francis D. Cogliano explores the question of inevitability of the American Revolutionary War. Noting that many colonials had already developed an advanced sense of independence and anti-colonialism, he suggests that Parliamentary officials could not have prevented the split. While they acted in the best interests of the empire, colonial demands and imperial economic needs precluded any attempts at compromise. In addition to this article, browsers will find links to other web pages on the British Empire and American Revolutionary War.

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 Occupations & Diseases
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~sam/occupation.html
“Our early American colonists did not have quite the same employment opportunities as we do today. The first emigrants to America had occupations concerned primarily with simple, basic survival in the New World. They were, for the most part, skilled laborers, who could make things most of us now only dabble in as hobbies.”
This is part of a personal genealogy website, but nonetheless proves a valuable resource. In reading primary documents from Colonial America you often encounter occupation terms that are totally unfamiliar to us today. This site offers an alphabetical listing of hundreds of occupations. At the bottom of the page is a link to an extensive list of colonial diseases and medical terms. If nothing else, these two pages serve as a useful reference for unfamiliar terms. (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)

From Revolution to Reconstruction: and What Happened Afterwards
http://odur.let.rug.nl/%7Eusa/index.htm
“In November 1994 a group of students from the Arts Faculty of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands under my supervision created a web-site dedicated to the pre-World War I history of the United States of America…”
From Revolution to Reconstruction: and What Happened Afterwards, built, operated, and maintained under professorial supervision at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, covers nearly every aspect of American history from the Revolutionary war to the Civil War and beyond. This site draws its information primarily from such sources as An Outline of American Government, An Outline of American History, An Outline of the American Economy, and An Outline of American Literature. Also located on this site are areas where student-submitted articles appear concerning some of these American events, serving to provide a unique perspective on history from outside the U.S.

Historic Jamestowne
http://www.nps.gov/colo/Jamestwn/jamestown.htm
“Join us to explore America’s English colonial beginnings. Travel back in time and imagine walking these hallowed grounds with Captain John Smith, George Percy, Pocahontas and John Rolfe. The adventure you are about to begin represents the foundations of who and what we are as a people and as a nation.”
Historic Jamestowne is a project of the National Park Service and provides a cornucopia of information on Jamestown from settlement to the American Civil War. Teachers and students can easily access time lines for archaeology, exploration, settlement, and slavery. Also, one can easily locate detailed information on historical topics ranging from initial attempts at settlement to women and slavery to the development of weaponry and the British flag. Needless to say, the list is extensive. Furthermore, information contained on their website is reliable and well referenced.

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.

Indians and the American Revolution: By Wilcomb E. Washburn
http://www.americanrevolution.org/ind1.html
Indians and the American Revolution, by Wilcomb E. Washburn, is a webpage that provides an annotated text of a presentation given in Riverside, California. Wilcomb E. Washburn received his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1955 in the area of American Civilization, and at the time of the presentation was Director of American Studies at the Smithsonian Institute. The presentation text is a good source of information concerning the involvement of Native American peoples during the Revolutionary War, providing a look into an area of influence in the war often overlooked.

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.

Jamestown Virtual Colony
http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/socialstudies/projects/jvc/home.html
“The Jamestown Virtual Colony was developed by the Program in Social Studies Education of the Curry School of Education, with the assistance of a grant from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and Public Policy.”
This website’s main purpose, provided by the University of Virginia, is to help teachers plan lessons and activities about America’s first colony, Jamestown. They provide enough material for an entire course (5 full units), but recognize that many teachers won’t be able to devote that many classes to the subject. They offer a series of well developed and researched lesson plans that can be adapted to the individual teacher’s needs. The lesson plans include activities and bibliographies, but still leave some work for the teacher in fitting the lesson to their students’ needs. With these lesson plans, the teacher has an excellent framework of ideas and approaches to build upon. This site also includes a few interesting webquest activities for students that could be productive if there is access to a computer lab. The historical overview should help give background information for teachers and students, and the additional links provide a portal to some primary documents and other useful sites. This site is an excellent starting point for information on the Jamestown Colony (through its links) and a great resource for lesson plans and other classroom ideas. BR

The Papers of George Washington
http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/
“The Papers of George Washington, a grant-funded project, was established in 1969 at the University of Virginia, under the joint auspices of the University and the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union, to publish a complete edition of Washington's correspondence.”
The Papers of George Washington project currently consists of 52 volumes and will ultimately comprise 90 volumes. The project’s website offers a selection of articles, documents, maps and images related to the George Washington papers. Although it does not provide full access to the published volumes (they are for sale), this website does give a good overview and provides many interesting resources. The greatest of these resources is the series of scholarly articles that cover various aspects of George Washington’s life and history. Found in the “Documents and Articles” section under “Washington Articles,” these resources should be referred to for reliable background information on a variety of George Washington related topics. (BR)

Pilgrim Hall Museum
http://www.pilgrimhall.org/plgrmhll.htm
“Pilgrim Hall Museum is a gallery museum in the center of historic Plymouth, Massachusetts. Through its exhibition of Pilgrim possessions and Native American artifacts, Pilgrim Hall tells the stories of America’s founding and traditions in stirring detail.”
This homepage for the Pilgrim Hall Museum gives a fascinating glimpse into early colonial life in Plymouth, Massachusetts. In the links “The Pilgrim Story” and ”Beyond the Pilgrim Story” you can find an excellent detailed historical overview with links to primary documents and other related subjects. The Exhibits and Collections found in the museum are also provided to a large extent online. Especially intriguing are the sections on Arms and Armor of the Pilgrims, Native American documents, Medicine in the Old colony, History Paintings and Portraits. Within each of these sections the site includes pictures, detailed descriptions of the artifacts and historical background. Although the museum is out of reach physically, their site puts many of their holdings within our reach electronically. The diverse selection of topics, images and primary documents make for a useful and fun site. (BR)

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.

The Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project
http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/salem/17docs.html
“…consists of an electronic collection of primary source materials relating to the Salem witch trials of 1692…”
The Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project provides a large collection of important primary documents. The Archives section includes a portal to numerous sites that contain digitized archival sources. The digital images of contemporary maps, books and letters are easy to navigate through and very helpful. The most useful feature of the site is the original court record transcriptions. One group of these, the Salem Witchcraft Papers ,contain a name index and internal search engine. The documents on this site would greatly enhance any discussion of the early colonial period, Salem witch trials or Puritan society. (BR)

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.