American Experience—Jimmy Carter
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carter/index.html
“In 1976 millions of Americans fell in love with Jimmy Carter. At the beginning of the year, few people had ever heard of the one-term governor from Georgia. But on November 2, enough people pulled the lever by his name to make him the thirty-ninth President of the United States.”
Sponsored by PBS, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Scotts, and Liberty Mutual, American Experience—Jimmy Carter informs browsers of this man’s transformation from a Georgian farmer to President of the United States of America. The text provides visitors with information on the major issues facing the Carter Administration, such as the takeover of the U.S. embassy in Iran, the election of 1980, “Billygate”, and Carter’s rocky relationship with Congress. Moreover, the images and video clips accompanying the narratives offer readers a fuller image of the Carter years. Finally, the website has lesson plans for teachers that use Carter’s presidency to teach economics, civics, history, and geography.

The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden
http://americanhistory.si.edu/presidency/home.html
“This exhibition is a collective effort by staff of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. Exhibitions are complex undertakings, and the history they present is an interpretation of historical evidence informed by knowledge and experience.”
This website is an excellent resource for teachers and offers an impressive diversity of topics and perspectives on the many aspects of the American presidency. Teachers should be sure to look at the lesson plans under the “Teacher Materials” section. They are split up into grade levels and are written to challenge students and help them to think analytically. Another useful feature of these lesson plans is that they are flexible enough to be stretched over numerous class periods, or condensed into one single hour. The lesson plans cover a good range of topics and deserve consideration. Two of the most interesting parts of the website are the Campaign Trail and Communicating the Presidency. The first describes the many aspects of running a presidential campaign and features some interesting and amusing campaign souvenirs and paraphernalia. The latter is equally as amusing and showcases other souvenirs and objects associated with the media, entertainment, consumer marketing and advertisements. There are also links to each president that show related topics and objects from the museum. Although this site does not offer much deep analysis of the topic, its breadth in perspective ensures its value. BR

The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library Website
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov
“The Eisenhower Library is a national repository for the preservation of historical papers, audiovisual materials and the artifacts relating to Dwight D. Eisenhower and his times. The Library makes this record accessible through research and museum exhibits, public programs, and educational outreach. The Eisenhower Library is administered by the National Archives and Records Administration.”
At this website, students can access primary documents, images, and texts about Eisenhower’s life, military career, and presidential administration. Among the primary documents, browsers will find documents ranging from presidential addresses to the Eisenhower Doctrine. Visitors can also examine pictures from Eisenhower’s personal and public life. Finally, teachers have access to lesson materials over Ike’s boyhood.

FDR Cartoon Archive
http://www.nisk.k12.ny.us/fdr/index.html
This archive catalogues tens of thousands of political cartoons from Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency. The events surrounding his presidency were pivotal in the evolution of American culture, society and history. For this reason, these cartoons are exceptionally valuable as windows into our history. Within the archive, the cartoons are divided into various sections according to thematic and chronologic criteria. Each section is organized differently, some simply listing the cartoons, others providing historical context and analysis and others providing short explanations with the cartoons. Although this site has not been recently updated, it is fully functional and contains no bad links. This is a great resource for discussing F.D.R. himself, his presidency, the New Deal or general 1930’s and early 1940’s U.S. History.

Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum
http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu
“The Franklin D. Roosevelt Library is the first of the presidential libraries. It was conceived and built under President Roosevelt's direction during 1939-40 on 16 acres of land in Hyde Park, New York, donated by the President and his mother, Sara Delano Roosevelt. The library resulted from the President's decision that a separate facility was needed to house the vast quantity of historical papers, books, and memorabilia he had accumulated during a lifetime of public service and private collecting.”
Considered one of the most influential presidents in American History, Franklin Delano Roosevelt led the country during two terrifying events—the Great Depression and World War II. His library, established by President FDR, attests to this fact. Here, visitors confront the times, issues, and conflicts of the American country during the 30s and 40s. Visiting this website, the browser can access information about FDR’s presidency in many forms. On-line archives contain copies of primary documents. The browser can actually read communiqués between the president and his advisors about the rise of Adolf Hitler among other things. Images place faces with the names students often here about. One can visually study the hard determination and seriousness of Roosevelt as the president describes a “Day of Infamy.” These are just a few reasons to use this website while researching the presidency of FDR. Other causes to use this site include its accessibility. The sound bites use Real Audio, a relatively widely-used program. Also, the search engines are very easy to use. Overall, the National Archives and Records Administration, Marist College, and IBM do a superb job maintaining this site.

George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens
http://www.mountvernon.org
“Mount Vernon is owned and maintained in trust for the people of the United States by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, a private, non-profit organization founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham…Today, roughly 500 acres of this historic estate have been preserved 16 miles south of Washington D.C., on the back of the Potomac River.”
This is the official website of the Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens. Here visitors can browse through a series of online exhibits, take a virtual tour of the estate and garden grounds and learn a great deal about George Washington. Most of these resources are found under the Learn section. The Meet George Washington and Explore Mount Vernon sections are the most valuable and are worth looking through. They contain many photographs, paintings and historical information about George Washington as a person and his estate. Though not an excellent source for primary documents, this site provides some interesting information and is fun to browse and informative.

The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library Museum
http://hoover.archives.gov/index.html
Dedicated to the life, times, and presidency of Herbert Hoover, this site includes information, galleries, lesson plans, and images of President Hoover. Moreover, the designers offer browsers material on Laura Ingalls Wilder, Bob Hope, the Manchurian Crisis, and other major figures and events. While many lesson plans on this site are solely about Hoover, some outlines use his career as a means of teaching community service and other values. Compared to other presidential libraries, the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library Museum has one of the most comprehensive sites on the web.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library Home Page
http://www.cs.umb.edu/~rwhealan/jfk/index.htm
“As the years have gone by and other Presidents have written their chapters in history, John Kennedy's brief time in office stands out in people's memories for his leadership, personality, and accomplishments. . . . Like all leaders, John Kennedy made mistakes, but he was always optimistic about the future. He believed that people could solve their common problems if they put their country's interests first and worked together.”
This online source contains information, primary documents, images, and audio/visual materials pertaining to the major economic, military, international, and domestic issues of the Kennedy Administration. Sound recordings of presidential addresses like the Cuban quarantine and transcripts of speeches are found here. Browsers, however, need to acquire Real Player to access these sound bites. Also, the JFK Library has an Ernest Hemingway collection that includes narratives about this writer’s life and images. Finally, teachers can find worksheets and lesson plans scattered throughout this website. The subject matter varies as well as the grade level.

Massachusetts Historical Society
http://www.masshist.org/welcome
“The MHS is home to one of the most significant collections of American family papers in existence anywhere. Learn more about the family of John and Abigail Adams and the many resources available at the MHS.”
Although dedicated to preserving important materials in American and Massachusetts History, this society also possesses an extensive collection of letters and writings from John and Abigail Adams. They have made a significant number of these documents available on-line. In addition to manuscripts from John and Abigail Adams, the website has a lesson plan about John Quincy Adams. Teachers can use this material for individual or class projects. Finally, the Massachusetts Historical Society site includes a link to the Thomas Jefferson Papers Electronic Archive.

Ulysses S. Grant Association
http://www.lib.siu.edu/projects/usgrant
“Victories in the Civil War made Ulysses S. Grant a national figure and propelled him into the White House.”
The Civil War Centennial Commissions of Illinois, New York, and Ohio established the Ulysses S. Grant Association in 1962. Since its formation, the organization has grown in scope with the aid of Southern Illinois University, National Endowment for the Humanities, and National Publications and Records Commission. The association also published a number of the volumes in The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant collection. This website adds to the organization’s extensive list of accomplishments. Various attributes endear this site to the Grant enthusiast as well as the curious minded. For example, the creators of this site include an extensive bibliography of Grant literature. Also, their chronology on Grant’s life employs selections from his papers for a first-person perspective of his experiences. In creating this website, the Ulysses S. Grant Association performed a public service by offering information pertinent to all aspects of Grant’s life and career.

Ulysses S. Grant Network
http://www.css.edu/usgrant
"The Ulysses S. Grant Network, founded in 1995, is an international non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the study of Ulysses S. Grant. Research done by the Network founders revealed that the popular image of Grant was not an accurate reflection of the real man. Instead they discovered that the stereotype of a hard drinking, cigar smoking general was not only inaccurate, but an unequivocal insult to this great American. Grant was, in truth, a highly moral and honest person, a devoted husband and family man, and a tireless worker. He was a man who inspired great loyalty in generals, his army, his friends, and especially in President Lincoln, who entrusted him with the responsibility of saving the Union."
This quote says a lot about the direction that the creators of this website took. Unlike other sites, the arguments found here vehemently defend Ulysses S. Grant’s reputation from the common alcoholic stereotype. But that is the beautiful thing about studying Grant, rarely do two opinions match exactly in reference to his abilities as a president, proclivity toward drink, or battlefield tactics. While the Ulysses S. Grant Network may differ from the traditional interpretation of Grant in a few aspects, the majority of the website gives browsers a balanced account of his life and career. They blend traditional text with primary documents and images, thus creating a fun experience for students at any level to learn about this controversial man. Also, the website designers include a bibliography that lists Grant books geared toward younger audiences.