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.

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.