General Guides and Directories

Internet History Sourcebooks Project

Gateway to a treasure trove of primary documents and history texts in the public domain, covering ancient and medieval history, Byzantine studies and modern history, as well as specialized subjects including African, East Asian, Indian, Islamic, Jewish, gay and lesbian, science and women's history. Edited by Paul Halsall at Fordham University.

Best of History Websites

A portal created for students, history educators, and general history enthusiasts. Here you'll find sites, rated for usefulness and accuracy, that will help you study or teach a wide variety of topics and periods in History, from prehistory through the twentieth century, with maps, lesson plans, research aids and more.

Anthro.net

Database containing thousands of reviewed web sites and bibliographic references for anthropology, archaeology, history, linguistics, psychology, sociology and other social sciences.

 

 

Archaeology and Ancient History

Exploring Ancient World Cultures

A fascinating resource, designed as an online course supplement for students and teachers of the ancient and medieval worlds. Provides essays, graphics, art, bibliographies and links to further resources for the study of the Near East, India, Egypt, China, Greece, Rome, Islam and medieval Europe.

Springfield Library: Ancient Egypt

A collection of reading lists and recommended websites compiled by Springfield librarians.

The Roman Empire

This extensive site contains information on Roman clothing, religion, marriage, education, funeral rites, slaves, education, battles, leaders, and much, much more. There are pages on the army, a timeline, interactive maps, pictures, a kids' section, and a site search engine.

De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors

Excellent site with an index of the rulers of the Roman Empire from Augustus (27 BC-AD 14) to Constantine XI Palaeologus (1449-1453), biographical essays (still being added), lists of maps and famous battles, information about Roman coins, and links to other material.

 

 

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Biography

Biographical Dictionary

Short biographies of more than 25,000 historical figures, searchable by name, date, achievement or other keywords.

Biography.com

Longer biographical entries on more than 25,000 historical and contemporary personalities. A searchable database sponsored by the Arts and Entertainment Channel.

biography-center

Searchable directory to online biographies of more than 11,000 historical personalities. Available in English, French, Spanish and German.

Distinguished Women of Past and Present

Biographies of women of accomplishment from ancient times through today. No search function, but names are listed alphabetically and by field of activity, with chronological lists.

POTUS (Presidents of the United States)

Biographies of the American presidents, with links to other Internet sites for each entry. From the Internet Public Library.

U.S. Army Center of Military History

Medal of Honor citations awarded from 1861 to date, including full text of the original citations.

World History

HyperHistory Online

An innovative use of the web, HyperHistory presents over 3000 years of world history with graphics, maps, lifelines and timelines. Accomplishments in science and technology, the arts and religion are highlighted, and links to other sources are included in many areas. The site requires a frames-capable browser.

WebChron: The Web Chronology Project

Extensive chronological timelines of world events, with specific timelines in such areas as American history, and regional and cross-cultural chronologies.

 

Medieval Technology Pages

Learn how the people in the Middle Ages farmed, fought, manufactured, and built. Individual essays on many technological aspects of medieval life are included, with references to further study and a timeline.

Encyclopedia Mythica

Concise articles on world mythology, folklore, and religion.

NetSERF

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American History

American and British History Resources on the Internet

Large directory of resources, including primary documents, maps, statistics, bibliographies and much more. From Rutgers University.

Springfield Library: Black History Month

Resources and reading lists compiled by the librarians at the Springfield Library to help research the African-American experience.

Springfield Library: Hispanic Heritage Month

Electronic resources, web links and reading lists selected by our librarians.

History Matters: U.S. Survey Course on the Web

A gateway to web resources and useful materials for teachers of United States history at the high school and college level. Primary sources, annotated web links, lesson plans, syllabi and citation guides and standards are included.

 

American Memory from the Library of Congress

Photographs and memories... Historical collections from the National Digital Library. At the forefront of this massive project, the Library of Congress has collected primary source and archival materials relating to American culture and history, including prints, photographs, early motion pictures and documents. Special selections include daguerrotypes from the Civil War, the African-American Odyssey, women's suffrage, the George Washington Papers, documents from the Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention, and much, much more. Browse the collections and exhibits available or use the search engine.

AFRO-American Almanac

A site devoted to African-American history, including biographies, primary documents, historical events, folk tales, contemporary issues, links to other resources, and more.

Black History Quest

A large directory of links to African-American history, culture and black studies resources, including biographies of famous black Americans, blacks in the military, the Underground Railroad, the Civil Rights movement, culture, music, statistics, and more.

American Originals

The National Archives and Records Administration has prepared an exhibit of documents and photos concerning America's past, gleaned from their massive holdings. In addition to viewing digitized photographs of the Declaration of Independence and other important American documents and primary source materials, you can see a copy of the casualty list from the assault on Fort Wagner by the 54th Massachusetts, the first all-Black regiment in the Civil War.

Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

A massive computerized database of names and records of participants in the U.S. Civil War. Intended eventually to include all soldiers and sailors enlisted in the Federal and Confederate forces, and information on cemeteries, monuments, national parks, medal of honor recipients, and prisoners-of-war, the database now includes a register of all Colored Troops and several other units on both sides of the conflict. Includes an exhibit on the Battle of Gettysburg and an online history of African-Americans in the Civil War. For a current report on the status of the database, read the System Overview. From the National Park Service and its partners.

Digital History

A survey of American history using new technologies, with online exhibits, reference sources, multimedia and more. From the University of Houston

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships

The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, commonly known as DANFS, is the foremost reference regarding US naval vessels. Published in nine volumes (from 1959 to 1991), it gives histories for virtually every US naval vessel. Currently the online collection includes over 7000 ship histories, and more are being added. These files are faithfully transcribed from DANFS, without updating or corrections. The site includes links to other sites for naval history. Note: the print version of DANFS is available in the Springfield Library Reference Department at the main library.

Making of America (MOA)

A digital library of primary sources in American social history from the antebellum period through reconstruction. The collection is particularly strong in the subject areas of education, psychology, American history, sociology, religion, and science and technology. The collection currently contains approximately 8,500 books and 50,000 journal articles with 19th century imprints. From the University of Michigan and Cornell University with funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Puerto Rico at the Dawn of the Modern Age

Portrays the early history of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico through first-person accounts, political writings, and histories drawn from the Library of Congress's General Collections. Among the topics it highlights are the land and its resources, relations with Spain, the competition among political parties, reform efforts, and recollections by veterans of the Spanish-American War. From the American Memory Project at the Library of Congress.

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Contemporary History and Current Events

Library of Congress Country Studies/Area Handbook Program

In-depth studies of over 100 countries prepared by the Federal Research Division. The studies include history (ancient and modern), geography, society, economy, government, and demographics. Although with fewer entries, more detailed than the CIA World Factbook.

WWW Virtual Library: International Affairs Resources

Over 2000 annotated links in a range of international affairs topics. Sites are carefully selected for long-term value, favoring those with cost-free, high-quality information and analysis online. Many are gateway sites or have internal search engines.

E-Conflict World Encyclopedia

Country facts and demographics, maps, flags, anthems, and more, including links to current news and weather, and sections on the people, economy, defense, government, and history.

Middle East Information Network

Breaking news concerning the countries of the Middle East with links for country information, education, religion, business, travel and news services. Includes a library of documents about the region and online essays on current events by members of the Network, a non-profit, non-partisan organization based in Boston, MA.

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