Websites - HIST 1301, 1302, 2321, 2322 - Historical Film Analysis (Dr. Melissa Esmacher) - Library Research Guides at El Paso Community College

U.S. History Websites

This is a list of authorative resources available online with facts about U.S. History from government agencies, higher education institutions and other non-profit organizations.

American Historical Association
The American Historical Association (AHA) is the largest professional organization in the United States devoted to the study and promotion of history and historical thinking.
Center for History and New Media: History Matters
Wonderful online resource for history teachers and students. Among the many digital resources are lesson plans, syllabi, links, and exhibits
Digital History
This impressive site from Steven Mintz at the University of Houston includes an up-to-date U.S. history textbook; annotated primary sources on United States, Mexican American, and Native American history, and slavery; and succinct essays on the history of ethnicity and immigration, film, private life, and science and technology.
Digital Vaults
Digital Vaults by the National Archives and Records Administration, is an interactive exploration of history that examines thousands of documents, photographs, and pieces of history that have been integrated in a digital format. Upon entering the homepage, the user is given eight random archives to choose from. Clicking on one will give a description and a brief history of that archive, as well as displays a large variety of similar archives. The user has the ability to shuffle, rearrange, collect, and explore archives, as well as search for specific points in history using a keyword search.
Milestone Documents
Milestone Documents by the National Archives and Records Administration, offers 100 milestone documents, compiled by the National Archives and Records Administration, and drawn primarily from its nationwide holdings, that chronicle United States history from 1776 to 1965.
PBS Online
A great source for information on a myriad of historical events and personalities. PBS's assorted and diverse web exhibits supplement their television series and generally include a summary of each episode, interviews (often with sound bites), a timeline, primary sources, a glossary, photos, maps, and links to relevant sites.
Smithsonian Learning Lab
The Smithsonian Learning Lab is a free, interactive platform that gives you access to millions of Smithsonian digital resources and provides tools so you can upload, adapt, create, and share content with friends, parents, and your teachers. Find images and videos for projects, use the Lab’s tools for homework research, or explore your own interests in history, art, science, or culture.
Telling Their Stories
Visit "Telling Their Stories" and read, watch, and listen to perhaps the best student-created oral history project in the country, an Oral History Archive Project of the Urban School. High School students at the Urban School of San Francisco have produced three impressive oral history interviews featured at this site: Holocaust Survivors and Refugees, World War II Camp Liberators, and Japanese-American Internees.
U.S.Historical Documents
Learn about the United States' founding documents, known together as the Charters of Freedom.
U.S. Archives Library and Information Center
ALIC provides access to information on American history and government, archival administration, information management, and government documents to the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) staff, archives and records management professionals, and the general public.
U.S. History.org
Includes information on historic sites and people.
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Information for students and general audiences interested in learning about the Holocaust. Also has information in the following topics, which provide context for the events of the Holocaust: antisemitism, Jewish life in Europe before the Holocaust, the aftermath of World War I, and the Nazi rise to power.
U.S. Library of Congress Collections
Outstanding resource for American history and general studies. Included are multimedia collections of photographs, recorded sound, moving pictures, and digitized text.
U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency created in 1965. It is one of the largest funders of humanities programs in the United States.

Google Custom Search for History Resources

This is a Google Custom Search Box that will perform a search on all the websites listed in this page and other related online sources.

Film Criticism Websites

Movies and films are cultural artifacts that contain messages about class, ethnicity, and gender and other sociological and psychological aspects. Movies and films are also powerful educators and influencers, that transmit political ideas and moral values, construct cultural myths, and shape our view of history. This is a list of various online resources that provide a synposis, critical review or topic ideas to analyze a film with a historical context.

U.S. Library of Congress - Complete National Film Registry Listing
The National Film Registry selects 25 films each year showcasing the range and diversity of American film heritage to increase awareness for its preservation.
Reel American History
The goal of this project by students at Lehigh University is to stimulate high school, college, and graduate students to think critically about the way movies construct our history.

HIST 1301, 1302, 2321, 2322 - Historical Film Analysis (Dr. Melissa Esmacher): Websites

U.S. History Websites

Google Custom Search for History Resources

Film Criticism Websites