Read a summary of the history of map-making and the maps that were produced as a result of European exploration in the Americas. See examples of these maps and find out more about each one in this exhibit from the Mariners' Museum.

Newberry Library learning module uses primary source material of Shakespeare in a lesson on how Renaissance writers and artists portrayed European exploration of America. Students read excerpts from works of Renaissance literature to...

Learn about the art of the native Americans of the Arctic region in this overview of their art with a selection of relevant objects each with it's own detailed object description.

Read this fascinating account by Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, one of four survivors who traversed Florida and the Southwest for eight years, from 1529-1537.Read the preface which gives a background to this narrative before delving into...

Primary source material on European presence in North America between 1492 and 1690 covers the topics of contact, exploration, settlement, permanence, and power. Includes notes and discussion questions.

Learn about the art of the ancient Maya of central America and the Yucatan penincula in this overview and image gallery with individual artwork descriptions.

Through an interactive map, tours, documents, images, and videos, explore the account of the abolitionist movement in America.

This Age of Discovery page presents naval artifacts and explorers of the 15th century to the early 17th century. It looks at European explorers who journeyed to North and South America, the search for the Northwest Passage, and...

Students will explore nineteenth-century life in the White Mountains of New Hampshire through a tale of a family who lived there by analyzing a painting by Thomas Cole and reading a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

World Geography learning module on the United States and Canada explores similarities and differences in the population, climate, resources and evolution of the two countries.

Explore the dimensions of America's rich history by taking a detailed look at objects from our past. Examine stories, important moments, and the evolution of the American people via primary documents, photos, and other artifacts.

Read about the exciting adventures of Col. Percy Fawcett as he mapped the jungles of South America in the early 20th century.

AP U.S. History learning module explores the encounter and interactions between European explorers and Native populations in America. Complete set of resources, interactive material, assignments and assessment.

A collection of primary source material from the modern age, explores the 1920s and how it relates to today. Section includes introductory notes, classroom discussion questions, and supplemental links to related resources.

Two Spanish accounts of enslaved Indians in the Caribbean and enslaved Africans in Mexico and statements of the difficulty of maintaining slavery and the lurking threat of a slave revolt.

Two eighteenth-century maps and four accounts of the mutual perceptions, suspicions, and observations between Spanish and French explorers on the Gulf Coast.

Explore firearm deaths in the United States in 2010 by type, race, and age group in this interactive from KQED. In the accompanying classroom activity, students are presented with a simple question: Is America a safe place to live? In...

A painting and an appeal that explore the role business played in black uplift in nineteenth-century America. This resource focuses on the work of Edward Bannister (1828-1901), one of the leading black painters of the nineteenth century.

Detailed third grade lessons help students understand what skills and knowledge were required in order to become an explorer. Includes specific lessons on John Cabot, Jacques Cartier, and Henry Hudson.

A West African map and three accounts of the development of slave acquisition display the process and the brutality of the Atlantic slave trade.

Explore the flags, maps, exports, natural resources, geography, and languages of South America on this site.

Overview of the motives behind the exploration of the "new world" during the Renaissance. Discusses the trading that took place between the "new world" and Europe and various riches offered in Mexico and Latin America.

Primary resources for U.S. history and literature offer a French and a Norse account of the earliest documented exploration on the Atlantic coast of North America and encounters with native peoples. Includes questions for discussion.

An exhibit by the Library of Congress supplies diverse facts on the famous 1492 voyage. The exhibition first examines the encounter between the European explorers and the native people. They explore five geographical areas: The Caribbean...