PBS
New Perspectives on the West: Coronado's Report to Viceroy Mendoza
This is the original report Coronado sent to the viceroy describing his journey from Mexico to what he hoped were the Seven Cities of Gold. He describes the land, people, climate, food, animals.
PBS
Pbs: New Perspectives on the West: Journey of Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca
Read the incredible story of Cabeza de Vaca in his own words. He tells of his many years-long journey across the South, and writes as an ethnologist about the Native Americans he encounters. A fascinating account!
PBS
Pbs: The West: The Louisiana Purchase Treaty
This site from PBS contains a transcription of the three documents concerning the purchase of Louisiana from France. There is a link to other documents.
PBS
New Perspectives on the West: The Journey of Coronado
This PBS website offers the complete 3 part, multi-chaptered account of Coronado's journey in search of Cibola, written by Pedro de Castaneda. It is quite the ethnography.
PBS
Pbs: Archives of the West: Worcester v. Georgia
On this PBS website you can read the text of the Supreme Court ruling on the legality of the removal of the Cherokees from Georgia by the Georgia legislature and Georgia's prosecution of a man living on those lands.
PBS
Pbs: Archives of the West: Declaration of the People of Texas: Nov. 7, 1835
This document, offered on this PBS website, is the declaration of the people living in Texas objecting to the treatment by Santa Anna and asking for help from the Mexican government.
PBS
Pbs the West: Charles Goodnight
Charles Goodnight (1836-1929) was one of the most prosperous cattleman of the American West. Read a thorough biography about him here at this site.
PBS
New Perspectives on the West: Francisco Vasquez De Coronado
Brief biography of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado. Discusses his exploration into the current U.S. in search of gold. Includes a link to a translation of his chronicle of the journeys.
PBS
People in the West Brigham Young (1801 1877)
A very interesting and descriptive biography of Brigham Young, his life, and his religious leadership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
PBS
New Perspectives on the West: Indian Removal: Andrew Jackson' Annual Message
Jackson was instrumental in removing the Indian population from the South. This site presents the section from his 7th annual address to Congress which deals with his Indian removal policy.
PBS
Pbs the West: Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca
A biography of this Spanish explorer who was born in 1490. Click on "route" for a map of his travels, and click on "account" for a translation of his published account of his experiences.
PBS
Pbs New Perspectives on the West: Pope
This site contains information about the religious leader from San Juan Pueblo, in present-day New Mexico. Pope organized and led the most successful Indian uprising in the history of the American West. He created the conditions for a...
PBS
Pbs: New Perspectives on the West
This in-depth resource presents a history of the American West from pre-Columbian times until World War I with profiles, documents, and images. It encourages visitors to link these into patterns of historical meaning for themselves....
PBS
Pbs the West: Cherokee Nation v. Georgia
The critically acclaimed PBS series, "The West," presents a copy of the order given by Chief Justice John Marshall when the bill to seize the Cherokee lands came to court.
PBS
Pbs: Archives of the West: Across the Plains in 1844
A memoir by Catherine Sager Pringle, one of the orphans who was taken in by Marcus and Narcissa Whitman. Find out about the journey on the Oregon Trail and the Whitman Massacre.
PBS
Pbs: Documents on Anti Chinese Immigration Policy
From the Archives of the West Series this site shows the texts of the Chinese Exclusion Treaty of 1880 and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.
PBS
Pbs the West: The Pacific Railway Act: July 1, 1862
The critically acclaimed PBS series, "The West," provides the text of the actual Pacific Railway Act, designed to aid in the construction of a Railroad and Telegraph Line from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean.
PBS
New Perspectives on the West: The Letters and Journals of Narcissa Whitman
A few pages from the journal of Narcissa Whitman who was a missionary in the Oregon Country. She was later murdered along with her husband at the Whitman massacre.
PBS
Pbs the West: Cities of Gold
This PBS site recounts the efforts of Spanish explorers to find the fabled gold of the New World.
PBS
Pbs the West: The Nez Perce and the Dawes Act
This companion article from the PBS series, "New Perspectives on the West," offers a lesson plan which approaches the Dawes Act from the perspective of the Nez Perce.
PBS
Pbs: Chief Joseph
This PBS-People in the West site provides an excellent biography of the great Native American leader, Chief Joseph. The site includes a photo and his famous surrender speech.
PBS
Pbs the West: Chief Joseph Speaks
This Archive of the West site provides selected statements and speeches of the great leader of the Nez Perce Indians. They are reprinted from Chester Anders Fee's "Chief Joseph: The Biography of a Great Indian" which was published in 1936.
PBS
Pbs: Archives of the West: The Life and Adventures of Buffalo Bill
Read the version of Buffalo Bill Cody's autobiography, from this text originally published in 1917. Presented as html text chapter by chapter, it makes interesting reading.
PBS
Pbs the West: The Homestead Act May 20, 1862
The critically acclaimed PBS series, "The West," provides the text of the Homestead Act of 1862.