iCivics
I Civics: Columbus to the Colonies
From the time Columbus first set foot in the New World, Europeans were fascinated with this new land. In this lesson, students learn about the Three Gs that drove them here- gold, God, and glory- and find out how these settlers gave...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Free African Americans in the Colonial Era
Read about the ways some slaves gained their freedom and where they often lived once free.
PBS
Africans in America: Runaway Slave Ad From Colonial New Jersey
Here from PBS is the original text of a runaway slave ad for a slave named Jem. His owner in Newark, New Jersey describes him and offers a reward.
PBS
Africans in America: Runaways 1740 1783
This website gives a rough idea of how many slaves were present in the South and what happened to many who ran away.
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: Preface to Sancho: An Act of Remembrance
Paterson Joseph describes how his research into Black British history led him to write his first play, Sancho: An Act of Remembrance. In this one-man show, Paterson Joseph inhabits the life of Ignatius Sancho, the 18th-century composer,...
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: The Rise of Consumerism
With the increasing variety in clothes, food, and household items, shopping became an important cultural activity in the 18th century. This article describes buying and selling during this period and explains the connection between many...
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: Britain's Involvement With New World Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
With a focus on the 17th and 18th centuries, this article traces the history of Britain's large-scale involvement in the enslavement of Africans and the transatlantic slave trade.
Other
Read Works: West Africa: Introduction to West Africa [Pdf]
An informational text about the history of West Africa. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
University of Iowa
University of Iowa: Arts and Life in Africa: Sierra Leone
A record of statistics concerning modern day Sierra Leone, up to 1998. Scroll down to history section to see a brief, but informative description of pre-colonial and post-colonial history for Sierra Leone.
Other
Illinois State Museum: Native American Food
Experiences during the colonial years certainly were not the same for different cultural groups. This site compares and contrasts the housing, clothing, food, religion and family life of Native Americans, French settlers, and African...
Open Door Team
Open Door Web Site: Britain and the Scramble for Africa
Briefly describes Britain's motivations for imperializing African regions. Includes the text of a speech given by Lord Cruzon entitled, "The True Imperialism."
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Lucy Terry
Learn about the life of Lucy Terry, poet, storyteller, and activist of colonial and postcolonial America.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Spaniard and Indian Produce a Mestizo Attributed to Juan Rodriguez
The Mestizo belongs to a larger series of works that seek to document the inter-ethnic mixing occurring in New Spain among Europeans, indigenous peoples, Africans, and the existing mixed-race population. This genre of painting is known...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Mestre Valentim, Passeio Publico, Rio De Janeiro
The Passeio Publico in Brazil represented several groundbreaking achievements in art. This park was designed by an artist of African descent-Mestre Valentim. View pictures and read the history of this public park, including the unique...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: The First Great Awakening
In the middle of the 18th century, a series of evangelical religious revival movements swept across colonial America. Known as the First Great Awakening, the movements were characterized by emotional religious conversions from a state of...
Black Past
Black Past: Stono Rebellion
This encyclopedia article gives information about the Stono Rebellion by South Carolina slaves, and the outcome of the revolt.
Black Past
Black Past: Toussaint L'overture
This encyclopedia article gives an accounting of Toussaint L'Overture, freed Haitian slave who was the leader of the revolt against France.
Black Past
Black Past: Haitian Revolution (1791 1804)
This encyclopedia article is a good overview of the slave revolt that resulted in Haiti's independence.
British Library
British Library: Caribbean Views
Learn about plantation life during the 18th and 19th centuries by viewing images, maps, and text material in this virtual exhibition from the British Library. Writer Mike Phillips gives his personal interpretation of this exhibit on...
University of Maryland
Howard County Public School System: Are All Men Created Equal? [Pdf]
Using primary sources and contextualizing, this lesson attempts to answer the question "Did the ideals of the American Revolution affect the condition of enslaved people?"
NPR: National Public Radio
Npr: Ghana Celebrates 50 Years as Independent Nation
In this article and the accompanying radio broadcasts, Ghana reflects back on its accomplishments in the fifty years since it became independent of colonial rule. It was the first African nation south of the Sahara to do so. [March 7, 2007]
Countries and Their Cultures
Countries and Their Cultures: Pokot
During the colonial period, the Pokot were called "Suk" by Europeans. To some Pokot, the older designation is a reminder of an era in which Africans lacked the power to name themselves; to others, it represents the clever ruse of a...
PBS
Pbs: Commanding Heights: Nigeria, an Overview
Brief timeline of Nigerian history in the twentieth century, from the PBS series "Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy." Includes timeline entries related to independence, which was achieved in 1960.
Yale University
Yale New Haven Teachers Institute: Black Emancipators of the 19th Century
A lesson unit on the people and movements that fought to abolish slavery. Looks at the Triangular Trade, and at the Underground Railroad and famous abolitionists. Includes a play about emancipation, a black history rap and a trivia quiz...