Wisconsin Historical Society
American Journeys: Eyewitness Accounts Early American Exploration/settlement
A collaborative project of the Wisconsin Historical Society and National History Day, this site contains over 18,000 pages of primary source, eyewitness accounts of North American exploration starting with the Vikings.
University of Calgary
European Voyages of Exploration: Geography and Cartography
This site provides information on mapmaking and cartograohy of the early explorers. Includes pictures of maps.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Ancient Colombian Goldmaking
Ancient Colombians used gold to fashion some of the most visually dramatic and sophisticated works of art found anywhere in the Americas before European contact. Read about the techniques they used and view pictures in this essay.
Other
Early Cultures: Pre European Peoples of Wisconsin: Mississippian and Oneota
The Mississippian and Oneota cultures were the first true farmers in the Mississippi Valley. Read about their transition from hunting and gathering, and see what differences in their life styles farming brought about. Find a chart that...
Other
Early Cultures: Pre European Peoples of Wisconsin: Archaic Tradition
The Indians in the Archaic period changed somewhat from the Paleo-Indians before them. Find out about the game they hunted, and the changes in the tools they used. Find a handy chart that consolidates the information about the Archaic...
Steven Kreis, PhD
The History Guide: The New Intellectual Order: Man, Nature and Society
A survey of the different philosophers of the Renaissance period. Includes a general look at Bruno, Montaigne, Descartes, Hobbes, and Locke with links to their biographies. The lecture tries to give the readers an insight into the...
Other
Early 16th European History
This site breaks down the history of Europe by year between 1525-1558. It discusses the political maneuverings of the period, the social conditions, and the conflicts that arose with religious and political disputes.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: The First Europeans
The first Europeans to arrive in North America -- at least the first for whom there is solid evidence -- were Norse, traveling west from Greenland, where Erik the Red had founded a settlement around the year 985. In 1001 his son Leif is...
Other
New Netherland Institute: Early Descriptions of New Netherland
Excerpts from Narratives of New Netherland, 1609-1664, published in 1909, and available for free from Google Books. The first excerpt is from a 1644 account of Henry Hudson's descriptions of the new land he saw on his 1609 voyage. The...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Early Settlements
The early 1600s saw the beginning of a great tide of emigration from Europe to North America. Spanning more than three centuries, this movement grew from a trickle of a few hundred English colonists to a flood of millions of newcomers....
State Library of North Carolina
N Cpedia: John W. Kinchelo, Iii: American Indians at European Contact
Native Americans inhabited the New World long before European explorers began establishing settlements on the land. This entry addresses the challenges the natives had to face upon Europe's arrival, trials in relationships, and how...
Rutgers University
Rutgers University: History of the English Language
This site provides a brief description of the history of the English language.
A&E Television
History.com: How Early Humans Survived the Ice Age
The most recent ice age peaked between 24,000 and 21,000 years ago, when vast ice sheets covered North America and northern Europe, and mountain ranges like Africa's Mt. Kilimanjaro and South America's Andes were encased in glaciers. At...
BBC
Bbc History: Ancient History: British Prehistory: Peoples of Britain
This site gives a thorough history of the early people of Britain, beginning before the Romans and continuing through the Dark Ages. Archived.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: The Literature of Exploration
Had history taken a different turn, the United States easily could have been a part of the great Spanish or French overseas empires. Its present inhabitants might speak Spanish and form one nation with Mexico, or speak French and be...
BBC
Bbc: History: The Story of the Conquistadors
A well known historian tells the story of the early Spanish explorers known as "conquistadors". He discusses their motivation, what effect they had on the native American societies and much more. Archived.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Second Generation of British Colonies
The religious and civil conflict in England in the mid-17th century limited immigration, as well as the attention the mother country paid the fledgling American colonies. In part to provide for the defense measures England was...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Us History: 1491 1607: Spanish Conquistadores and Colonial Empire
The Spanish gained an early foothold in the colonies, quickly becoming the most powerful European power in the New World.
Other
Carson Newman College: A Brief History of English
This site features a brief history of English. Come and check out the links provided within this site. Students and teachers will benefit from this educational resource. It includes time lines.
Other
The Origin and History of the English Language
How many native English speakers are there in the world today? Learn important facts and statistics about the English-speaking world as well as a history of the language from its Germanic beginnings to the present.
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: Conflict for Sovereignty in N. Amer. Continued
Essay outlines the continued tension between England, Spain and other European nations in their quest for power. The British claim sovereignty over North America.
George Mason University
Women in World History Project: Early Modern Period: Manual, Witch Hunters
Provides an excerpt from the Malleus Maleficarum, the manual used during the European witch hunts to identify witches, most of whom were believed to be women.
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of American History: The Remarkable Star Map of Simeon De Witt
Simeon de Witt created his star map in 1780 after studying European star maps and the skies. His is the 'oldest surviving Anglo-American star map.' Read about the history of star maps, a biography of Simeon de Witt, and the influence his...
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: Europe's North South Conflicts Reach the Americas
An essay detailing early English and French exploration and settlement in the New World to challenge Spanish control.