National Archives: America's Founding Documents - The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights, "These three documents, known collectively as the Charters of Freedom, have secured the rights of the American people for more than two and a quarter centuries and are considered instrumental to the founding and philosophy of the United States."
American Rhetoric: "Online Speech Bank - Database of and index to 5000+ full text, audio and video versions of public speeches, sermons, legal proceedings, lectures, debates, interviews, other recorded media events, and a declaration or two."
Smithsonian: The National Museum of American History: Collections by Subject: "The diverse collections of the National Museum of American History reflect a wide variety of subjects relating to the history of the United States as well as the history of science, medicine, and technology. Select from the subject list . . . to learn more about the Museum's holdings and view selected objects. [Some of the subjects listed include: "Advertising, Art, Clothing & Accessories, Domestic Furnishings, Food, Music & Musical Instruments, Popular Entertainment, Sports & Leisure, and Transportation.] You can learn more about particular types of objects by browsing our Object Groups" (e.g. Comic Art, Cosmetics and Personal Care Products in the Medicine and Science Collections, and Mexican America).
Smithsonian's History Explorer: Museum Artifacts - "History Explorer's resources focus on learning history by 'reading' objects for the stories they hold about the nation and its many peoples. Learning activities feature artifacts selected from over 3 million items in the Museum's collections, and draw on the expertise of the Museum's renowned curatorial staff."
Smithsonian: National Museum of African American History and Culture: The Collection - "Thanks to institutional support and generous donors, our collection of historical artifacts, documents, photography and media, now numbers close to 37,000."
National Archives: DocsTeach - "DocsTeach is a product of the National Archives education division. Our mission is to engage, educate, and inspire all learners to discover and explore the records of the American people preserved by the National Archives."
Library of Congress: Digital Collection - "Access online collections: view maps & photographs; read letters, diaries & newspapers; hear personal accounts of events; listen to sound recordings & watch historic films."
Explore your interests, discover something new, or spark a memory. These vast collections and the research surrounding them are available to you online on a kaleidoscope of topics—from art to zoology.
