Social Studies

Topics on this page include:

  • Civics and Government
  • Immigration
  • Genealogy

Related topics (another page) include:

Civics and Government:

American Experience: Vietnam – Information about the costs and consequences of a controversial but intriguing war, including a timeline, information about key players, primary sources, maps, a teacher’s guide and more.

American History – Resources about local history, Oregon Trail and Lewis and Clark, as well as ancient cultures and their mythology, and information about the European Middle Ages and Renaissance.

American Presidency Project – Over 75,000 documents related to the study of the presidency, including election data, speeches, video clips, search options, and more.

America’s Library – Limited scope, but good info, including music from various eras, state info and American profiles.

Biography of America – Video series about America, but has links to primary and secondary source references on the material shown.

FactFinder Kids’ Corner! – United States census information listed by state.

White House History – Information and teaching resources.

Immigration:

Destination America – Why did they come? – Information and resources related to the question – Why did immigrants come to the United States?

How the Other Half Lives – This pioneering work of photojournalism by Jacob Riis focused on the plight of the poor in the Lower East Side, and greatly influenced future “muckraking” journalism. Shows how poor people lived in New York via images.

Immigration – This iCivics site explores the question: Why the US? And talks about why immigrants come to this country. This web quest will help you understand a little bit more about the history of immigration in the United States, define the different stages of becoming a citizen and give you a chance to take the test given to those applying for citizenship.

Immigration Nation – Do your students know how people become citizens of the United States? In Immigration Nation, they’ll help guide newcomers along their path to citizenship.

Newcomers to New York – New York immigrant history shown through primary and secondary sources, images, timelines, and podcasts.

On The Water – How did immigrants get to the United States via ship? Explore via images and other information and resources. 

Ellis Island:

Ellis Island – Videos and information from the History Channel about the Ellis Island experience.

Ellis Island History and Facts – Information about Ellis Island and its history, including a section on how to find Ellis Island ancestors.

First Immigrant to pass through Ellis Island – Information about Annie Moore – an Irish immigrant – who was the first immigrant to go through Ellis Island.

Interactive Tour of Ellis Island (National Park Service) – Interactive tour of Ellis Island with lots of information.

Interactive Tour of Ellis Island – Interactive tour of the Ellis Island site and more information.

The Peopling of America – A timeline showing forces behind immigration and their impact on the immigrant experience.

Relive A Boy’s Journey – Learn about Seymour Rechtzeit, a Jewish immigrant from Poland who became a famous child star, through his firsthand account of coming to America through Ellis Island.

Genealogy:

Genealogy Resources – A starting place for those getting into genealogy tracing.