America in Conflict

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Colonial Conflicts with Native Americans

Young America on a World Stage: 1800-1812

The 54th Massachusetts Regiment and the Civil War in the North

The Homefront During World War II

Civil Rights During War

Colonial Conflicts with Native Americans


Links


"Like the shadows in the stream": Local Historians, The Discourse of Disappearance and Nipmuc Indians of Central Massachusetts
©1999, Thomas L. Doughton


Unseen Neighbors: Native Americans of Central Massachusetts, A People Who Had "Vanished"
©1997, Thomas L. Doughton

Historical Documents Posted
This site provides images of historical documents relating to Native Americans in New England from the 17th through the 19th century. Included is the original great seal of Massachusetts that features a Native American saying "Come over and Help Us," maps of Indian settlement in Massachusetts, sources from King Phillip's War, and documents establishing the relationship of Native Americans with the Massachusetts Bay Colony and later the state of Massachusetts.

Nipmucs "Lose" Their Central Massachusetts Homelands: A Summary of Historical Documents
©1995, Thomas L. Doughton
This site summarizes many of the agreements made in the 1680s between the Nipmucs and the Massachusetts Bay Colony regarding land ownership.

Raid on Deerfield: The Many Stories of 1704
This award winning website allows teachers and students to explore many aspects of the 1704 raid on Deerfield. It includes detailed information about Native American and European cultures, biographies of some of the people who were involved, maps, and timelines. Teachers and students can also examine artifacts and documents associated with the Native American and European cultures. The section entitled "Voices and Songs" allows you to listen to audio files of music and stories associated with the 17th century cultures and later interpretations of the raid on Deerfield. The site also contains an extensive "Teacher Resources" section.

Plimouth Plantation
The Plimoth Plantation website offers information on the Wampanoag and English inhabitants of Plimoth. The site also allows students and teachers to investigate some of the myths of the colony included the story of the first Thanksgiving. It includes a sizeable secion of resources for teachers.

Colonial House
This website from the PBS "Colonial House" television series provides information and interactive activities on life in colonial New England. The site also includes an article by Dr. Emerson "Tad" Baker entitled "A Historian Awakens 1628." Dr. Baker worked as a consultant and evaluator for the series and discusses the decisions that went into recreating a 1628 colony in 21st century Maine.

The Dustin Family Association
The Dustin Family Association website includes pictures of several monuments to Hannah Dustin of Haverhill, MA. Dustin was captured by Native Americans during King William's War. Dustin killed her captors and returned to Haverhill with their scalps. Dustin's account was written by Cotton Mather and became legendary. The monuments to Dustin did not emerge until the 19th century. This website includes some primary source information on the actual process of establishing a Dustin memorial in Haverhill.

Hawthorne in Salem
The "Hawthorne in Salem" web site offers a scholarly examination of the Hannah Dustin story that is accessible for upper-level High School students.

Robert Roule's Deposition
The History Matters website provides the text of Robert Roule's 1677 deposition. Roule recounts how his boat was captured by Native Americans during King Philip's war only to be recaptured by settlers. When the Native Americans captives were later brought to Marblehead, the women of the town took revenge on them.




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Young America on a World Stage: 1800-1812

Documents related to French Privateering during the Quasi War

The Philadelphia Minerva, Containing a Variety of Fugitive Pieces in Prose
January 28, 1797

A few Strictures on Mr. Adet's late Address
South Carolina Weekly Museum, January 21, 1797

Laberaltiy
Weekly Museum, December 21, 1796

Articles relating to the Barbary Pirates

Naval History: Account of the Operations of the America Squadron, under Commodore Decatur, against Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli
The Analectic Magazine, February 1816

Official Documents: Copies of Letters From Commodore Decatur to the Secretary of the Navy
The Analectic Magazine, February 1816

Spanish News
Balance Advertiser, July, 1808

Important!
Balance Advertiser, February, 1808

The New Regulus; or, the Merchant of Marseilles, A Moral History
The Boston Magazine, October 1785

American News
The Boston Magazine, October 1785

The New Regulus; or, the Merchant of Marseilles
The Boston Magazine, November 1785

Chronology
The Boston Magazine, April 1786

Monthly Chronology
The Boston Magazine, June 1786

Miscellaneous Anecdotes
The Literary Museum, April 1797

Miscellaneous Anecdotes
The Literary Museum, April 1797

The Weekly Museum
July 30, 1808

United States
The New Haven Gazette, and the Connecticut Magazine, April 27, 1786

Historical Chronicle
The New Haven Gazette, and the Connecticut Magazine, March 16, 1786

Barbary Pirates
Nile's Weekly Register, February 24, 1816

Summary of late Intelligence
Worcester Magazine, August 1786

Impressment Letters
View letters from sailors who were impressed on British ships. Because these documents can be difficult to read, transcriptions are provided. Some of the capitalization and punctuation have been altered to make it easier to read and some illegible words have been omitted.


Records of a Salem Vessel in 1803: An Online Exhibit
This NARA site features documents relating to the Mt. Vernon of Salem

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The 54th Massachusetts Regiment and the Civil War in the North



54th Regiment Pay Letter
This document includes transcripts of letters from various members of the MA 54th protesting their unequal pay and demanding that they receive thesame treatment as all other Massachusetts volunteers.

Ordnance Department
This document includes transcripts of letters concerning the assignment of two soldiers of the 54th to the Ordnance Department of the Department of the South. Colonel Hallowell, commander of the 54th, requested that the soldiers be returned to their regiment after learning that it was ordered that no member of the 54th could work in the Ordnance Department except as a cook or laborer. Some capitalization and punctuation has been changed to make the letters easier to read. Some illegible words have been omitted.

Sergeant Stephen Swails Promotion Letter
These are transcripts of documents concerning the promotion of Sergeant Stephen Swails. Swails, whose "skin is rather darker than most officers" was denied his promotion. This action prompted a passionate letter from Colonel Hallowell. Some capitalization and punctuation has been changed to make the letters easier to read. Some illegible words have been omitted.

Treatment of Prisoners
These are transcripts of documents concerning the treatment of prisoners. Included is a document in response to Jefferson Davis' vow not to treat black soldiers or their officers as prisoners. Also included is a letter detailing the treatment of Confederate prisoners being guarded by the 54th. Some capitalization and punctuation has been changed to make the letters easier to read. Some illegible words have been omitted.

Freedman Letter
This is the transcript of a letter ordering the 54th to relieve soldiers who were accused of treating freedmen poorly. The letter, written after the war ended, instructs the 54th to see that the prisoners are treated fairly. Some capitalization and punctuation has been changed to make the letters easier to read. Some illegible words have been omitted.

General Order No. 1
This transcript of Shaw's General Order No. 1 details the daily routine of the regiment in training. Some capitalization and punctuation has been changed to make the letters easier to read. Some illegible words have been omitted.

54th Monument
Commemoration of the regiment began even as the war raged. The following letter details the donations made by members of the 54th to erect a monument to Shaw and the heroes of Fort Wagner. Some capitalization and punctuation has been changed to make the letters easier to read. Some illegible words have been omitted.

Ft. Wagner Account
This transcript includes a letter detailing the assault on Fort Wagner and another letter listing the various battles in which the 54th fought. Some capitalization and punctuation has been changed to make the letters easier to read. Some illegible words have been omitted.

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Links


American Civil War Collections
The electronic text center includes a variety of primary source information on the Civil War. Their collection of letters and diaries are accessible to users outside of the University of Virginia.

Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian's site includes an online exhibit of their artifacts. Teachers and students can examine the everyday objects of the Civil War as well as the more extraordinary artifacts that survived.

The Gilder Lehrman Institute
The Gilder Lehrman Institute has posted this letter from the 54th's Francis Fletcher to his friend in Ipswich, MA. In it, Fletcher discusses the issue of unequal pay.

54th Massachusetts Infantry
This site includes a brief history of the 54th as well as images of the soldiers and transcripts of some documents relating to the regiment.

In All Its Glory, the 54th Mass Marches Into Washington
By Paul Richard, Sunday, September 7, 1997. This Washington Post article details the arrival of Saint-Gauden's monument to Shaw and the 54th at the National Gallery of Art.


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The Homefront During World War II


America on the Homefront: Selected World War II Records of Federal Agencies in New England
This links to the NARA selection of online records relating to many aspects of life on the homefront during WW2.

The Authentic History Center: Primary Sources from American Popular Culture
Because the purpose of the website is to document popular culture, it includes resources that may not be available elsewhere. Teachers will have to use discretion about which resources are appropriate for their classroom but there are many songs, film clips, cartoons, posters, and radio addresses included on this site.

Home Front: 1939 - 1945
This site about the British home front may provide a useful comparison for teachers.

Northwestern University: World War II Poster Collection
The Northwestern University library offers this searchable database of WW2 posters from all over the world.

"Powers of Persuasion: Poster Art from World War Two"
This NARA collection uses images of posters to examine American propaganda during the war.

Women Come to the Front: Journalist, Photographers, and Broadcasters During World War II
Women are generally associated with activities on the home front during World War Two. This website tells the stories of eight women who went to the front as journalists, photographers, and broadcasters.

World War II: The Homefront
This Thinkquest site provides many resources including a timeline and artifacts museum.

Digital History: World War II
This Digital History site includes a variety of primary sources and activities to help students interpret them.

The Rutgers Oral History Archives
The Rutgers Oral History Archives includes interviews with the men and women who served in World War Two, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Their collection includes interviews with those who served on the home front as well as overseas.

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Civil Rights During War


The Library of Congress website provides primary documents related to the passage of the
13th Amendment, 14th Amendment and 15th Amendment. These amendments, known as the Reconstruction Amendments, abolished slavery, granted citizenship to former slaves, and gave African-American men the right to vote. A result of the Civil War, these amendments were a positive step towards equal rights for all Americans. While much of the power of these amendments was negated by the policies of segregation and Jim Crow, they were used to argue for civil rights during the 1960s.

Links

About McCarthyism
One of the Cold War's greatest threats to American civil liberties came in the form of Senator Joseph McCarthy's campaign to uncover Communists within American government and society. The website of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has posted essays about McCarthyism and some primary documents from the era.

"Lincoln's Crackdown Suspects jailed. No charges filed. Sound familiar?"
By David Greenberg, Nov. 30, 2001.This Slate.com article examines Lincoln's suspension of habeus corpus during the Civil War as a way to shed light on the detention of terrorist suspects following September 11th.

"Civil Liberties in Wartime"
In the aftermath of September 11th, Slate.com offered this dialogue on the issue of "Civil Liberties in Wartime."

Taking Back America: USA Patriot Act and Civil Liberties
The University of Washington has posted this collection of documents examing the Patriot Acts and their impact on civil liberties. There are primary source documents and analysis from a variety of sources posted on the website.

"Patriot Act report documents civil rights complaints"
From Kevin Bohn, CNN, July 31, 2003

Civil Liberties and National Security Timeline
This pbs timeline of civil liberties and national security includes links to many of the topics discussed in this session including: the Alien & Sedition Acts of 1798, Lincoln's suspension of habeus corpus, WWI Palmer Raids, Japanese internment during WWII, and McCarthyism.

Japanese American Internment Curriculum
This website contains links to documents relating to Japanes intenment including Executive Order 9066 and the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. It also contains articles from San Francisco newspapers about Japanese-American internment.

The Sedition Act Trials
The Federal Judicial Center compiled these documents relating to Matthew Lyon's Sedition trial. Lyon was tried under the Sedition Act of 1798 for publishing statements that were "false, scandalous, and malicious" against the government. The Sedition Act, passed in preparation for a war with France, was the first true test of the effect of conflict on the nation's commitment to the freedoms set forth in the Bill of Rights. This websiteincludes a transcript of the 1798 law and the Congressional debate that surrounded it. The website also provides transcripts of the entire Lyon case and contemporary reactions to both the Sedition Act and the trial.

Civil Rights in Mississippi Digital Archives
The Civil Rights in Mississippi Digital Archive provides 125 oral histories relating to the Civil Rights movement in Mississippi. It features interviews with Civil Rights leaders and about important moments and personalities in the movement.

The OhioLINK Digital Media Center
The OhioLINK Digital Media Center provides audio and written transcripts of oral histories with those present at the May 4, 1970 shootings at Kent State University (KSU). The incident at Kent State provides another lens in which to study civil liberties during war. In response to a protests against the Vietnam War that included setting fire to a ROTC building, troops from the National Guard were called into the campus. During an altercation, the National Guard opened fire on a group of students. Four students were killed and nine injured. This incident set off an even greater wave of protest around the country.

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