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The Americas range from above the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego, with two major landmasses and groups of island nations around a central isthmus between the two. The history of this section of the world covers early civilisations such as the Aztec and Inca, colonisation and the modern nations which replaced them. The major modernculture is undoubtedly the United States of America.
This page provides links to information and resources for units and topics covered in this subject at a range of Australian universities. It does not attempt to include all these. Be aware some units/topics have different titles in different universities, even though content may be the same or similar. Australian information is supplied wherever possible.
They are at undergraduate level and listed in alphabetical groupings for ease of access. Some information may be useful at a higher level.
In addition, there are journals, search engines, databases, primary documents, reference material and other general information where these are seen to be relevant.
All standard Glossaries are now found on this page, listed alphabetically.
Additional unit material will be included as time permits.
This page requires further development. This will be done as soon as time permits through the addition of further topics and a strengthening of those that already exist.
If you are aware of any worthwhile information which is not included, suggestions or additions are welcome and will be given every consideration.
A - F
Argentina
- Argentine History
Argentine history before and after independence. Brief introduction. - Argentine Legal System and Structure
Government, constitution, legal systems, political makeup, some history. - Classical Liberalism in Argentina
A Lesson for the World. Article on the period from 1850 to 1930. - Historical Texts Archive Argentina
85 links to historical texts on Argentine history. Select Latin America then Argentina. - Questia.com -
Argentina
‘Full-text books and articles on Argentine history are available.… Preview for Free. Subscribe to Questia for full access’.
Brazil
- History of Brazil
From Wikipedia. Information, links. - History of Brazil [2]
Links for History, Customs & Political Institutions, Historical Characters, Historic Cities & Places. - History of Brazil [3]
History from the indigenous people to the present. Information, links, timeline, more. - Brazilian History
Link listing. - Historical Texts Archive [Brazil]
27 links to historical texts on Brazilian history. Select Latin America then Brazil. - Questia.com - Brazil
‘Full-text books and articles on Brazilian history available. Preview any title Free. Subscribe to Questia for full access’.
Canada
- An Overview of Aboriginal History in Canada
Origins of Aboriginal people to their position in the current era. - Canada : A People’s History
‘Take a journey through the past with the website based on the award-winning CBC TV series that tells Canada’s story through the eyes of the people who lived it’. - Canada History
Historical periods, conflicts, documents, sports, culture in directories. Has video and timeline. - Canadian Historical Association
In addition to activities they have publications and resource links. - Canadian History [Academic Info]
Nine directories. Annotated links to all aspects of Canadian history. - Canadian History
Links under 5 major headings. Includes links to images, maps, documents. - Canadian History Websites
A collection by a Canadian Library. Includes primary and secondary documentation, general sources, even genealogy. - Canada Online
About.com. Annotated links, 11 headings. Good starting point. - Civilisation Canada
‘Canada’s largest and most popular cultural institution, the Corporation manages the Canadian Museum of Civilisation and the Canadian War Museum’. Pages on everything to do with Canada including its history.
Quite brilliant. - Early Canadiana Online
‘Digital library containing 3 314 146 pages in 59 266 documents’. 9 collections, 8 available to the general public. - Explorers of New France [Canada]
Links to all major French explorers. - H-Canada
‘H-Net discussion list dealing with Canadian History and Studies’. Reviews, discussions, internet sources. -
Historica
Multiple options for engaging with Canadian history are presented via this site, including HistoryWire and History By The Minute. - The History of Canada
Brief introduction. Use links on the right for specific information.
G - L
General Sites & Portals
- Border & Latin American Information
Extensive covering all of Latin America. - Early Americas Digital Archive
‘The Early Americas Digital Archive [EADA] is a collection of electronic texts and links to texts originally written in or about the Americas from 1492 to approximately 1820. EADA consists of two basic components : a] the EADA Database and b] the “Gateway to Early American Authors on the WEB”’. Dominantly related to the US but also covers other areas. Quality presentation source. - Map Collections
From 1500-2003. Covering American [US] life and discovery. - The Columbus Navigation Homepage
Columbus and his visits to the New World. Links to other Columbus pages. - The History of South America
General grouping, then for each of the main countries in South America. Links to further information.
Inca History
- Inca History
Introduction. From 1450 to about 1530. - Introduction to the Incas
Incan History, Spanish Conquista, general background. Check the right hand side. Select Inca empire Tawaintinsuyu from the home page. - The Inca’s Art and Culture
The Incas, pottery, gold, masonry, general history, timelines, links, bookstore. Most done pictorially. - Timeline of Inca History
M - R
Mesoamerica
- Ancient Mesoamerican Civilizations
University of Minnesota. Writing systems, governments, religions, definitions, references, links, Mayan calendar, more - Chronological Table of Mesoamerican Archaeology
Peoples, periods, geological background. - History Of Mesoamerican Civilization
Olmecs, monuments, Zapotecs, Teotihuacan, script. - Mesoamerica
Geography, chronology, culture, general characteristics, common characteristics, mythology, writing systems, references, links. From Wikipedia. - Mesoamerica, Archaeolink
Annotated links for Aztec, Inca, Maya, Olmec, Taino. General links. -
Mesoamerican Civilization
Reference links from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Use options in the menu on the left. - Mesoweb
‘An exploration of Mesoamerican cultures’. Search, resources, articles, publications, reports, features, books, links.
Mexico - The Aztecs
- Aztec History
Multiple sections covering from Religion, Empire, Timeline, Language, Government and many more. - Aztec History & Culture
Use the menu on the left for specific areas. Primarily Gods and religion. Links. - History of Mexico - Olmecs, Aztecs and Mayans
‘The history of Mexico is intense, dramatic and fascinating ! From the Toltecs, Olmecs and the Mayans. Aztec history and the following arrival of the Spanish and Hernan Cortez. Three of the most prominent groups in Mexican history were the Olmecs [around 1 400BC], then the Maya Civilisation [around 250AD] and the development of Aztec history [around 1320AD]’. - History of Mexico - The Aztec Empire
Lengthy article. - Mexicolore
Use the menu on the left for specific areas. Moctezuma to Aztec Quizzes. - Palenque
Name & Etymology, history, art and architecture, modern investigations, notes, references, other links. From Wikipedia. One of the links leads to The Ruins of Palenque [Las ruinas de Palenque] which has a dual language , including audio, presentation. - The Ancient Aztecs
Thinkquest. Aztec culture. - The Aztec
Nomenclature, history, cultural patterns, agriculture, legacy, historiography, references, links. From Wikipedia. - The Aztecs/Mexicas
General description, links, Gods, calendar, emperors, extensive bibliography.
S - Z
United States
- 100 Milestone Documents
‘100 milestone documents, compiled by the National Archives and Records Administration, and drawn primarily from its nationwide holdings. The documents chronicle United States history from 1776 to 1965’. Select link from menu on left. Try the AAD Main Page to access Archival Databases. - A Chronology of US Historical Documents
Links to specific documents grouped under Pre-Colonial, 17th Century, 18th Century, 19th Century, 20th Century, 21st Century. Covers a spectrum of events for each. University of Oklahoma.
American Civil War
- American Civil War Roundtable Australia
Articles, information, many in text or PDF formats. Check their Links page. Some excellent and unusual links. - Civil War History : Southern Comfort
- Civil War Photographs
- Civil War Resources on the Internet : Abolitionism to
Reconstruction [1830s-1890s]
‘Leading up to the War; Abolitionism; The War Years - General Sites, MSS Collections : Diaries, Letters, Papers, Military Histories, State Studies; Reconstruction documents; Online Bibliographies; Civil War Related Listservs [Online discussion groups]; Bibliographies’.
Highly Recommended ! - Poetry & Music of the War Between the States
- The American Civil War
- The Civil War at a Glance
- America from The Great Depression to World War II
Colour and black and white photographs showing people, life and society at this time. - American Journeys
‘More than 18,000 pages of eyewitness accounts of North American exploration, from the sagas of Vikings in Canada in AD 1 000 to the diaries of mountain men in the Rockies 800 years later. View, search, print, download more than 150 rare books, original manuscripts, and classic travel narratives’. - American Memory
‘Gateway to rich primary source materials relating to the history and culture of the United States. More than 7 million digital items from more than 100 historical collections’. - American Rhetoric
‘5 000+ full text, audio and video [streaming] versions of public speeches, sermons, legal proceedings, lectures, debates, interviews, other recorded media events, and a declaration or two’. Information on Rhetoric. - Chronicling America, Historic American Newspapers
‘Enhancing access to America’s historic newspapers. Allows you to search and read newspaper pages from 1900-1910 and find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present’. - Digital Gallery [NYPL]
‘Access to over 337 000 images digitized from primary sources and printed rarities in the collections of The New York Public Library, including illuminated manuscripts, historical maps, vintage posters, rare prints and photographs, illustrated books, printed ephemera, more’. - Digital History
Online book, online Flash movies, resources to develop a greater understanding of American history. - Documenting America
160 000+ photographs, mostly black and white, covering the period till World War II. - Documents for The Study of American History
Links to primary documentation and other primary material [audio, …] covering the period 837 to 2005. Covers most aspects of American history.
Highly Recommended ! - Encyclopaedia of North American Indians
Topics listed alphabetically [Abenaki → Zuni Pueblo].
You need to register and be able to log in to gain access to this. - Fold3
‘Nothing beats the original. Explore over 70 million historical documents’. Avaialble via Historical eras, e.g. 1700s - 1815, 1950s - 2000. Multiple options for searching - keyword, person, title, US state. Has Featured Collections such as The Interactive Census Project.
Previously known and listed as Footnotes. - History - North America
Some sections are limited to the library at Rutgers University but the Online Indexes and Databases and Internet Resources sections would apply anywhere, while the Reference Books provides listing of appropriate texts which may be useful. - Lewis & Clark
Expedition records, plan your own, their guides, timeline, movie preview, photos along the trail, more. - Many Pasts
‘Primary documents in text, image, and audio about the experiences of ordinary Americans throughout U.S. history’. - National Union Catalogue of Manuscript Collections
‘Provide and promote bibliographic access to the nation’s documentary heritage. Realised by NUCMC production of cataloging describing archival and manuscript collections held by eligible repositories located throughout the United States and its territories’. - Outline of American History
15 chapters in specific topics. Download A Copy here [PDF format]. - Panoramic Maps, 1847-1929
‘The panoramic map was a popular cartographic form used to depict U.S. and Canadian cities and towns during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Although not generally drawn to scale, they show street patterns, individual buildings, and major landscape features in perspective’. 1 700+ are able to be accessed.
Presidents of the United States
- Lincoln and his Circle
‘The project seeks to digitize and make available the letters to, from, and about Abraham Lincoln that are held in the collections of the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections at the University of Rochester’. - POTUS — Presidents of the United States
‘Background information, election results, cabinet members, notable events, and points of interest on each of the presidents. Biographies, historical documents, audio and video files, other presidential sites are also included’. - Presidential Factfile
‘Photographs, biographies, questions for our editors, quizzes, and trivia about the Presidents of the United States’. - Roosevelt, Theodore - His Life and Times on Film
‘104 films which record events in Roosevelt’s life from the Spanish-American War in 1898 to his death in 1919’. Instructions for video and audio presentations provided. - The American Presidency Project
‘Our archives contain 86 953 documents related to the study of the Presidency’. Good for primary documentation sources. - The Presidential Timeline Of the Twentieth Century
From Herbert Hoover to Bill Clinton. ‘Access ever-growing selection of digitized assets from the collections of the twelve Presidential Libraries of the National Archives. Among these assets you’ll find documents, photographs, audio recordings, and video relating to the events of the presidents’ lives’. - Washington, George - 1731-1799
Father of the American Nation. 130 000+ documents available.
- The Crash of 1929
‘Insights into topics in American history including market mechanics, the history of Wall Street, economic forecasting, the zeitgeist of the 1920s, morality and the market, the effect of economic cycles on political trends, the lifestyles of the American elite, more’. - The History Place
US history in stages. Birth of the nation to the Vietnam War, section on all Presidents. - The New Deal Network
‘Educational guide to the Great Depression of the 1930s’. Documents, forums, photographs, links, special features.
Thomas Paine
‘An English pamphleteer, revolutionary, radical, inventor, and intellectual. He lived and worked in Britain until age 37, when he emigrated to the British American colonies, in time to participate in the American Revolution. His principal contribution was the powerful, widely-read pamphlet, Common Sense, advocating colonial America’s independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain, and of The American Crisis, a pro-revolutionary pamphlet series’.
- The Contents of Thomas Paine’s Writings
Containing The Major & Minor Works and Letters of Thomas Paine. Links to virtually all the important works of Thomas Paine. You need to register to get full access but this is Free. - Thomas Paine
Early life, the American Revolution, Rights of Man, his later years, political views, his legacy, references, bibliography, links. From Wikipedia. - Thomas Paine [2]
Introduction, brief biography, access to full copies of a range of his work, especially major works.
- US Cities & State Gazetteer
‘Profiles for 166 000 cities, towns, neighbourhoods and subdivisions, maps, data and directions for 1.7 million physical, cultural and historical features’. - US History
Shmoop. 60 topics listed in time periods. Each topic has summary, analysis, timeline, people, facts, photos, best of the web, citations, a Test Review and teaching information. - U.S. History Pre-1776 to Civil War
‘Introduction, General Information, Government, Colonies, American Revolution, A New Nation, Civil War & Reconstruction’. Links for each topic. - Voices from the Days of Slavery
‘Former slaves describe their lives. Interviews, conducted between 1932 and 1975, capture the recollections of twenty-three identifiable people born between 1823 and the early 1860s and known to have been former slaves’. - Watergate
Facts about the events which led to the resignation of Richard M Nixon as President of the United States. - Watergate Tapes Online
Excerpts from the actual Watergate Tapes.






