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The University of Texas/Austin's map colletion--world maps, maps of continents and regions, historical maps, and links to other map sites are available. Most maps are public domain . See their Library Web Material Usage Statement for details regarding any exceptions. Provided by the University of Texas.

Texas Freedom Network

Great article. I find myself everyday in the classroom wondering if my choice of content, my presentation of it, my choices of words, etc. leans to the left or the right. It's impossible to provide unbiased commentary, but I sure do try. Nothing is worse than a social studies teacher who insists on forcing their political views on students!

I hear you! I come from a background on the left, and sometimes quite suddenly when I'm explaining something to the class I'll hear my own voice and realise how partisan what I'm saying sounds. I found an excellent diagram of left and right ( http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2009/left-vs-right/ ) which I put up on the door so that at least the students might become more aware of the political spectrum and how it influences people's beliefs. Perhaps the best we can do is show the students how their political assumptions play out in their opinions so that as self-aware citizens they can at least make conscious choices... The right doesn't have much sway in education in Australia; I think the district board system over there in some areas (if you don't mind me saying...) gets hijacked sometimes by extremists by the looks of it. I've read some fascinating articles on how textbooks are approved in parts of the States which was quite surprising (the Intelligent Design debate I guess is an example).

A fascinating discussion on the current Texas history textbook controversy. Dan makes some awesome points. If you like it I recommend to you his podcast Hardcore History. Very useful with students.

"Not Even Past provides dynamic, accessible, short articles on every field of History. Founded in 2010 and developed by the Department of History at the University of Texas at Austin, Not Even Past speaks to everyone interested in the past and in the ways the past lives on in the present."

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A site with many links and assorted bits of information with images. Not much at the actual site but lots of links to places with more in-depth information.

Collection of the papers of Jefferson Davis, the president of the South during the American Civil War. Nice-looking chap.

The Papers of Jefferson Davis, a documentary editing project based at Rice University in Houston, Texas, is publishing a multi-volume edition of his letters and speeches, several of which can be found on this web site. The site also provides extensive information on Davis and his family and numerous images.

In which John Green teaches you about the Mexican-American War in the late 1840s, and the expansion of the United States into the western end of North America. In this episode of Crash Course, US territory finally reaches from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific Ocean. After Oregon was secured from the UK and the southwest was ceded by Mexico, that is. Famous Americans abound in this episode, including James K Polk (Young Hickory, Napoleon of the Stump), Martin Van Buren, Zachary Taylor, and Winfield Scott. You'll also learn about the California Gold Rush of 1848, and California's admission as a state, which necessitated the Compromise of 1850. Once more slavery is a crucial issue. Something is going to have to be done about slavery, I think. Maybe it will come to a head next week.

State archives from all the different states in the US.