Social Studies References

American History

African American History
Links to biographical sketches of African American pioneers past and present, as well as documentation of Abolitionist activity and Black nationalism.

Africans in America
Site of the Day from Britannica.com, this site allows for deeper understanding of African-American culture and the conditions of slavery in the United States. The "Resource Bank" alone is worth a visit, providing focused vignettes, many transcripts of original documents, and graphics.

American Civil War Homepage
Hyperlinks to a vast number of Internet resources on the American Civil War. The School of Information Science, University of Tennessee manages site.

Grand Canyon
"Lost in the Grand Canyon" (companion to PBS series) chronicles a perilous 1869 expedition led by a Civil War veteran.

Hitchhiker's guide to American History
1865 to the present, University of Wisconsin award winning site from the Department of History. view online books and journals relevant to American history.

Thomas - Historical Documents
Searches Early Congressional Documents [including Declaration of Independence], the Federalist Papers, the Constitution [including the Bill of Rights and Other Amendments]

Debates & Issues

Human Rights Watch
Information about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights including the World Report, an annual review of human rights practices around the globe. Covering developments in sixty-eight countries, it is released in advance of Human Rights Day.

Policy.com
Policy.com showcases leading research, opinions and events shaping public policy on dozens of issues including education, technology and health care. Policy.com is non-partisan and free to users.

Public Agenda Online
Our guides offer a nonpartisan briefing on policy and polling - including "red flags" where poll results may be misleading; a digest of news, legislation, and studies; research sources -- and much more.

National Center for Policy Analysis
The NCPA is a nonprofit public policy research institute. Our website offers a wealth of analysis, debate, and in-depth research from around the world.

Social Issues
Created to meet the needs of students researching current social issues from multiple perspectives. Library chosen sites collected by Multnomah County Public Library.

Economics

100 Best Companies to Work For
Fortune 500 America's largest companies.

The Dismal Scientist
Economic information including current indicators, market data, global perspectives and recent economic history.

Tech Museum of Innovation
An exhibit that honors the proponents of technological growth and examines the vast social and commercial impact of their work.  A tribute to innovators and entrepreneurs. Topics include satellites, robotics and lasers.

Geography

AKA Kurdistan
This cultural gallery devoted to the Kurds was a Site of the Day on Britannica.com. With a timeline of images and interviews spanning from 1910 to the present, the site acts as storyteller for a people whose history and folklore exist for the most part in oral form and in enclaves of far-flung regions.

AsiaSource
Maps and profiles of each country, as well as articles and special reports on current events in the region. And it covers a range of topics including culture, history, government, and the economy.

Background Notes
US State Department. "Background Notes provide information on geographic entities and international organizations and are updated periodically."

Census
United States Department of Commerce site includes population, economic indicators, and other demographic information.

Country Studies
Library of Congress online collection, each entry about "... a particular foreign country, describing and analyzing its political, economic, social, and national security systems and institutions, and examining the interrelationships of those systems and the ways they are shaped by cultural factors."

Map Making: The Art and Science of Cartography
Links to sites with all different projections of world, state and city maps, as well as historical information about mapmaking.

Government

Thomas
Legislative information on the Internet.

Law

Findlaw - US Supreme Court Decisions
FindLaw's searchable database of the Supreme Court decisions since 1893 (U.S. Supreme Court Decisions: US Reports 150-, 1893-). Browsable by year and US Reports volume number and searchable by citation, case title and full text. Scroll down for search options, including Citation Search (U.S. e.g. 410 U.S. 113), Party Name Search (Enter one party's name, e.g. Miranda), and Full Text Search.

Supreme Court Collection
This archive contains nearly all opinions of the court issued since May of 1990. In addition, over 600 of the most important historical decisions of the Court are available, listed alphabetically by party name. This site also provides a variety of information related to the Court, including: court calendar, a gallery of the current justices, and a glossary of terms for those who don't speak legalese.

United States Supreme Court Decisions
Decisions from the current term available free (other decisions can be ordered for a fee); Also links to "Learn About the Court," a worldwide web version of an information booklet written by the Court. It contains an introduction to the Court's history and practices, and biographies of the Justices.

North Carolina

An African American Album
Visual history of the black community in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. Compelling images reflect African American Life in the years before 1950.

The Presidency

American Presidents
A biographical site to complement C-SPAN's 20th Anniversary Television Series, American Presidents: Life Portraits

The Center for the Studyof the Presidency
The Center for the Study of the Presidency is the foremost educational institution in the United States devoted to the study of the Presidency, government and politics.

History of Presidential Elections
Graphs on both Electoral and popular votes for all US Presidential Elections to date, as well as major issues in the campaigns, and state by state vote for each presidential hopeful.

U.S. Presidential Elections
Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections provides detailed information on national results for the major and minor candidates for U.S. President in the general elections from 1860 to 1996.

Speeches

Julius Caesar
This paraphrase of Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar is intended as a supplement to the original work. Read it along with the original as an aid to comprehension. This includes a number of links to relevant materials.

Historic Audio Archives
RealAudio from some of the most interesting people of our time.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Paper's Project
Stanforf University site contains original text of King's writings, speeches, and sermons.

World History

Ancient World Web
Wonderful site linking by subject to resources about the ancient world. Subjects include Alternative Theories, Archaeology, Buildings Monuments and Cities, Daily Life, Inspired By Ancient World and Law and Philosophy.

The Cave of Lascaux
The French Ministry of Culture's story of the 1940 discovery of the Cave of Lascaux, an impressive example of Paleolithic cave painting.

The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization
Elegant, interactive timelines and a zooming map of Athens offer links to a range of material from architecture and politics to warfare and, of course, history.

The Internet Medieval Sourcebook
Part of ORB, Online Reference Book for Medieval Studies from Fordham University.

The Labyrinth: Resources for Medieval Studies
Texts, list of on-line journals and reviews useful for medieval studies.

Virtual Renaissance!
Use Ye Olde Transporter to find your way around this virtual town.