Additional Resources
Special Projects
These topic lists were created specifically for classroom projects of teachers in the Our Place in History course.
Special Project: Online Immigration Research
Special Project: Middle School Research Resources
Special Project: Online Immigration Research
One of the participating teachers is doing an immigration research project in her classroom. Project Staff compiled this list to help with her project.
US Census Records from HeritageQuest Online
Available through the Timberland Library System's website, patrons can enter their library card numbers to remotely access US Census Records from 1790 through 1930.
Washington State USGen Web Project
Volunteers maintain this database of free genealogical information, which includes census information, local histories, and other family records.
Ellis Island's Free Search of Port of New York Passenger Records
The Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation offers this free online search to passenger records from 1892 to 1924.
"Historical Census Statistics on the Foreign-Born Population of the United State: 1850-1990"
This working paper from the Population Division of the US Census Bureau compiles 140 years of census information into a variety of tables.
Immigration Links from the Immigration History Research Center at the University of Minnesota
Scroll down to the second section of the "Classroom Curriculums" portion of the IHRC's website to find links to "History, Research, Policy, and Statistics."
Pew Hispanic Center Research Topics: Immigration
Find information on more recent Hispanic immigration at the Pew Hispanic Center's "Reports and Factsheets" page.
Special Project: Middle School Research Resources
The websites listed below are some suggestions for resources for middle schools students doing their own research about US history and their communities. As always, please review these sites first to make sure they are appropriate for your students.
Sites for Middle School Students Research about US and Washington State History
An extensive collection of sources from the Library of Congress on a wide variety of topics.
America’s Story from the Library of Congress
America's Library offers this engaging introduction to US History with articles and activities.
Out of Yale University, this collection offers easy to read transcriptions of important documents in US and World History
Education publisher Ibis Communications runs this easy-to-use site based on personal accounts of history, covering moments from everyday life, as well as important events. The Snapshots section also provides good overviews of US time periods and events.
Great Web Sites for Kids - US History
The American Library Association’s lists its recommendations for US History websites for kids.
Combines articles from a variety of history publications into one searchable database.
With simple, clear US history overviews, this site good first step in the research process, but lacks citations.
Free access to articles from Time Magazine since 1923, which offer overviews of important events in US history and primary sources illustrating how one media source interpreted events of the day.
Washington History from the Secretary of State
The website offers online exhibits and timelines, along with links to databases and additional sources.
*The four websites listed below target an older audience, but can still be useful to middle school students.
Comprehensive encyclopedia of the history of Washington State.
Collection of links to a wide variety of US history websites.
The Librarians’ Internet Index US History Resources
Administered by Califa, a service bureau for California libraries, the Librarians’ Internet Index lists librarians’ suggestions for reliable websites on a variety of topics, including US history.
University of Houston’s Digital History
This sites includes interactive timelines, primary sources, and articles.
Research about Individual People, Ethnic Groups, or Communities
Website, with timeline and links to additional resources, for the PBS series that explores the history and culture of Asian Americans in the United States
Columbia River Basic Ethnic History Archive
A collaboration between Washington State University Vancouver, Idaho State Historical Society, Oregon Historical Society, Washington State Historical Society, and Washington State University Pullman, this archive gives descriptions of ethnic groups and a map of the basic area.
Ellis Island's Free Search of Port of New York Passenger Records
The Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation offers this free online search to passenger records from 1892 to 1924.
Genealogy Internet Resources from Timberline Regional Library
List of reference databases accessible remotely with a Timberline Library Card, including US Census Records through the 1930s with HeritageQuest Online.
Biographies and photographs of early settlers of Thurston County from the Washington State Library.
University of Virginia Library’s Historical Census Browser
County level information based on US Census Topics, including age, race, place of birth, and occupation.
University of Washington’s Digital Collections
Online database of images of photographs and other documents, listed by collection.
Includes:
Pacific Northwest Historical Documents Database
American Indians of the Pacific Northwest
Washington State Localities Photographs
Transcriptions of naturalization records, census records, and other vital records online, with some images of original governmental sources.
