LIBRARY MEDIA CENTER
SOCIAL STUDIES RESOURCES
Here is a list of Social Studies resources. There are sites about American History; the Federal Government including military sites; Geography; Illinois Government; Local Government and Information including Elmhurst, DuPage County, Cook County, and the city of Chicago sites; U.S. Presidents including presidential libraries, museums, and homes; and world history. These sites have been collected from book review journals, print resources, librarian/teacher recommendations, and other resources.
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Contents
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GENERAL
- Archaeology.Info This site explores human evolution through the study of fossil skulls. A fascinating site!
- FindLaw Here you can find resources on a variety of legal topics including immigration, civil rights, criminal law, and more.
- The History Place This site was designed especially for educators and students and contains a lot of historical information on eras such as American Revolution, U.S. Civil War, World War II, Vietnam, U.S. Presidents, and more.
- Humanities Web A fantastic resource for art, literature, classical music, history, philosophy, and more.
- Project Vote Smart One of our duties as citizens of the United States is to vote. This site is an excellent site to learn about your current legislators, and candidates before you head out to cast your vote. You can find out about their voting records, where they stand on issues, and more.
- SocioSite This site was developed at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, but has a lot of resources on a variety of topics regarding sociology.
- United Nations The official site of the United Nations where you can learn about its structure and function, current issues, and more.
- World Leaders Find out who are leading different nations, including their cabinet members.
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FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Constitution
- First Amendment Center Located at Vanderbilt University, the center focuses on issues regarding the First Amendment. On the site, you'll find articles on a variety of First Amendment topics.
- National Constitution Center Located in Philadelphia, this center's website has a neat Interactive Constitution page that not only explains the Constitution but also shows its impact on our lives.
- The U.S. Constitution Online Here you can read the Constitution and learn what it means and how it was written. There's also information about the Declaration of Independence and other historical documents.
Sites about the Government
- 270 to Win Explores the Electoral College and how one state can have a big impact on who wins the White House, includes interative maps.
- Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government 9-12 An online guide about how the government is run including branches of government, the election process, how laws are made, and more. This site was developed by the Government Printing Office.
- First Gov This site is a portal to all official government information that is online. It should be your first stop if you don't know what agency to go to get the information you require.
- Foreign Relations of the United States From the University of Wisconsin Digital Collection Project, here you can search official documents of major U.S. foreign policy decisions that have been declassified since the Civil War.
- Gov Spot This is an excellent resource to get information about that government that is nonpartisan, unbiased, and free.
- iCivics Learn all about how the government is structured and run with some fun interactive games and more.
- Oyez This site is all about the Supreme Court of the United States. Here you can learn about all of the Justices and view cases that have been brought to the court.
- THOMAS From the Library of Congress, this site provides information about Congress. Here you can get information about bills, committee reports, presidential nominations, and more. If its on the agenda in Congress, most likely you'll find something about it here.
- Women in Congress Profiles the women who have served in the House of Representatives and in the Senate.
Official Government Sites
- Bureau of Labor Statistics Find statistics on inflation, wages/salary, productivity, safety and health, employment/unemployment, and much more.
- Census Bureau The Census Bureau provides a wealth of general statistics about the United States and the American people.
- Central Intelligence Agency The CIA site includes the World Fact Book, where you can get information about other nations, and a listing of world leaders.
- Department of the Interior The official web site of the United States Department of the Interior including the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and more.
- Federal Bureau of Investigation The FBI provides information about their history and what they do, tips on how to protect yourself and your family, and their current most wanted.
- Library of Congress The Library of Congress website is a huge resource. You can search their online catalogs; view historic documents, photos, and multimedia files; and view their online exhibits.
- National Park Service The National Park Service has a wonderful site where you can explore the 390 national parks, monuments, historic sites, reserves, and more.
- Smithsonian Institute The Smithsonian is composed of different kinds of museums, many located along the Mall in Washington D.C. including the Air and Space Museum, American History Museum, National Zoo, Natural History Museum, and more.
- United States House of Representatives Here you can view your representative's web page, find out what's on the agenda on the House floor, and find out what's going on in the various committees.
- United States Postal Service On the Post Office's website, not only can you buy stamps, but learn about its history, how they are protecting our mail, and more.
- United States Senate This is the official site of the Senate where you can view your senators' websites, find out what legislation is currently being debated, and view the history and art of the Senate.
- White House Here you can find biographical information about the president, vice president and their families; historical information about the White House, and current issues that the president is working on.
United States Military Sites
- United States Army Learn about the U.S. Army including how its organized, who its leaders are, operations involved, career management, and Army life.
- United States Coast Guard Here you can get information about the Coast Guard's history, services, equipment, units, and more.
- United States Marine Corps Find out almost everything you wanted to know about the Marine Corps including units, current operations, life as a Marine, and more.
- United States Navy This site provides a lot of information about the Navy including current operations, career opportunities, ships, and more.
Other
- The Living Room Candidate From the American Museum of the Moving Image, here you can see how television campaign ads have changed from 1952 to present.
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GEOGRAPHY
General
- Earth Guide This is a great interactive site about our planet.
- Geographic.org This simple site is designed for students and has information about climate, countries, flags, maps, and cultures.
- Geography Network Provides a vast amount of information relating to geogrphy. A very useful site!
- GIS.com This is a great resource about geographic information systems.
Maps
- Atlapedia Online Atlapedia Online contains full color physical and political maps as well as key facts and statistics on countries of the world.
- Online Map Creation You can create maps on your own with this site. All you need to know is the longitude and latitude coordinates.
- Outline Maps This site from the Education Place provides outline maps. These are perfect for studying for map quizzes!
- World Mapper "A collection of world maps, where territories are re-sized on each map according to the subject of interest." -- From the website' home page.
World
- Background Notes Get detailed information about the nations of the world from the State Department.
- Country Reports Here you can get a variety of information on all the nations of the world including history, fashion, family, and more.
- Geographia Provides detailed information on countries and regions in Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Europe, or Latin America including its geography, climate, history, and culture.
- National Geographic Society If you are looking for geographical information, this should be your first stop. The society's official website has it all!
- Nutrition Country Profiles From FAO, according to the site, "The Nutrition Country Profiles are concise reviews describing the food and nutrition situation in individual countries, with background statistics on food-related factors such as agricultural production, as well as selected health, demographic and economic indicators."
Africa
- About Egypt Describes Egypt's general statistics, political system, geography, and history and civilization. Includes maps and a photo gallery.
- Africa This PBS companion site explores the continent of Africa: its regions, its issues, and more.
- African Ceremonies Cultures on the Edge presents photographs of traditional rituals and festivals celebrated throughout Africa.
- African Studies Internet Resources From the Columbia University Libraries, this site lists websites about Africa including countries, history, culture, climate, literature, religion, and more.
- South Africa Here you can discover South Africa including its animals and plants, culture, economy, education, government, history, people, and more.
Antarctica
- The Antarctic Sun Learn about Antarctica and the projects going on down there by the U.S. Antarctic Program.
- Cool Antarctica Here you can view pictures, get facts about Antarctica, learn about the history and the animals that can be found there, and more!
Asia
- Asia Society An online resource about the cultural, economic, social, historical, and political aspects of Asia.
Australia/Oceania
- Guide to Australia This is an online encyclopedia about Australia including its government, business, culture, education, geography, and more.
Europe
- All About Spain This site provides information on the regions and cities of Spain, a photo tour, and general information on Spain's climate, history, culture, and more.
- Britannia An excellent resource about the British Isles.
- Embassy of Austria Provides many facts about Austria including its people, government, history, culture, cuisine, and more.
- France Home Page This site is more for planning a trip to France, but there's also articles on French history, culture, museums, and more.
- Russia Now Provides information about Russian history, literature, statistics, cuisine, and more.
South America
- About Argentina Explore Argentina and its history, people, patriotic symbols, religion, geography, climate, and more.
- Chilean Government The official website of the government of Chile contains a lot of useful and interesting information about Chile including its symbols and culture.
- VivaBrazil An excellent resource about Brazil with pictures and information about its geography, history, people, culture, and more.
North America
- The Atlas of Canada From the Natural Resources Canada, this atlas is full of information and maps about Canada.
- Government of Canada The official website of the government of Canada. The About Canada section includes maps and information about its flag, anthem, symbols, geography, and more.
- Quebec City and Area Explore the city of Quebec and learn about its history, culture, and French-Canadian history.
U.S. States
- Ameristat This site claims to be the "one stop source for U.S. population data."
- Directory of States Provides links to each state's homepage, court , state statues, state bar, state consumer protection, and a list of communities.
- 50 States.com This site provides statistical information about each of the fifty states.
- Geodata This site is a multi-agency project that provides federal, state, and local geographical data all in one place.
- iCity Data Find statistical information about U.S. cities.
- National Association of Counties Here you can get information about all of the counties in the United States including county officials, cities in the county, geographical and statistical information, and more.
- Stately Knowledge From the Internet Public Library, this site provides facts, statistics, and additional resources about each of the fifty states.
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ILLINOIS GOVERNMENT
Chicagoland Links (including Chicago, Elmhurst, DuPage County, Cook County...)
- Find-It! Illinois Created by the Secretary of State this site helps locate state government information. You can also search library holdings around the state, get information about Illinois authors, search the digital archives, and more.
- Illinois Atlas Contains a collection of maps of Illinois from Northern Illinois University.
- Illinois Clicks From the website: " Illinois CLICKS! is an information website with quality internet resources, reviewed and selected by Illinois librarians, well-organized for easy access by all Illinois citizens."
- Illinois Periodicals Online This site provides access to Illinois periodicals including Illinois Country Living, Illinois History, Illinois Issues, Illinois Heritage, Illinois Parks & Recreation, and more.
- Illinois Secretary of State Most people use this site to get driver's license information. The Illinois Rules of the Road online edition can be found here.
- State of Illinois Website The official website for the state of Illinois. Here you can get facts about the state, get news, find about current legislation, view agency websites, and more.
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