People

American Culture & History

• American Folklife: A Commonwealth of Cultures
  Brief text summary of America's varied cultural traditions and the efforts to preserve it.

• History: Toward the City on a Hill
  A brief history of the United States, from early Viking explorations to the present day.
  
  
• Outline of American History
  Chapters on all significant periods of U.S. history.
  
  
• Women of Influence
  This publication offers a glimpse at how women in the United States have helped shape their society.
  
  
• Snapshot USA
  This edition of eJournal USA is designed to provide a central resource for information about the United States, tailored to the current generation of young people around the world. It contains many facts, statistics, and essays which describe how Americans think about their country and the world.
  
  
• American Teenagers
  Essays by and about teenagers in America.
  
  
• The United States in 2005: Who We Are Today
  This journal focuses on identifying the major attributes and values that best define Americans.
  
  
• Americans at the Table: Reflections on Food and Culture
  A journal on the evolution of American cuisine.
  
  
• Rebuilding and Resilience Five Years After 9/11
  This journal examines how the United States has rebounded and how the international community has rebuilt and come together to condemn terrorism in the five years since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Highlights include articles about the rebuilding of the area around the World Trade Center, U.S. government efforts to facilitate travel to the United States, an interfaith roundtable, planned 9/11 memorials, and how survivors are rebuilding their lives.
  
  
• The Challenges of Globalization
  A journal examining the social and economic issues of globalization.
  

Biographies of Famous Americans

Artists, Writers and Composers

• Mark Twain

• John Philip Sousa

• Steven Spielberg

Athletes

• Muhammad Ali

• Babe Didrikson Zaharias
  
  
• Jim Thorpe
  
  
• Jackie Robinson
  
  
• Wilma Rudolph
  

Explorers

• Amelia Earhart

• Lewis and Clark

Human Rights Activists

• Jane Addams

• Alice Paul

• Betty Friedan

• Helen Keller

• Thurgood Marshall

• Rosa Parks

• Harriet Tubman

• Andrew Young

• Paul Farmer

• Cesar Chavez

• John Lewis

Inventors, Technicians, Businessmen, and Pioneers

• Thomas Edison

• Benjamin Franklin

• George Washington Carver

• Sergey Brin

• Larry Page

Political Figures

• Pocahontas

• Chief Joseph

• Eleanor Roosevelt

• Bella Abzug

• Colin Powell

• Condoleezza Rice

• Ralph Nader

Diversity

Overviews

• Diversity in America
  A portrait of the American melting pot, with projections for black, Hispanic, Asian, white and Native American populations.

• Diversity in America
  A brief description of the diverse makeup of the American society from the Council of American Muslims for Understanding (CAMU).
  
  
• Land of Plenty: Diversity as America's Competitive Edge in Science, Engineering and Technology
  This report analyzes and describes the current status of women, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities in the science, engineering, and technology (SET) pipeline.
  
  
• A More Inclusive America
  Introduction to the topic of inclusion and diversity in the United States.
  

Race in America

• Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin
  U.S. census data on race breakdown in America.

• The African-American Mosaic
  A Library of Congress Resource Guide for the Study of Black History & Culture.

• The Amistad Revolt: A Historical Legacy of Sierra Leone and the United States
  A brief history of how 53 slaves, captured by the Spanish, revolted aboard the transport ship "Amistad,"  and eventually won their freedom through the U.S. judicial system. 

• American Anti-Slavery Society, Declaration of Sentiments (1833)
  Information on the American Anti-Slavery Society and a draft of its platform.

• Massachusetts Personal Liberty Act (1855)
  Information on the Massachusetts Personal Liberty Act, which provided protection for runaway slaves.

• Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
  Introduction to the Dredd V. Scott case, with a copy of the case text.

• Abraham Lincoln, "A House Divided" (1858)
  Background and text of Lincoln's speech that addressed the issue of slavery as divisive to the nation.

• Abraham Lincoln, Emancipation Proclamation (1863)
  Introduction and text of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Civil Rights

• The Civil Rights Movement and the Legacy of Martin Luther King
  Provides information about the civil rights movement, Dr. King's speeches, and background on other civil rights leaders.

• Major Features of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
  Provides a case history of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

• 1964 Civil Rights Act
  Complete text of entire Act, which made racial discrimination in public places, such as theaters, restaurants and hotels, illegal.

• Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954)
  Text of the Brown v. Board of Education landmark case and its implications.

• Plessy v. Ferguson
  Complete text of the Plessy v. Ferguson case.

• 1957 Civil Rights Act
  Complete text of the 1957 Civil Rights Act.

• Martin Luther King, Jr.
  Brief biography of Martin Luther King, Jr.

• Enabling Equality: An Overview
  This article from the Minnesota Department of Human Rights provides an overview of the progress and problems that have taken place since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

• The ADA: Your Employment Rights as an Individual With a Disability
  The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) makes it unlawful to discriminate in employment against a qualified individual with a disability. This document provides an overview of the rights of persons with disabilities.

• Disability Rights Movement Timeline
  Document that details the chronology of events in the disability rights movement. 

• Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967
  Full text of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967.

• Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1976
  Act ensuring that all consumers are given an equal chance to obtain credit.

• Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972
  Full text of the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972, which is an amendment to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

• Equal Pay Act of 1963
  Full text of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which prohibits sex-based wage discrimination between men and women in the same establishment who are performing under similar working conditions.

• Fair Housing Act of 1968
  Act prohibiting housing discrimination on the basis of race, religion, and national origin.

• Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968
  Act which gives Native Americans access to the courts for restoration of rights to their ancestral lands and reparation.

• Older Americans Act of 1965
  Act which established the Administration on Aging to oversee the development of services and opportunities for older people in every community across the nation.

• Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978
  Amendment to the 1964 civil rights act which prohibits discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions.

• Romer v. Evans, 517 U.S. 620 (1996)
  Ruling stating that gays and lesbians can not be denied full protection under the law.

• Ex parte Milligan (1866)
  Introduction to and text of Ex parte Milligan, which ruled that military rule could not supercede civil rights.

• On the Road from Slavery to Freedom
  Introduction to the period in U.S. History that ushered the end of slavery.

• Martin Luther King Jr: "I Have A Dream"
  Full text of Dr. King's famous speech on the hope for equality of all Americans.

• Disability and Ability
  Opens with President Bush's proclamation on the 16th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This edition of eJournal USA follows three themes from his speech; Guarding the Rights of Others, Building on the Progress, and Celebrating the Contributions.

Ethnic Groups and Immigration

• Now That I'm Here: What America's Immigrants Have to Say About Life in the U.S.
  Based on a survey of 1,002 foreign-born U.S. residents, this report looks at how these immigrants are responding to life in America.

• People: One from Many
  An overview of immigration patterns and ethnic composition of the United States.

• Yick Wo v. Hopkins (1886)
  Introduction to the case and full text of the court opinion.

• Korematsu v. United States (1944)
  Introduction to the case and full text of the court opinion.

• Clyde Warrior, "We Are Not Free" (1967)
  Introduction to Clyde Warrior's testimony.

• National Museum of the American Indian: A Pre-Visit Guide for Teachers

General Demographic & Population Statistics

• USA Quick Facts
  U.S. Census Bureau. Quick, easy access to summary statistics about people, businesses, and geography.

• Population
  U.S. Census Bureau. Total population of the USA from 1900 onwards.

• Challenges for the U.S. Census in the Information Age
  What is the purpose of the census? How is it tabulated and how are the data utilized? How will the upcoming census take into account the shortcomings of previous tabulations? The author, a prominent demographer and specialist on Census 2000, discusses these and other issues.

• Self-Employed Persons With Home-Based Businesses
  Statistics on self-employed persons with home-based businesses, broken down by sex, race and Hispanic origin, type of occupation and industry.

• Demographic Statistics
  White House page offers population, income, poverty, earnings, and homeownership statistics.

• Percent Population Change by State
   Map which illustrates percent population change by state.

• Employment, Unemployment and Earnings
  White House page offers population, income, poverty, earnings, and homeownership statistics.

• Income, Expenditures and Wealth
  White House page offers statistical information on U.S. income, expenditures and wealth.

• Selected Per Capita Income
  Statistical information on per capita income from 1929 to 2002.

• Consumer and Producer Price Indices
  White House page offers statistics on consumer and producer price indices.

• Housing Starts, Production, Sales, Orders and Inventories
  White House page offers statistics on new housing starts as well as the production, sales, orders and inventories of housing.

Family Life & Children

• The American Family
  An electronic journal providing a look into the nature of the American family.

• America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being
  The 7th annual monitoring report of the status of the nation's children released by the U.S. Government. Nine contextual measures describe the changing population, family, and environmental context in which children are living, and 25 indicators depict the well-being of children in the areas of economic security, health, behavior and social environment, and education.

• Children's Living Arrangements and Characteristics
  This report provides information on several characteristics of children, covering different aspects of their lives.

• Who's Minding the Kids? Child Care Arrangements
  Parents in the labor force face numerous decisions when balancing their work and home life, including choosing the type of care to provide for their children while they work.

• Chart: Births, Infant Mortality, and Life Expectancy Graph and Chart of Birth, Infant Mortality, and Life Expectancy in the U.S.
  Charts and graphs from 1980 onwards.

• Family and Community Involvement
  Resources on parental involvement in education and community relationships from the U.S. Network for Education Information.

Religion

American Religious History

• Religion and the Founding of the American Republic
  Based on objects in the Library of Congress' collections, this online exhibit explores the role religion played in the founding of the American colonies, in the shaping of early American life and politics, and in forming the American Republic.

• John F. Kennedy, Address to Southern Baptist Leaders (1960)
  Transcript of President Kennedy's address to Southern Baptist Leaders.

Religion in America Today

• A New Religious America
  Dr. Diana Eck, a member of the faculty of divinity at Harvard University, looks at the new religious landscape in the United States.

• Americans Struggle with Religion's Role at Home and Abroad
  A survey jointly developed by the Pew Forum and the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

• Religion on the Stump: Politics and Faith in America
  Pew Forum report about a discussion in which two politicians explore the interplay between personal religious convictions and politics.

• Bush Administration Faith-Based and Community Initiative
  Overview of the faith-based initiatives, provided by the White House.

• Guidance to Faith-Based and Community Organizations on Partnering With the Federal Government
  Information for faith-based organizations on working with the federal government to address America's pressing social needs.

• Religion: Separating Church and State
  Discusses the Freedom of Religion in the U.S.

• Religious Freedom as a Human Right
  This electronic journal examines religious freedom as a universal human right.

Social Issues

Overviews

• Social Services: The Social Safety Net
  The history of public assistance and health care in the U.S. from Portrait of the USA.

• Welfare Reform Act of 1996 (Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996)
  Text of the Welfare Reform Act of 1996 (Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996).

Social Security

• The Future of Social Security
  A Report from the Social Security Administration.

Healthcare

• Medicare
  An overview of Medicare benefits.

• U.S. Agency for Health Care Policy Research: Checkup on Health Insurance Choices
  Information on health insurance options.

• The Nutrition Safety Net at Work for Families: A Primer for Enhancing the Nutrition Safety Net for Workers and their Children
  This guide focuses on improving access to low-income working families who seek nutrition assistance.

• National Health Expenditures by Type
  Table containing historical statistics on U.S. health expenditures.

• Health Statistics
  Graphs on health statistics provided by the White House Social Statistics Briefing Room.

• Health and Nutrition
  Report that presents statistics on health expenditures and insurance coverage, including Medicare and Medicaid, medical personnel, hospitals, nursing homes and other care facilities, injuries, diseases, disability status, nutritional intake of the population, and food consumption.

• Health Systems for HIV/AIDS and Other Diseases
  An electronic journal that is devoted to bringing together civic, medical, and government resources to shape a response to HIV/AIDS which addresses prevention, treatment, and care.

Crime and Justice

• Pulse Check: Drug Markets and Chronic Users in 25 of America's Largest Cities
  Report on changes in the U.S. drug abuse problem.

• Crime in the United States
  Introduction and guide to the FBI's online report "Crime in the United States, 2005" available at http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius, part of the Uniform Crime Reporting Program.

• Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics
  The Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics brings together data from more than 100 sources about many aspects of criminal justice in the United States.
  

• Weapon Use and Violent Crime
  Report from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, discussing the nature and prevalence of violent crime by armed offenders, and the consequences to the victims, age 12 or older.

• Crime Statistics
  Links to various graphs that breakdown crime in the U.S provided by the White House Social Statistics Briefing Room.

• Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
  Full text of decision establishing the right to legal assistance for poor people accused of crimes who could not afford to pay their own lawyer.

• National and State Trends in Fraud and Identity Theft
  The reports in this booklet analyze the complaints received by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regarding consumer fraud and identity theft.

Elderly

• Long-Term Care: What Direction for Public Policy
  Congressional Research Service report on strategies for addressing
  long term care needs.

Veterans

• Federal Benefits for Veterans and Dependents
  A comprehensive summary of the benefits available to veterans of the United States Armed Forces.
  

Volunteerism and Philanthropy

• The United States: A Nation of Volunteers
  Discusses volunteerism as an aspect of American culture.

• Volunteering in the United States
  Issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor, this press release reports on volunteerism in the United States.

• Giving: U.S. Philanthropy
  This journal highlights several forms of giving and the activities of a wide variety of philanthropic organizations, some under the patronage of the rich and famous, others created and operated by ordinary people. It also contains valuable resources for those who want to learn about nonprofit management, grant writing, and other topics related to modern philanthropy.