When most of us think about the institution of slavery in the United States, we think of slavery as practiced in the states that made up the Confederacy leading up to the Civil War. In fact, prior to American Independence slavery was legal and universally applied in all of the colonies. Most of the northern states legally abolished slavery during or after the Revolution, at least on paper, and only then was the practice of slavery relegated to the southern states. This website, African Americans and the End of Slavery in Massachusetts, does a great job of describing slavery as it was in those early years when it was still a common feature of colonial life in the northern states.

The archaeological site of Jamestown, the failed English Settlement in Virginia that was established in 1607, is under excavation, and the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities' website, detailing its progress, is very thorough and provides many different features to tell Jamestown's story.

Link:  Jamestown Rediscovery Project

I don't know about you but I am fascinated by these kind of stories.  Such treasures often show up in the garbage but they are treasures just the same.

Archaeologists have pulled a 400-year-old slate tablet from what they think was an original well at Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America, a historic preservation group announced Monday.

Link to Story -  Daily Press

The Massachusetts Historical Society has posted this nice set of Massachusetts historical maps, many of which predate the American Revolution. 

Massachusetts Maps

Here's a link to a great website devoted to the American Revolution.  If you dig in a little bit by using the sidebar menu you will find an amazing selection of content, including documents, biographies and general historical background.  There is a lot to look at so plan on bookmarking it.

AmericanRevolution.com