You don’t have to be a history professional, though, to enjoy the history of the United States. Many people find history — specifically U.S. history — a great hobby. If you are interested in learning more about the history of the U.S., you can read some of these 50 American history blogs:

Colonial, Revolutionary and Early Nation

The history of the U.S. before it became the United States is fascinating. Learn more about the history of America while it was still a colonial outpost. There are numerous blogs on the Revolutionary War, as well as the history of the young nation near the time of its birth. An interesting and turbulent time.

1. Colonial Williamsburg: Features a number of blogs from Colonial Williamsburg.
2. Boston 1775: A great analysis of Boston at the start of the Revolution.
3. British Soldiers, American Revolution: An interesting look at “the other side” during the Revolution.
4. American Revolution & Founding Era: An interesting look at how the U.S. got its start.
5. Roger’s Revolutionary War Blog: Commentary and correspondence from the people who lived the Revolutionary War.
6. Living in Williamsburg, Virginia: This cool photo blog offers interesting insight into colonial times.
7. American Revolution Blog: Offers tidbits from the era of the American Revolution.

Civil War

One of the most interesting periods in American history is the Civil War. Learn more about the different factors that led to the war, as well as what happened during and right after the war.

8. Civil War History: Offers a look at Civil War history, and the latest happenings in the Civil War buff community.
9. TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog: These amateur historians are obsessive about the Civil War.
10. The Seventh Rhode Island Volunteers: A blog devoted to these brave fighters.
11. The Abraham Lincoln Blog: A fascinating look at the 16th president of the U.S.
12. Battlefield Wanderings: This Civil War “nut” wanders battlefields and shares insights.
13. Civil War Bookshelf: A journey into Civil War history, using publications about that era.
14. Bull Runnings: A look at the First Bull Run battle of the Civil War.
15. Cenantua’s Blog: Thoughtful reflections on the South during the Civil War era.
16. Civil Warriors: A great look at the Civil War from knowledgeable contributors.
17. Rantings of a Civil War Historian: This lawyer brings an interesting perspective to the Civil War.
18. Renegade South: Looks at unconventional southerners, especially during the Civil War era.
19. Wig-Wags.com: Contemplates U.S. military history, and other military history as it relates to the Civil War.

Other Military History

The participation of the U.S. in two world wars, a Cold War and other military engagements, leads to interesting stories from soldiers and others.

20. World War II History: Daily information about what happened on this day in WWII.
21. World War II Database: Get historical information and more from this blog.
22. The National World War II Museum Blog Central: Helpful information, events and more regarding WWII.
23. Military History Blog: Great insight into different aspects of military history, including U.S. history.
24. Naval History Blog: The U.S. Naval Institute updates this blog with cool posts and multimedia.
25. Blog Them Out of the Stone Age: Offers an interesting and broad view of military history and national security issues.
26. This Day in U.S. Military History: A great blog that offers an easy to navigate view of what happened today in U.S. military history.
27. Counterterrorism Blog: An interesting look at modern history as it unfolds.
28. Military Blogs: Military.com offers a list of military blogs that let you see modern history being made on the battlefield.
29. Kennedy’s Military History Blog: Looks at military history, including U.S. history.
30. Military History Podcast: Different stories and commentary on military history, including plenty of U.S. history.
31. WW1: Experiences of an English Soldier: These real letters from a British soldier in WWI can provide insight into what U.S. soldiers might have experienced.

Economic

Find out interesting historical data about the economic history of the U.S. and other issues that might be of interest. Modern era U.S. history blogs like to include economic history.

32. The History of Economic Recession in America: Offers a look at the U.S. and recession.
33. Economic History Blog: Includes information about economic history, and offers insight on U.S. economic history.
34. Socio-Economics History Blog: Considers questions of economic history and more.
35. Grasping Reality with Both Hands: This economist offers a look at how past economic history influences today’s events.
36. Finance: History and Policy: Considers what is happening now — and what happened in the past — of financial history in the U.S.
37. The Coming Depression: A future history blog that draws on past economic history to predict what could be next for U.S. economic history.
38. Sound Money: An interesting look at U.S. financial history, and what comes next.

General and Political

If you are looking for a more general overview of U.S history, and if you are interested in the political history of the country, these blogs can be quite helpful. Interest insights for the generalist.

39. Teach History: Covers a range of U.S. history subjects from colonial times to now.
40. Historiann: An interesting look at gender politics in U.S. history.
41. Native America, Discovered and Conquered: A look at Manifest Destiny and westward expansion.
42. Blog 4 History: Looks at interesting facts, stories and more related to U.S. history.
43. Explore Southern History: Information on the culture and history of south, and includes interesting travel ideas for today.
44. Religion in American History: Religion has always been a part of U.S. history. See how it has influenced the country’s development.
45. Western Americana: Enjoy historical facts and information about the American West.
46. U.S. History Teachers Blog: Great resources for learning about — and teaching — U.S. history.
47. Groves U.S. History Blog: An interesting place for history students to share their thoughts about American history.
48. U.S. Intellectual History: Reflections on the development of U.S. thought.
49. Legal History Blog: Focus on legal history, especially in the U.S., and how it influences today’s law.
50. American Presidents Blog: A look at the Presidency throughout U.S. history, and America’s presidents.

Google Chrome extensions are free and easy to download onto your Google page. Check out these 17 Chrome extensions that are great for people who love history.

1. Shareaholic: Quickly share web pages and the articles on them with family, friends and colleagues. You can even share upcoming events like seminars by simply sending the page with information about the event to those you think would be interested in attending.
2. Fastest Tube: You can often learn a lot from You Tube videos. This app makes finding and bookmarking You Tube videos a breeze.
3. Autopager: Autopager allows you to automatically load the next page of a site in line when you get to the end of the first page. It’s a real time saver when you’re reading through a lot of material.
4. Daily Favorites: This extension loads your frequently visited pages quickly with the touch of a button. No longer will you have to constantly reload those pages that you visit every day. They’ll be right there in a simple list so that you can get to them with one click.
5. Apture Highlights: This is a great tool for doing research for papers or just learning about an area of history where you have interest. Simply highlight a word or phrase and get instant access to Wikipedia or Twitter or You Tube to help you learn more about the text you highlighted.
6. Split Screen: Split your view between two different web pages with this extension. It’s perfect for comparing material when you’re researching.
7. Note Anywhere: Make notes on any webpage. Then, when you open the page again, your notes load automatically.
8. X Marks: If you have tools and extensions you love at work, you’d probably love to have them at home, too. With Xmarks, you can sync up your computers so that they have the same extensions and tools. It will sync across multiple computers and even across multiple web browsers.
9. Google Translate: When you’re researching, you may run into some sites that aren’t in English. Google Translate translates the site with the click of the mouse.
10. Stay Focused: This application is great for a lot of us who tend to spend a little too much time surfing the web for fun (or have kids who do). You can set it to block certain sites after a specified allotted amount of time. This way you can’t stay on Facebook all day.
11. Vertical Tabs: Like all your tabs organized vertically? That’s what Vertical Tabs will do for you. You get a quick dropdown view of all your tabs at once.
12. Feedly: This is a really fun extension. It organizes your favorite sources into a start page that has a great magazine like format.
13. Google Mail Checker: Being able to check your email right on Google is such a timesaver. This Chrome extension allows you to automatically link to your email account to check for new mail quickly and easily. There are soon to be upgrades that will let you check more than one email account this way.
14. Fastest Chrome: This extension makes everything go faster. Load pages and do searches faster than you ever thought possible.
15. Last Pass: This is a great password manager and form filler tool. It keeps track of all your passwords for you and fills out forms with your info.
16. RSS Subscription Extension: Get your subscriptions via RSS feed quickly and easily with this extension. Monitoring your favorite blogs and websites has never been easier.
17. Remember the Milk for Gmail: The Remember the Milk tools are some of today’s most popular.

This version for Google Chrome helps you keep track of everything you have to do so nothing gets forgotten. With these tools, you’ll be on your way to a more productive and simpler day. That leaves you more time for researching history and reading all those great web sites about your favorite historical subjects.

1.  National Archives and Records Administration:  All historical research must be based on factual events, and such research is strengthened with the referencing of primary, or first-hand, eye witness sources.  Archives.gov is a gateway to the Nations treasures, including the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, as well as military records and immigration records.  Whether used for browsing or scholarly research, the National Archives is an excellent look into America’s history.

2.  America’s Library:  Published by the Library of Congress, the website “America’s Story” takes a personal look at the history of the United States, focusing on the people that played a pivotal role in the shaping of the nation. Designed for a younger audience, the site tells stories behind the history, such as what Abraham Lincoln had in his pockets the night he was assassinated (a surprising and little known fact).  This site takes you beyond the textbook for a truly reviling look at the individuals that shaped American history.

3. Library of Congress:  The largest library in the world, the Library of Congress is America’s oldest cultural institution and serves as the resource for Congressional research.  Through its web portal, users can access millions of documents, photographs, and maps concerning every possible topic of American history.

4. USA.gov:  USA.gov is the official web portal of the United States.  This site serves as an excellent jumping off point to hundreds of government sites concerned with US History, including presidential history, historic documents, and historic landmarks.

5. America.gov:  America.gov is the nation’s doormat to the world, inviting users both at home and abroad to explore the history of the nation.  The site features “Outline of US History”, which provides a detailed chronological look at the nation’s development.  This site provides a wonderful overview of American history.

Each one of us has gone through the experience of searching fruitlessly for information for hours only to have our friend saunter up to us and furnish us with the exact matter by going to the right website and typing some relevant query options.

Because the internet is such a huge and complex organism that can sometimes appear to be unfathomable, you should know not only what to search for but also where to look.

In this piece, we bring you the inside dope on how to research the web like a pro. Don’t worry, we won’t go into database design and query language, stuff that an accomplished librarian skilled in searching for the truth is expected to know.

Search engines such as Google and Bing are usually the first place to go to when searching for information. We can simplify our search efforts and increase result accuracy if we know how to use search operators. There are other very useful Google products such as Google Scholar, Google Maps, Google Sets, Google Suggest, and more that we can turn to depending upon our requirements.

Apart from the all-powerful, all-purpose generic search engines, there are many niche search engines that if you are aware of will be of immeasurable help. Pipl is one such site. It lets you search for people online using their name, email, username, and phone number. The searches also throw up images to narrow down results for you.

The organic and open nature of the internet is perhaps it’s most identifiable and beautiful feature. Lovers, searchers, and preservers of information have come together to create portals of information such as Wikipedia and Project Gutenberg. The latter site is a repository of more than 30,000 free ebooks.

The Internet Archive is a massive portal of text information, archives of moving images, live music concerts, audio files, and more. What’s more, the content is downloadable so that you can save it on your machine for later reference.

Anyone who has tried searching for song lyrics has come across weird words and sometimes downright funny mondegreens. Yahoo Music is a detailed database on all things music; the good thing about the site is that you can trust the lyrics put up there because these are supplied by the music publishers themselves.

Nation Master is dedicated to gathering and displaying information on countries from all over the world. The site is a statistician’s delight and lets you compare nations across innumerable metrics. You can generate maps, graphs, and charts to better understand region-related facts and figures. Another handy database of information on countries is the CIA World Factbook. State Master is the site to visit if you wish to go data mining for facts on any of the states in America.

OpenCongress is where you can go to keep tabs on the government. The portal informs on the official details on bills, votes in the Congress and also gives insight and a larger perspective. The site is interactive, informative, and invites you to participate in fostering accountability and transparency in Congress.

Swoogle is a cool search engine that throws up results in an ontological context. Must be of use to some, I guess.