Primary Source Spotlight: Victoria Woodhull

Primary Source Spotlight: Victoria Woodhull

Victoria Woodhull was a woman suffrage and labor reform activist and the first female candidate for U.S. President. She ran on the Equal Right’s Party ticket in 1872 with Frederick Douglass as the Vice Presidential candidate, running against Republican president Ulysses S. Grant and Democratic candidate Horace Greeley. Victoria Woodhull historical newspaper coverage The Judiciary Committee of the…

Primary Source Learning: The U.S. Capitol and the Events of January 6, 2021

Primary Source Learning: The U.S. Capitol and the Events of January 6, 2021

Primary sources are the perfect avenue to help explore and investigate the events of January 6, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol as well as those that preceded it and those that followed it. Below we have compiled numerous resources to assist in deepening understanding of our past and present in the hopes that we can…

Primary Source Learning: U.S. Electoral College

Primary Source Learning: U.S. Electoral College

Background & context The Electoral College – What Is It and How Does It Function? In Custodia Legis November 6, 2012 Electoral College Fast Facts US House of Representatives History, Art & Archives The Electoral College National Archives The Electoral College National Conference of State Legislators Research Guide: The Law of the Electoral College Contemporary…

Primary Source Spotlight: 1876 Contested Presidential Election

Primary Source Spotlight: 1876 Contested Presidential Election

From America’s Library On the night of the 1876 presidential election, Republican candidate Rutherford B. Hayes went to bed early. He assumed that he had lost the election to his opponent, Democrat Samuel J. Tilden. Tilden did win the popular vote that night, but the Republicans challenged the validity of the electoral votes from three…

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Does Your Vote for President Count?

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Does Your Vote for President Count?

Work in a group to discuss what you can learn from this historical newspaper article (download .pdf) just by examining the headline, illustrations, the introduction (the first three paragraphs), and the section headers. What questions do you still have? Divide the reading of the article among your group members so that each reads 2 or…

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Presenting Party Platforms

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Presenting Party Platforms

Zoom into this 1888 presidential election document online or in a .pdf document. Look closely at the graphical elements of the complete document and compare and contrast the presentation of information in the Harrison and Cleveland maps. Which is more pleasing visually and why? How does the visual presentation affect the tone of each map? Describe…

Analyzing Primary Sources: Identifying Bias in Presidential Election Newspaper Coverage

Analyzing Primary Sources: Identifying Bias in Presidential Election Newspaper Coverage

In a Teaching with the Library of Congress blog post, Deborah Thomas, program manager for the National Digital Newspaper Program at the Library of Congress, discusses Helping Students Read Between the Lines: Identifying Bias and Attitude in Newspapers for the Presidential Election of 1912. With three major candidates, rather than the traditional two, the 1912…

Primary Source Learning: Presidential Elections

Primary Source Learning: Presidential Elections

Guided primary source analysis activities Does Your Vote for President Count? electoral college to 1912 Footrace, Pennsylvania Avenue 1844 Great presidential puzzle 1880 & 2016 The whole story (election 1888) in a nutshell! Taft About to Eclipse Bryan 1908 Goal! 1908 & 1912 Biggest Business in the World 1920 Massachusetts Did It 1920 Election Day contemporary More…