Guided Primary Source Analysis: Automatic Asteroid Finder

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Automatic Asteroid Finder

Use details from the illustration to describe what is happening in this image. Do you think there was an automatic asteroid finder in 1873? Do scientists use automatic asteroid finders today? How do you know or how would you find out? Read the article by Ruth S. Freitag linked to below. What did you learn? In what…

State Spotlight: New Hampshire

State Spotlight: New Hampshire

New Hampshire primary source set with Teacher’s Guide New Hampshire maps Pictorial Americana: Selected images of New Hampshire More New Hampshire images New Hampshire historical newspapers 1756-1837 Reports and books related to New Hampshire Correspondence and other texts related to New Hampshire New Hampshire oral histories & songs Sheet music related to New Hampshire Videos and films related to New…

Today in History: The New Deal

Today in History: The New Deal

Today in History–June 16–the Library of Congress features the New Deal. On this date in 1933, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) signed the National Industrial Recovery Act, which created the Public Works Administration. FDR’s New Deal domestic agenda provided jobs through a series of public works programs. In fact, millions of Americans found work through programs such as the Works…

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Condition of the Descendants of Former African Slaves

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Condition of the Descendants of Former African Slaves

Why is the information provided in both English and French? The pie graph gives statistics for which group of people? Use the information provided in this text as well as the bibliographic record to determine one or more purposes of this text. What other observations, reflections or questions does this source inspire? Let us know!…

World Spotlight: Canada

World Spotlight: Canada

Canada primary sources from the World Digital Library Canada maps Books & other texts about Canada Reports & correspondence related to Canada Canada U.S. historical newspaper coverage Canada images Historic films featuring Canada Canada/Canadian song recordings Canada/Canadian sheet music U.S. legislation related to Canada Guide to Law Online: Canada In Custodia Legis blog posts related to Canada Canada country profile BBC…

Today in History: Princeton University

Today in History: Princeton University

Today in History–June 9–the Library of Congress features Princeton University. On this date in 1902, alumnus Woodrow Wilson was unanimously elected university president after more than a decade as a respected teaching scholar. During his tenure, Wilson instituted a system of core requirements followed by two years of specialized concentration. After Princeton, Wilson served one term as governor of New…

Today in History: Tennessee Secedes

Today in History: Tennessee Secedes

Today in History–June 8–the Library of Congress features Tennessee, which voted in favor of secession by two-to-one on this date in 1861. Tennessee resident and future president Andrew Johnson broke with his party over this issue. Find out more about about this era by visiting the Today in History section, then click the links below to access thousands of Tennessee state primary sources from the Library. Tennessee primary…

Teaching Now: Scaffolding Primary Source Learning

Teaching Now: Scaffolding Primary Source Learning

This is a guest post from George Mueller, a high school U.S. history and world studies teacher at Dunbar Vocational Academy in Chicago, Illinois. As part of the CPS Social Science Academy, we were tasked with developing and implementing a lesson using primary sources from the Library of Congress. The TPS-Barat Primary Source Nexus has so…

Today in History: Fort Necessity & the French and Indian War

Today in History: Fort Necessity & the French and Indian War

Today in History–June 4–the Library of Congress features Fort Necessity near Uniontown, Pennsylvania. On this date in 1754, the young Colonel George Washington and his troops were hard at work constructing the makeshift stronghold to protect themselves from French aggression. Less than a month later, however, Washington and his troops were surrounded and forced to surrender to French troops on…

Today in History: Bell’s Photophone

Today in History: Bell’s Photophone

Today in History–June 3–the Library of Congress features the invention of the photophone on this date in 1880 by Alexander Graham Bell. Although more famously known for the telephone, the photophone transmitted sound on a beam of light. This technology with the precursor to fiber optics which today transmits voice and data communications at the speed of light….

Today in History: Grover Cleveland

Today in History: Grover Cleveland

Today in History–June 2–the Library of Congress features President Grover Cleveland, who married Frances Folsom in a White House ceremony on this date in 1886. A lawyer, Cleveland began his political career as mayor of Buffalo, New York, becoming governor of the state the following year and President of the United States just a few years later in 1885. He…