News & Events NEWS Library Friends of the Library of Congress This group brings together a community of donors committed to preserving this nation's cultural memory and is integral in advancing the Library's mission to engage, inspire, and inform. Join now and take part in unique opportunities to see, experience, and learn from the Library's staff and collections first-hand. Jason Reynolds: Grab The Mic: Welcome to 2022 Read the uplifting blog post. Library of … [Read more...]
Primary Source Learning: The U.S. Capitol and the Events of January 6, 2021
January 5, 2022 by Leave a Comment
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 better address the future. Vocabulary Many different words were used to describe the events of January 6, 2021. Before beginning an investigation, consider digging into and discussing … [Read more...]
Today in History: January Posts
January 1, 2022 by Leave a Comment
January 1 January 2 1892: Ellis Island 1893: Haiti 1933: Nicaragua January 3 January 4 1793: Lucretia Mott 1948: Burma/Myanmar January 5 January 6 1949: Harry S. Truman 1945: George H.W. Bush 1993: Dizzy Gillespie January 7 January 8 1891: Zora Neale Hurston 1955: Marian Anderson 1815 Battle of New Orleans January 9 January 10 1788: Connecticut … [Read more...]
Looking Back: Top Content of 2021
December 29, 2021 by Leave a Comment
We were all hoping that 2021 would be easier than 2020 but the way it's going out certainly wasn’t what we had been wishing for. That said, let's look at the bright spots. More educators and students discovered and visited the Primary Source Nexus than the year before so we're glad that highlighting great content from the Library of Congress and strategies and ideas for teaching with primary sources seems to have been helpful. In 2021 we entered into a partnership with the National Education … [Read more...]
Collection Spotlight: Open Access Books
December 20, 2021 by Leave a Comment
The Open Access Books Collection is a growing online collection of contemporary open access e-books. By collecting the e-books in addition to the print books, the Library commits to preserving the digital content and providing lasting access to it. Books in several languages are available as are a number of children's book titles, linked to below. Abel and His Sister's Doll Akadeli's Lucky Day Aku the Sun Maker Animals Run Away Ann-Nem-Oh-Nee Finds Adventure Annoying … [Read more...]
Guided Primary Source Analysis: U.S. Must Set Pace for Racial Tolerance
December 6, 2021 by 1 Comment
Read the article, then answer the questions below. If you need help, click the links in the Related resources section below. What was happening in the world at the time this article was published? Who was Mrs. Roosevelt and why was what she had to say important? Who else attended the conference and what groups did they represent? The article's headline makes a claim. Copy that claim and below it create a bulleted list of the quotes and statements made by Mrs. Roosevelt that support … [Read more...]
Today in History: December Posts
December 1, 2021 by Leave a Comment
December 1 December 2 1955: Rosa Parks Arrested 1957: Stravinsky & Balanchine 1763: Touro Synagogue 1942: Nuclear Fission December 3 December 4 1818: Illinois 1875: William "Boss" Tweed December 5 December 6 1776: Phi Beta Kappa 1782: Martin Van Buren 1864: Salmon P. Chase 1884: Washington Monument December 7 December 8 1941: Air Raid on Peal Harbor 1879: … [Read more...]
Primary Source Spotlight: The Sauk & the Black Hawk War
November 28, 2021 by Leave a Comment
Sauk image set Sauk Indians historical newspaper coverage Sac Indians historical newspaper coverage Black Hawk 1832 historical newspaper coverage 1832 historical newspaper mention of the Black Hawk War More Black Hawk War historical newspaper coverage Sac & Fox primary source set Battle of Bad Axe print 1857 Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak, or Black Hawk, and scenes in the West: a national poem in six cantos 1849 Life and Adventures of Black Hawk 1854 Scenes and … [Read more...]
Teaching Now: Separating Myths from History
November 19, 2021 by 4 Comments
This unit plan and teaching guide was developed by Dr. John Bickford, Professor of Education at Eastern Illinois University and Editor-in-Chief of The Councilor: A Journal of the Social Studies, in collaboration with Citizen U. It presents a lesson plan with teaching notes targeted to early and upper elementary students. TEACHER BACKGROUND Children—and adults!—will be shocked to learn most of their Thanksgiving facts are fables, not history. This short section details the stuff many folks … [Read more...]
Primary Source Learning: The Wampanoag, the Plimoth Colonists & the First Thanksgiving
November 18, 2021 by 1 Comment
This primary source set is targeted to elementary students and includes background information and thinking prompts. It was curated mainly by Dr. John Bickford, Professor of Education at Eastern Illinois University and Editor-in-Chief of The Councilor: A Journal of the Social Studies with the goal of helping students separate Thanksgiving myths from history. This set is also available as a Google document; get it here. Access the teaching guide for this source set. Source 1 Pre-reading: … [Read more...]
President Andrew Jackson affirmed commitment to preventing South Carolina’s nullification of national tariff laws. Check out our 
Sophie Tucker born. Check out our 