W.E.B. (William Edward Burghardt) Du Bois

Primary Source Spotlight: W.E.B. Du Bois

From America’s Library: Born: February 23, 1868 Died: August 27, 1963 William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was a noted scholar, editor, and African American activist. Du Bois was a founding member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP — the largest and oldest civil rights organization in America). Throughout his life Du Bois…

How to play ice hockey

Primary Source Spotlight: Hockey

Hockey image set (ice and field hockey) How to play hockey guides & other books (ice and field hockey) Topics in Chronicling America – Pacific Coast Hockey Association (1912-1919) Historical newspaper coverage of ice hockey Hockey match on the ice (1898 film) King of Winter Sports Inside Adams: Science, Technology & Business blog post A Whirlwind History of Diversity…

Moses of her people - San Francisco Call

Primary Source Spotlight: Harriet Tubman

From America’s Library Born: c. 1820, Dorchester County, Maryland Died: March 10, 1913, Auburn, New York Harriet Tubman was a runaway slave from Maryland who became known as the “Moses of her people.” Over the course of 10 years, and at great personal risk, she led hundreds of slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad, a secret…

Plaque of Abraham Lincoln

Presidential Spotlight: Abraham Lincoln

From America’s Library: Born: February 12, 1809 in Hardin County, KentuckyDied: April 15, 1865, assassinated at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. Known for leading the country through the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States. His eloquence is evident in many speeches including his most famous one, the Gettysburg Address. His second…

Slave market of America

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Slave Market of America

What contradiction does this broadside illustrate and discuss? Support your conclusion using specific details from the source. Who created this broadside? Using details from the source to support your responses, explain the purpose of this broadside and the intended audience. Review the bibliographic record for this source, in particular the summary. What more did you…

Page from Abraham Lincoln's sum book

Primary Source Learning About Lincoln

We all can learn a lot from Abraham Lincoln. Below you will find links to primary source activities, lessons, and projects from the Library of Congress and TPS Consortium members. Abraham Lincoln: Rise to National Prominence primary source set and teacher’s guide Lincoln’s Life Lincoln’s Death Collection Connections Letters to Lincoln Transcription Project Teaching with…

Featured Source: The Gerry-mander

Featured Source: The Gerry-mander

Curator’s note In 1812, Jeffersonian Republicans forced through the Massachusetts legislature a bill rearranging district lines to assure them an advantage in the upcoming senatorial elections. Although Governor Elbridge Gerry had only reluctantly signed the law, a Federalist editor is said to have exclaimed upon seeing the new district lines, “Salamander! Call it a Gerrymander.”…

John Quincy Adams

Presidential Spotlight: John Quincy Adams

From America’s Library: Born: July 11, 1767 Died: Feb. 23, 1848 John Quincy Adams was the sixth president of the United States and the first son of a former president who himself became president. (George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush are the only other father-son presidents.) John Quincy Adams was well known for his diplomatic success…

Longfellow

Today in History: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Today in History–February 27–the Library of Congress features poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, born on this date in 1807 in Portland, Maine. Longfellow was considered a “new poet” in his day and was very popular both in the United States and abroad. Learn more about this artist and scholar by visiting the Today in History section and clicking the links below. Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Was Born from…