The Juvenile National Calendar

Primary Source Learning: U.S. Constitution

Congress.gov Constitution Annotated analysis & interpretation of the U.S. Constitution Our Constitution official podcast of the Constitution Annotated website The Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution event recording Library of Congress lesson plans & activities Encouraging Student Understanding of Negotiation and the Value of Notetaking during the 1787 Constitutional Convention American…

Alexander Hamilton

Primary Source Spotlight: Alexander Hamilton

Today in History: Alexander Hamilton background information & select primary sources Alexander Hamilton Papers collection Alexander Hamilton primary source set & teacher’s guide Alexander Hamilton image set Alexander Hamilton items in the Creating the United States online exhibition Report of the Committee of Detail with annotations by Alexander Hamilton Report of the Committee of Style…

John Jay, head-and-shoulders portrait

Today in History: John Jay

Today in History–December 12–the Library of Congress features founding father John Jay, born on this day in 1745. Jay had a long, full political career including president of the Continental Congress, author of several Federalist Papers, and first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Learn more about John Jay by visiting the Today in History section, then click…

Painting depicting signing of the U.S. Constitution

Today in History: U.S. Constitution

Today in History–September 17–the Library of Congress features the U.S. Constitution. After much debate and compromise, the members of the Constitutional Convention signed the final draft of the Constitution on this day in 1787. It would take just over nine months to ratify this document that would become the supreme law of the land. Learn more by visiting the Today in History section and by delving into…

Today in History: The Federalist Papers

Today in History: The Federalist Papers

Today in History–October 27–the Library of Congress features the Federalist Papers, the first of which was published on this day in 1787. This series of essays, 85 in all, were published in newspapers under the name of Publius but were actually written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. Their purpose, in essence, was to argue for the…