Some of the stunning red rocks for which Sedona, in nothern Arizona, is famous

Collections Spotlight: Landscape Photographs

The Picture This blog from the Library of Congress shines a spotlight on landscape photographs. Micah Messenheimer, Curator of Photography, and a photographer himself, writes: When many people think of landscape photographs they think of wide-open spaces, empty of people. Yet, landscape photographs, by their nature, tell stories deeply tied to human interactions with the…

Forfeited guns

Primary Source Spotlight: Second Amendment & Gun Control

Bill of Rights Political cartoons Solution to Nothing Herb Block March 2, 1954 Sportsmen! Kids! Maniacs! Herb Block November 27, 1963 (source record) You Don’t Even Need to Limit Yourself to a Few People Herb Block December 29, 1964 (source record) Don’t Point That Thing at Me! Herb Block March 10, 1965 (source record) It’s like the gun lobby guys…

Presidential Spotlight: George W. Bush

Presidential Spotlight: George W. Bush

Archived web site: Official Campaign Web Site – George W. Bush George W. Bush inauguration primary source set January 20, 1989 Foreign Affairs oral histories mentioning George W. Bush Reports related to George W. Bush The dot-com bubble, the Bush deficits, and the U.S. current account 2005 After the re-election of President Bush : an outlook on…

Presidential Spotlight: Bill Clinton

Presidential Spotlight: Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton first inauguration primary source set January 20, 1993 Bill Clinton second inauguration primary source set January 20, 1997 Bob Hope and President Bill Clinton at National Medal of Arts presentations on the South Lawn of the White House October 5, 1995 Bill Clinton image set President Clinton mentions in the Foreign Affairs Oral History Collection Bill Clinton…

Presidential Spotlight: Ronald Reagan

Presidential Spotlight: Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan first inauguration primary source set January 20, 1981 Ronald Reagan second inauguration primary source set January 21, 1985 Ronald Reagan mentions in the Foreign Affairs Oral History Collection Governor Ronald Reagan 1966 photograph Ronald Reagan image set Ronbo satirical photomontage Herblock painting McCarthy, Nixon, Reagan, and Clinton Herb Block on Ronald Reagan political cartoons More Ronald…

Presidential Spotlight: Jimmy Carter

Presidential Spotlight: Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter inauguration primary source set January 20, 1977 President Jimmy Carter Signed the Panama Canal Treaty September 7, 1977 from America’s Library Jimmy Carter image set Carl Sagan Briefing notes for President Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale Political cartoonist Herb Block on President Jimmy Carter “Gee! A medal from Gen. Goldwater” July 2, 1976…

Presidential Spotlight: Gerald R. Ford

Presidential Spotlight: Gerald R. Ford

Legislation Sponsored or Cosponsored by Gerald R. Ford 93rd Congress (1973-1974) Gerald R. Ford oath of office August 9, 1974 Gerald Ford image set Political cartoonist Herb Block on Gerald Ford “Remember–don’t vote for anyone who would interfere with the way we’ve been handling things” October 30, 1974 (curator’s note: scroll to find) “It Helps Maintain a Better…

But how to let go -- gracefully

Learning from the Source: Cartoonist Commentary-Vietnam War

U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War lasted more than a decade. Have students analyze political cartoons from the primary source sets below to consider different issues related to this war and how cartoonists’ perspectives of U.S. involvement evolved over time. If students are not practiced at analyzing political cartoons, use the accompanying resources to help…

Vietnam memorial soldiers

Primary Source Spotlight: Vietnam War

Vietnam Veteran collections Personal Snapshots: Picturing the Vietnam War Select Vietnam veteran digitized collections Vietnam War: Looking Back Part 1 Vietnam War: Looking Back Part 2 Vietnam War: Looking Back Part 3 Vietnam War: Looking Back Part 4 All Vietnam veteran digitized oral history collections (some contain additional items such letters, photos, etc.) Vietnam War images…

By th' way, what's that big word?

Analyzing Primary Sources: Reading Cartoons

We often think of cartoons as funny but, in addition to entertaining and amusing us, they can also enlighten, provoke or persuade us. Political or editorial cartoons, in particular, provide subjective viewpoints about current issues and events and the people involved in them. Cartoonists use a variety of techniques—symbolism, exaggeration, irony, analogy and labeling to…

The idol of the aunties

Learning from the Source: Perspectives on U.S. Expansion

At the turn of the 20th century Admiral George Dewey, Pacific naval commander, became a veritable American hero for his role in the Spanish-American war. While United States foreign policy was focused on global expansion, not everyone believed it was a good idea. The Philippines, certainly, were not keen on U.S. imperialism and continued to fight…