This morning I saw a tweet mentioning primary sources related to immigration in the Gilded Age and I began to wonder . . . What learning activities related to the Gilded Age could we imagine using Library of Congress primary sources? What other teaching resources and strategies are available on LOC.gov and elsewhere? See the results…
Today in History–October 28–the Library of Congress features temperance and prohibition. On this day in 1919, Congress passed the Volstead Act which allowed for enforcement of the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution. Lauded by temperance societies and referred to as the Prohibition Amendment, the Eighteenth Amendment prohibited the “manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors” in the…
Today in History–October 25–the Library of Congress features the discovery of Kiska Island, Alaska on this day in 1752. Learn more about the final voyage of the navigator and explorer Captain-Commander Vitus Jonassen Bering by visiting the Today in History section then click the links below to access more singular primary sources related to Kiska Island and Alaska. Bering, Chirikov, and Gvozdev The Russian Discovery of…
Today in History–October 24–the Library of Congress features the transcontinental telegraph system was completed on this day in 1861, which signaled the rapid demise of the short-lived Pony Express. Learn more about these methods of long-distance communication by visiting the Today in History section then click the links below to access more related primary sources. First Transcontinental Telegraph System Was Completed from America’s Library Telegraph…
Today in History–October 19–the Library of Congress features the surrender at Yorktown of British General Charles Cornwallis to General George Washington on this day in 1781. Learn more by visiting the Today in History section, then click the links below to access more stories and primary sources about Cornwallis and the American Revolution. General Cornwallis primary source set Surrender of Yorktown primary source set Cornwallis surrender at Yorktown historical…
Today in History–October 18–the Library of Congress features Puerto Rico. On this date in 1898, American troops fighting in the Spanish-American War raised the United States flag in Puerto Rico formalizing U.S. control of this former Spanish colony. Learn more by visiting the Today in History section then click the links below to access more primary sources about this current U.S. commonwealth. Puerto Rico during the…
Today in History–October 17–the Library of Congress features James Monroe, who wrote wrote a letter on this date in 1823 to friend and former president Thomas Jefferson seeking advice on foreign policy. Both Jefferson and James Madison, another former president, advised Monroe to join with Great Britain in a declaration warning other European nations not to intervene in the affairs of Central and South America….
The Teaching with Library of Congress blog highlights a collection of videos featuring Library curators briefly describing treasured items and their historical importance and provides some ideas for using the treasure videos with students. You can access the collection of Hidden Treasure videos at the Library of Congress or from the Hidden Treasures playlist on…
Today in History–October 14–the Library of Congress features Sarah Winnemucca, who died on this day in 1891. Winnemucca was first Native American woman to publish a book in English, Life Among the Piutes: Their Wrongs and Claims, which is an autobiographical account of her tribe’s experiences during their first forty years of contact with white explorers and settlers….
Today in History–October 13–the Library of Congress features the White House, celebrating the date in 1792 when the first cornerstone was laid. Learn more about the Executive mansion by visiting the Today in History section, then click the links below to access more stories and primary sources about the United States presidential home. White House Expense List, Thomas Jefferson, April 19, 1809…
Today in History–October 12–the Library of Congress features Columbus Day, celebrating the date in 1492 when Christopher Columbus sighted land in the Bahamas. Learn more about the man and the national holiday by visiting the Today in History section then click the links below to access more primary sources related to Columbus. Christopher Columbus Saw Land! from America’s Library Columbus Day primary source…
Today in History–October 11–the Library of Congress features Eleanor Roosevelt, born on this day in 1884. Learn more about this first-class first lady in the Today in History section then click the links below to access related primary sources. Eleanor Roosevelt image set Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt Jr. attends Women in War Work Congress in Paris 1918 film Speech by Eleanor A. Roosevelt New…