Spanning from 1942-45, All-American news were the first newsreels produced for a black audience and were originally intended to encourage black Americans to participate in, and support the war effort, as well as to reflect an African-American perspective on world and national events. 1942 All-American news [1942-08]: includes segments about a Baltimore merchant marine who survived when his ship was sunk and the Navy's Great Lakes Band. 1944 All American news III [1944-03]: includes … [Read more...]
Primary Source Spotlight: Spring
April 17, 2017 by 1 Comment
Children of Spring 1888 verses and color illustrations Spring 1892 book of poetry Springtime and Other Verses 1910 The Springtime of Love and Other Poems 1914 Spring: historical newspaper articles & advertisements Spring oral history audio recordings Spring song recordings Springtime song recordings Spring sheet music Springtime sheet music Spring image set Springtime image set Library blog posts An 'Appalachian Spring' Collaboration In the Muse … [Read more...]
Primary Source Spotlight: James Reese Europe
February 23, 2017 by Leave a Comment
James Reese Europe biography African-American History Month: James Reese Europe In the Muse blog February 24, 2010 James Reese Europe images Ragtime Dance: Castle Walk film Ragtime Dance: One Step Variation film James Reese Europe song recordings James Reese Europe sheet music James Reese Europe: timeline & select newspaper articles More James Reese Europe historic newspaper coverage Clef Club historic newspaper coverage 369th Infantry historic newspaper … [Read more...]
Primary Source Learning: African American History & Culture
February 21, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Primary Source sets with teacher guides Baseball: Across a Divided Society Harlem Renaissance Jim Crow in America The NAACP: A Century in the Fight for Freedom Featured Source guided primary source analysis activities Afro-American Monument An airship with a “Jim Crow” trailer The Brownies’ Book Condition of the descendants of former African slaves The constitutional amendment Jesse Owens President Obama’s 2016 State of the Union Address Tree of … [Read more...]
Primary Source Spotlight: Jazz Music
February 24, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Jazz audio recordings Jazz webcasts and performance videos Jazz image set Gottlieb jazz photos on Flickr "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to be Free" images & score Jazz sheet music Jazz life histories Jazz Chicago 1 Jazz Chicago 2 Jazz Chicago style Jazz Singers online exhibition Jazz magazine clippings from the William P. Gottlieb collection Historical newspaper coverage: jazz More jazz texts Influence of Jazz on Modern Music … [Read more...]
Integrating Technology: Linking Primary Sources to Literature
November 17, 2015 by 1 Comment
This is a guest post by Ruth Ferris, an elementary school librarian from Billings, Montana, and a grantee in the TPS Regional Grant Program. It is always a pleasure when I can connect my love of books with my love of history, seasoned with technology. One favorite tool is ThingLink, which allows you to take a picture and embed links to other types of media within the picture. I live in Montana and most of my students are more familiar with country music than jazz music. So how do I … [Read more...]
Today in History: Jelly Roll Morton
July 10, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Today in History–July 10–the Library of Congress features jazz pianist Jelly Roll Morton, who died on this day in 1941. Born Ferdinand Joseph La Menthe in New Orleans, Louisiana, Morton billed himself as "Jelly Roll" while playing minstrel and vaudeville shows. In addition to jazz, Morton also played ragtime, blues and spirituals. Learn more by visiting the Today in History section, then follow the links below to access more jazz resources from the Library. Jelly Roll Morton from America's … [Read more...]
Today in History: Billie Holiday
April 7, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Today in History–April 7–the Library of Congress features jazz singer Billie Holiday, born on this date in 1915 in Baltimore, Maryland. Although she had no formal music training, Holiday arranged and composed music in addition to singing. Her 1939 rendition of Lewis Allan's "Strange Fruit," a song about lynching, was described in the liner notes to Immortal Sessions of Billie Holiday as "…the most anguished and harrowing expression of protest against man's inhumanity to man that has ever been … [Read more...]
Today in History: Duke Ellington
April 29, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Today in History–April 29–the Library of Congress features jazz great Duke Ellington, born on this date in 1899. Ellington started to play piano at age 7 and wrote his first song–Soda Fountain Rag–at age 15. By his late teens, he was earning enough money to help his parents move into a better house. Ellington's musical versatility was astounding and not limited to jazz; he also wrote oratorios, suites, concertos, and even opera, as well as for the Broadway stage, movies, television, nightclubs, … [Read more...]
Today in History: Ella Fitzgerald
April 25, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Today in History–April 25–the Library of Congress features Ella Fitzgerald, born on this date in 1917. One of the greatest jazz singers of all time, Fitzgerald got her start at Amateur Night at Harlem's Apollo Theater and went on to win 13 Grammys, including two of the first awarded in 1958. Learn more about this legendary vocal artist by visiting the Today in History section, then click the links below to access some more primary sources. Ella Fitzgerald Was Born from America's … [Read more...]
Libby Riddles became the first woman to win the Iditarod. Check out our 