March on Washington

Today in History: March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

Today in History–August 28–the Library of Congress features the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, held on this day in 1963. Around a quarter million people participated in this non-violent demonstration for civil rights seeking, among other things, equal access to public accommodations, decent housing, adequate and integrated education, the right to vote, and…

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Office Boy Board Game

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Office Boy Board Game

The curator notes for this source read: Parker Brothers produced the 1889 board game Office Boy during the heyday of Horatio Alger’s popular stories of plucky lads reaching success through hard work and determination. The player can advance from stock boy to sweeping out and on to head of sales, trying to avoid carelessness, which will send…

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…