Today in History–May 21–TPS-Barat features Clarissa “Clara” Barton, who founded the Red Cross on this date in 1881. A former teacher, Barton was working in the U.S. patent office at the start of the Civil War. Despite having little nursing training, Barton administered aid to soldiers at several battlefields. After the war she established the…
Jeanette Rankin was the first woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1916. Learn more about this remarkable citizen by clicking the links below. Primary sources Jeanette Rankin image set “‘Wonder-Woman’ is Miss Jeannette Rankin; Will be First of Sex to Sit in Congress” Evening Public Ledger (Philadelphia, PA), November 11, 1916 “I can’t vote…
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…
Today in History–January 2–the Library of Congress features Haiti. On this date in 1893 Frederick Douglass, who once served as U.S. minister to this Caribbean country, delivered an address at the dedication of the Haitian Pavilion at the World’s Columbian Exposition. Learn more Douglass’ speech and the country by visiting the Today in History section, then click the links below to access…
![Boulder [Hoover] Dam](https://primarysourcenexus.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/boulder-dam.jpg)
Today in History–December 21–the Library of Congress features the Hoover Dam, which got its start when President Calvin Coolidge signed the Boulder Canyon Project Act on this date in 1928. Originally known as the Boulder Dam, this wonder of civil engineering distributes water from the Colorado River for use in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah,…
Today in History–November 25–the Library of Congress features Sacramento, California, a boom town during the mid-19th-century gold rush. By 1854 the city had become the state capital. Learn more about the city of Sacramento by visiting the Today in History section, then click the links below to access more primary sources. Pioneer Life in Sacramento from America’s Library…
Today in History–November 20–the Library of Congress features the Alaska Highway, opened on this date in 1942. Originally known as the Alcan Highway, this 1,500-miles-long roadway connected Dawson Creek, British Columbia, to Fairbanks, Alaska. Learn more by visiting the Today in History section, then click the links below to access more information and primary sources related to the great state of…
World War I Historical newspaper coverage Enemy alien historical newspaper coverage 1917-19 German internment historical newspaper coverage 1917-19 Political cartoons Stripped! N.Y. Evening World c1917 Showing them up – see the Herald’s enemy alien list I April 12, 1917 The Limit New York Herald March 3, 1918 The Breath of the Hun New York Herald March 28, 1918 Images Internment camp, Fort…
Today in History–September 20–the Library of Congress features the abolishment of the slave trade in Washington D.C., which was a feature of a legislative package known as the Compromise of 1850. Learn more by reading the Today in History section, then clicking the links below to access related primary & secondary sources. Compromise of 1850:…
Dorothea L. Dix (1802-1887) was an actively engaged citizen who tirelessly advocated for help for the less fortunate, particularly the mentally ill. Use the resources below to learn more. Dorothea Lynde Dix portrait Dorothea Lynde Dix to Abraham Lincoln, Monday, June 17, 1861 (transcription) To the Legislature of Massachusetts [protesting against the confinement of insane…
Great Britain—England, Scotland, and Wales—was established in 1707. Around a century later, together Great Britain and Ireland formed the United Kingdom though, today, only Northern Ireland remains part of the UK. The Library of Congress uses Great Britain in both descriptive and subject cataloging as the conventional form for the United Kingdom. Learning about Great Britain can…
Originally established as Mt. McKinley National Park in 1917, today Denali National Park encompasses 600 million acres of land from low lying taiga forests to the summit of America’s tallest peak Denali (20, 310 feet). Learn more about this magical place by clicking the links below. Alaska’s High Point from America’s Library Mt. McKinley National Park…