Featured Source: Litteratura Iuris
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Today in History: William Shakespeare
Today in History–April 26–the Library of Congress features William Shakespeare, baptized on this day in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Shakespeare’s birthday is traditionally celebrated on April 23, because babies generally were baptized about three days after birth. Learn about the Folger Shakespeare Memorial Library by visiting the Today in History section, then click the links…
Today in History: Books for Congress
Today in History–April 24–the Library of Congress celebrates its own birthday. On this day in 1800, President John Adams approved a $5,000 appropriation to purchase “such books as may be necessary for the use of congress.” According to Thomas Jefferson, any book would be useful: ” . . . there is in fact no subject to which a member of…
Today in History: Thomas Jefferson
Today in History–April 13–the Library of Congress features Thomas Jefferson, born on this day in 1743. (Actually, he was born on April 2 under the Julian calendar but when Great Britain and its colonies switched to the Gregorian calendar in 1752 his birthday, along with everyone else’s, was shifted 11 days forward.) Find out more about this multitalented man…
Today in History: Andrew Carnegie
Today in History–March 12–the Library of Congress features Andrew Carnegie, who offered the city of New York $5.2 million for the construction of sixty-five branch libraries on this day in 1901. After selling his steel company for hundreds of millions, Carnegie devoted the rest of his life to writing and philanthropic activities, including building thousands of public libraries across…
Today in History: Thomas Jefferson Elected
Today in History–February 17–the Library of Congress features Thomas Jefferson, who was elected by the House of Representatives on this day in 1801. The House voted to break a tie in the Electoral College. Find out more about this acrimonious third presidential election by visiting the Today in History section, then follow the links below to access more primary…
Today in History: Jefferson’s Library
Today in History–January 30–the Library of Congress features Thomas Jefferson’s Library, which Congress agreed to purchase on this day in 1815. The nearly $24,000 sale more than doubled the original 3,000-volume Library of Congress collection that was destroyed the year before when the British captured Washington D.C. and burned the U.S. Capitol. Learn more by visiting…
Today in History: John F. Kennedy Assassinated
Today in History–November 22–the Library of Congress features John F. Kennedy, assassinated on this day in 1963. Find out more about this tragic day in our nation’s history by visiting the Today in History section, then follow the links below to access more resources and individual primary sources related to the 35th president of the United States. Primary sources Letter,…
Today in History: Library of Congress Building Opens
Today in History–November 1–the Library of Congress features the opening of the Library of Congress building, now known as the Jefferson building, on this day in 1897. Find out more about this spectacular place by visiting the Today in History section, then read this In Custodia Legis blog post: The Library of Congress and its Librarians. Don’t miss these other PSN…
Primary Source Learning: Uncovering Primary Source Treasures
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…
Primary Source Learning: Discover the Library Online
The Teaching with Library of Congress blog points out ways to explore the Library virtually and suggests engaging learning activities using this set of putti images, from the Carol M. Highsmith photograph archive. You might also try similar activities using this set of images depicting iconic figures found on the doors of the Library annex from…
Primary Source Picks
In the Primary Source Picks category, we will highlight great primary sources from the Library and beyond. We hope to help you uncover many of the primary source gems to help inspire your teaching and engage your students. If you know of a great source or set of sources that we should shine the spotlight…