Primary Source Spotlight: Woman Suffrage
PSN curated primary source collections Library collections Suffrage images More primary source sets Online exhibitions Films & event recordings Teaching resources Timelines Library blog posts
Guided Primary Source Analysis: National Anti-Suffrage Association
Look carefully at all the elements included in this scene. What do you think the photographer wanted the audience to think and feel? Be sure to back up your conclusion with evidence from the image. Choose two sources (see links below) to review. What arguments did they make against woman suffrage. Use what you learned…
Today in History: Lincoln’s Inauguration
Today in History–March 4–the Library of Congress features the first inauguration of President Abraham Lincoln, conducted on this date in 1861. Times were tense and Lincoln delivered his inaugural address under the guard of riflemen. In the speech he called for compromise and appealed for the preservation of the Union. Learn more about President Lincoln’s first day in office by…
Today in History: Slave Auction
Today in History–March 3–the Library of Congress features the largest recorded slave auction in U.S. history, held on this date in 1859. Referred to as “The Weeping Time”, the two-day auction of 436 men, women, and children formerly held by Pierce M. Butler was held pay off Butler’s financial losses from the crash of 1857-58 as well as…
Primary Source Learning: Protest & Reform Primary Source Set
Have students use the primary sources in this set to tell a story about protest and reform in the United States. (For background information, check the bibliographic records for dates then review the relevant sections of the American Memory timeline.) Related primary source collections highlighted on the Primary Source Nexus are linked to below. The…
Today in History: Maryland
Today in History–March 25–the Library of Congress features Maryland. On this date the state celebrates the 1634 arrival of the first colonists to the land chartered to Cecil Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore. One of the original 13 colonies, today Maryland is known as the “free” state. Learn more about this state on the Eastern seaboard by visiting the Today in History section, then follow the…
Today in History: John C. Calhoun
Today in History–March 18–the Library of Congress features politician John C. Calhoun, born on this date in 1782. Calhoun served as a congressman, senator, secretary of war, secretary of state, and vice president of the United States but may be best known for his defense of slavery, particularly in relation to the Nullification Proclamation and the Compromise of 1850. Learn…
Finding Resources: Chronicling America Historic Newspapers Advanced Search Tips
Overview Chronicling America Historic Newspapers is produced by the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP), a partnership between the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Library of Congress, as a long-term effort to develop an Internet-based, searchable database of U.S. newspapers with coverage from 1836-1922. As of March, 2013, the Chronicling American digitized database contained more…
Today in History: William T. Sherman
Today in History–March 11–the Library of Congress features General William T. Sherman, who destroyed the Confederate arsenal upon capturing the town of Fayetteville, North Carolina, on this date in 1865. Just about one month later, the Confederacy surrendered, ending the Civil War. Learn more about Sherman as well as war-time work carried out by women by visiting the Today in History section. For…
City Spotlight: Chicago, Illinois
PSN primary source collections Jane Addams & Hull House John Peter Altgeld Daniel Burnham Frank Lloyd Wright Anarchist Emma Goldman Dizzy Gillespie Louis H. Sullivan Chicago Cubs First American Automobile Race Great Chicago Fire Nuclear Fission Teaching resources Guided primary source analyses The Red Flag or the Anarchists of Chicago 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition School Strike…
Today in History: Daniel Webster
Today in History–March 7–the Library of Congress features Senator Daniel Webster, who delivered his famous “Seventh of March” speech on this date in 1850. The speech advocated for sectional compromise on the issue of slavery and the legislation package now referred to as the Compromise of 1850. Learn more about this politician and the debate about slavery by visiting the Today in History section and clicking…