Explore the ways the free press has covered major events in history dating back to the American Revolution with PBS NewsHour EXTRA's interactive Journalism in Action: Civic Engagement and Primary Sources Through Key Moments in History, a website supported by a grant from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources program. Fun, engaging civic activities for middle and high school students illuminate historical documents and help students make their own judgments using news … [Read more...]
Primary Source Learning: Civil War
Civil War photograph lessons & activities Devil in the Details: Examining Visual Material from the Civil War The Mathew Brady Bunch New Technologies and New Uses Using Sources: Civil War Photography Technology & Tricks What Do You See? Civil War Photojournalism: A Record of War The Civil War Through a Child’s Eye Teaching Now: Integrating Literacy, History & Geography Teaching Now: Using Primary Sources with 21st-Century Learners Collection Connections … [Read more...]
Today in History: Mathew Brady
Today in History–February 27–the Library of Congress features Mathew Brady who photographed presidential hopeful Abraham Lincoln before a speech on this day in 1860. At successful studio photographer, Brady set out to document the people, places and events of the Civil War. The historical impact of the endeavor is priceless but at the time, left him penniless. Find out more about the father of photojournalism by visiting the Today in History section and clicking the links below. Mathew B. … [Read more...]
Today in History: Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre
Today in History–November 18–the Library of Congress features French photography pioneer Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre, born on this day in 1789. The daguerreotype was a convenient and effective process which rapidly gained in the United States. Learn more about Daguerre and the daguerreotype by visiting the Today in History section and following the links below. America's First Look into the Camera: Daguerreotype Portraits and Views, 1839-1862 This collection consists of more than 725 … [Read more...]
Using Sources: Civil War Photography Technology & Tricks
The Civil War Glass Negatives collection provides access to about 7,000 views and portraits made during the American Civil War (1861-1865) and its immediate aftermath, many by Mathew Brady (biographical note) and Alexander Gardner. Taking photographs during the Civil War was a complex, time-consuming process difficult to master in a studio setting and even more difficult when working outdoors. Photographers mixed their own chemicals and prepared their own wet plate glass negatives. … [Read more...]