Today in History: Surrender at Yorktown

Today in History: Surrender at Yorktown

Today in History–October 19–the Library of Congress features the surrender at Yorktown of British General Charles Cornwallis to General George Washington on this day in 1781. Learn more by visiting the Today in History section, then click the links below to access more stories and primary sources about Cornwallis and the American Revolution. General Cornwallis primary source set Surrender of Yorktown primary source set Cornwallis surrender at Yorktown historical…

Today in History: The U.S. Naval Academy & the Navy

Today in History: The U.S. Naval Academy & the Navy

Today in History–October 10–the Library of Congress features the United States Naval Academy, which began its first term on this day in 1845.  Learn more about the naval academy and the U.S. navy in the Today in History section then click the links below to access more navy-related primary sources. Naval Academy primary source set Naval Academy historical newspaper coverage Selected naval…

Today in History: Establishing U.S. Troops

Today in History: Establishing U.S. Troops

Today in History–September 29–the Library of Congress features the official establishment of the U.S. military by Congress on this day in 1789. The act, spurred on by President George Washington, legalized the existing U.S. Army, a small force inherited from the Continental Congress that had been created under the Articles of Confederation. Find out more by visiting the Today in History section, then…

Primary Source Learning: World War I Teaching Resources

Primary Source Learning: World War I Teaching Resources

The Teaching with Library of Congress blog provides some great primary source teaching ideas related to supporting the troops, focusing in on wartime clothing drives. Be sure to check out these World War I clothing-related posters. There are also lots more teaching resources to draw from. World War I related Teaching with the Library of Congress blog…

Primary Source Learning: Teaching with Primary Source Posters

Primary Source Learning: Teaching with Primary Source Posters

The Teaching with the Library of Congress blog gives some great tips on using the WPA Poster collection with students. One idea is to have students identify persuasion techniques. For a great resource on typical advertising persuasion techniques, check out  Print Advertising Across the Centuries project. One teacher used this project as a template and created a…

Today in History: The “Bonus Army”

Today in History: The “Bonus Army”

Today in History–July 28–the Library of Congress features the “Bonus Army” or “Bonus Expeditionary Forces (B.E.F.)”, some 15-20,000 World War I veterans who  camped out in the nation’s capital to request early payment of cash bonuses not payable to them until 1945. On July 28, 1932 the protestors were met by Major George S. Patton and federal…

Learning from the Source: Perspectives in Civil War Song Sheets

Learning from the Source: Perspectives in Civil War Song Sheets

The Collection Connections section of America Singing: Nineteenth-Century Song Sheets, provides some great ideas for comparing perspectives of the Civil War based on the lyrics from popular song sheets published during the time period. The popularity of song sheets reached its peak during the second half of the nineteenth century and a large portion of this…

Learning from the Source: Comparing Reports of the Battle of Little Bighorn

Learning from the Source: Comparing Reports of the Battle of Little Bighorn

Have students collaborate to compare U.S. newspaper coverage of the Battle of Little Bighorn with eyewitness accounts from Native Americans who were there. Ask them to compare descriptions of the battle as well as characterizations of opposing forces. Remind students to look for and note differences in tone, particularly as defined by word choice. You…

Today in History: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Today in History: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Today in History–June 16–the Library of Congress features the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. On this date in 1775, Congress authorized the position of chief engineer for the army to help build forts, survey terrain, and clear roads during the war. The work was so valuable that four years later Congress resolved, “That the engineers in the service…