Story Maps

Finding Resources: Story Maps

Story Maps are immersive web applications that tell the incredible stories of the Library’s collections through narrative, multimedia, and interactive maps. The story maps are created within a Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based software platform created by Esri. Story Maps are chock full of primary sources, including photographs, illustrations, texts, newspaper articles, and even maps. “I find story…

VP Curtis

Primary Source Spotlight: Charles Curtis

Politician Charles Curtis of Kansas was, as he liked to tell audiences, “one-eighth Kaw Indian and a one-hundred per cent Republican”.  He was a member of both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, serving as Senate majority leader from 1924 until his inauguration as the 31st vice president in 1929. Representative Curtis…

Six Nations

Primary Source Spotlight: The Iroquois Confederacy

Senate Resolution 702 — 115th Congress (2017-2018) was agreed to on November 26, 2018. It recognized the contributions of Native Americans to the United States, including the Iroquois Confederacy. Whereas Congress has recognized the contributions of the Iroquois Confederacy and the influence of the Iroquois Confederacy on the Founding Fathers in the drafting of the…

Primary Source Spotlight: Paiute

Primary Source Spotlight: Paiute

When searching for resources about the Paiute, keep in mind that the tribe name has been spelled various ways throughout history, including Piute, Pi-Ute, and Pahute. Paiute primary source set Paiute: historical newspaper coverage Paiute life in the 20th century image set Piute primary source set Piute: historical newspaper coverage Indian (Paiute) Land Cessions in the…

Primary Source Spotlight: Buffalo Bill Cody

Primary Source Spotlight: Buffalo Bill Cody

Stories from America’s Library Buffalo Bill Cody brief bio Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show Buffalo Hunting with the Duke Little Sure Shot and the Gang Nebraskaland Days: Buffalo Bill Rodeo American Treasures Buffalo Bill’s Special Service Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show Buffalo Bill image set Buffalo Bill films Bucking broncho 1894 Buffalo dance 1894 Sioux ghost…

Today in History: Indian Citizenship Act

Today in History: Indian Citizenship Act

Today in History–June 2–the Library of Congress features the Indian Citizenship Act, enacted on this date in 1924. The act finally granted official U.S. citizenship to to all Native Americans born in the U.S. But because voting rights were governed by state law, some Native American citizens were barred from voting in political elections until 1957. Find out more by visiting…

Nez Perce Indians, Montana

Primary Source Spotlight: The Nez Percé

Nez Percé images Indian (Nez Percé) Land Cessions in the U.S. 1784-1894 The Nez Perce War The Galaxy, Volume 24, Issue 6, Dec 1877 “Lawyer of the Nez Perces” Washington Historical Quarterly 1934 Vol. 25, No. 1, p. 37-48 Historic newspaper coverage of the Nez Percé Oral history mentioning Nez Percé Foreign Affairs Oral History Collection Reports & other texts of the…

View of Alcatraz Island, San Francisco, California

Today in History: Alcatraz Island

Today in History–August 11–the Library of Congress features Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. On this date in 1934 a group of federal prisoners arrived at the newly opened Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, designed as a high-security, escape-proof fortress. Before that, the island had been used to house military prisoners. Alcatraz is an English version of the Spanish name—Isla de los Alcatraces (Isle of the…

Army Life of an Illinois Soldier

Primary Source Spotlight: Illinois Civil War Resources

Illinois Civil War books (1800-1929) Illinois Civil War sheet music Illinois Civil War maps Illinois Civil War image set More Illinois Civil War images Illinois soldier historic newspaper coverage (1860-65) “The Union. V. Illinois and Missouri Compared” Continental monthly: devoted to literature and national policy Volume 3, Issue 3, March 1863 YouTube videos Illinois During the Civil War,…