Today in History–June 19–TPS-Barat features Juneteenth. On this date in 1865, Major General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 in Galveston, Texas, informing the slaves of the Emancipation Proclamation, issued two and a half years earlier by President Abraham Lincoln. Although Juneteenth was informally celebrated each year since 1865, it wasn't until June 3, 1979, that Texas became the first state to proclaim it an official state holiday. Today more than 40 officially recognize … [Read more...]
Today in History: Clara Barton & the Red Cross
May 21, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Today in History–May 21–TPS-Barat features Clarissa "Clara" Barton, who founded the Red Cross on this date in 1881. A former teacher, Barton was working in the U.S. patent office at the start of the Civil War. Despite having little nursing training, Barton administered aid to soldiers at several battlefields, After the war she established the Missing Soldier Office in Washington, D.C., led effort to establish a national cemetery at Andersonville Prison, and, in 1881, founded the American Red … [Read more...]
Collection Spotlight: Women Photojournalists
March 19, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Below you will find links to biographies, images, and more resources related to women photojournalists from the Library of Congress. Late 1800s and early 1900s Jessie Tarbox Beals (1870-1942) bio Ladies Behind the Lens Library of Congress Blog November 29, 2016 Birches at the Sprague Smith Studio (source record | curator note) More Jessie Tarbox Beals photographs Photographs by Jessie Tarbox Beals in New York newspapers historical newspaper coverage of Jessie Tarbox … [Read more...]
Primary Source Spotlight: Jeannette Rankin
March 12, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Jeanette Rankin was the first woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1916. Learn more about this remarkable citizen by clicking the links below. Primary sources Jeanette Rankin image set "'Wonder-Woman' is Miss Jeannette Rankin; Will be First of Sex to Sit in Congress" Evening Public Ledger (Philadelphia, PA), November 11, 1916 "I can't vote for war" Jeanette Rankin in Atlanta Journal April 6, 1917 Ms. Jeanette Rankin: The Lady from Montana The New York Times … [Read more...]
Timely Connections: Frederick Douglass & Scientific Racism
February 28, 2018 by Leave a Comment
In an opinion piece for the New York Times, Eric Herschthal, a fellow at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at the New York Public Library, suggests that we remember Frederick Douglass "as someone whose insights about scientific theories of race are every bit as relevant in our era as they were when he wrote them." Take a look at the examples Herschthal provides about Douglass' efforts to challenge scientific racism, including ethnology or, as it was sometimes referred to, "the … [Read more...]
Primary Source Spotlight: Tuskegee Airmen
February 26, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Online exhibition items Tuskegee Airmen Breaking Flight Barriers Tuskegee Airmen with Lena Horne The 332nd Fighter Group Tuskegee Airmen image set Tuskegee Airmen in Art Exhibit The Detroit Tribune. (Detroit, Mich.), 01 Sept. 1945 Tuskegee pilots historical newspaper coverage 332nd Fighter Group historical newspaper coverage 332nd Fighter Group veteran oral history collections WWII Reunion: Tuskegee Airmen streaming webcast Patriotism, Courage, Discipline, Skill … [Read more...]
Teaching Now: Using Primary Sources to Create a Lincoln Assassination Newscast
February 12, 2018 by 2 Comments
This is a guest post from Tim Anderson, a middle school English teacher and Google Certified Educator at Sulphur Springs Elementary School in Jonesborough, Tennessee. There often seems to be a disconnect between students and historical events. Connecting literature to history helps make it come alive for students. Since my eighth graders are studying the Civil War, I chose to have them read Chasing Lincoln’s Killer, a fast-paced thriller about the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth pieced … [Read more...]
Primary Source Spotlight: Skating
February 9, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Figure skating "International Style" Figure Skating Championship March 20, 1914 from America's Library Ice-dancing, St. Moritz photograph Timeline & select historical newspaper articles More historical newspaper articles related to figure skating Olympic figure skating historical newspaper coverage How to become a skater; containing full instructions for excelling at figure and speed skating 1904 illustrated book A handbook of figure skating arranged for use on the … [Read more...]
Timely Connections: Foundational Lessons in Democracy & Civil Discourse
February 5, 2018 by Leave a Comment
"Conspiracy theories run amok. Fear of spies and meddling in American politics at the highest levels by foreign powers. A bipartisan divide so bitter that the federal government moves to muzzle what many politicians believe to be a biased, out-of-control news media." Current events? Actually, the excerpt paints a picture of the political climate during John Adam's tenure as president of the United States and is the lead paragraph of a book review from the Christian Science Monitor of Friends … [Read more...]
World Spotlight: Italy
January 18, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Library blog posts related to Italy European Month of Culture: Spotlight on Italy In the Muse May 13, 2016 Alan Lomax in Italy: a letter to Goffredo Plastino Folklife Today May 21, 2015 Deciphering the Land: An Unknown Estate Survey Book from Late Sixteenth and Early Seventeenth Century Italy Worlds Revealed: Geography & Maps February 19, 2016 The Italian Legislative Procedure In Custodia Legis June 17, 2013 Law, a Curse and Life in an Italian Ghetto In Custodia Legis … [Read more...]
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