Primary Source Spotlight: U.S. Presidential Inaugurations

Primary Source Spotlight: U.S. Presidential Inaugurations

“I Do Solemnly Swear…” U.S. Presidential Inaugurations primary source sets “I Do Solemnly Swear…” Inaugural Materials from the Collections of the Library of Congress online exhibition Inaugurations: Stepping into History presentation An Orderly Transition The Inaugural Address Looking Back and Looking Ahead Select historical newspaper articles The Inaugural–The Past Reign, the Coming Reign The Herald…

Primary Source Learning: LOC.gov Teacher-Created Lesson Plans

Primary Source Learning: LOC.gov Teacher-Created Lesson Plans

The Teacher’s section on LOC.gov features close to 100 teacher-created lesson plans. As you can see from the image above, lesson plans are listed in alphabetical order and there is a handy search bar to help you easily conduct a keyword search. Use the links below to jump to select groupings of the LOC.gov lesson…

Primary Source Spotlight: Día de Muertos/Day of the Dead

Primary Source Spotlight: Día de Muertos/Day of the Dead

Día de Muertos & Halloween Research Guide Hallowe’en and Dia de Muertos primary source set 2010 Dia de los Muertos Parade Flickr photo album | Note: Walker’s Point, a neighborhood in Milwaukee, WI, hosts the largest Dia de los Muertos celebration in the state; the local art center invites community members to create ofrendas and…

Primary Source Spotlight: Louise Glück

Primary Source Spotlight: Louise Glück

Louise Glück is an award-winning American poet—2020 Nobel Prize for Literature, the 2014 National Book Award, 1993 Pulitzer Prize, and 1992 Bobbitt Prize, among others—who also served as a Special Bicentennial Consultant from 1999-2000 and the U.S. Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry from 2003-2004 at the Library of Congress. Event video recordings Louise Glück Reads…

Primary Source Spotlight: Natasha Trethewey

Primary Source Spotlight: Natasha Trethewey

Natasha Trethewey black-and-white portrait & brief bio Chris Wallace interviews Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry Natasha Trethewey photo Natasha Trethewey bio & select poems Poetry foundation Domestic Work, 1937 by Natasha Trethewey Videos Inaugural Reading of Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey 2012 Natasha Trethewey Presents Final Lecture as Poet Laureate 2014 Conversation with Rosanne Cash &…

Learning from the Source: Pairing Pictures & Poems to Tell Stories

Learning from the Source: Pairing Pictures & Poems to Tell Stories

Students learn the power of pairing pictures with poems to tell stories about historical and contemporary issues. Display the paired primary sources (Image 1 | Image 2), showing only the images (i.e., cover up the text) and inform students that the poem accompanying these illustrations has been removed. Ask them to predict what the poem…

Timely Connections: Fresh Perspectives from Female Poets

Timely Connections: Fresh Perspectives from Female Poets

In an article for Edutopia, middle school educator Kasey Short provides suggestions and tips for “Studying Female Poets to Understand History“. After reading this thoughtful article, help your students get some fresh female perspectives of both history and contemporary life with these poetry-related resources. Curator’s Picks: American Women Poets Library of Congress Blog March 26,…

World Spotlight: New Zealand

World Spotlight: New Zealand

Places in the News: New Zealand April 2009 September 2010 February 2011 September 2011 July 2013 New Zealand country profile BBC New Zealand timeline BBC New Zealand primary source set World Digital Library New Zealand maps New Zealand image set Books & reports about New Zealand Historical newspaper coverage of New Zealand U.S. veteran oral history collections (service…

Today in History: Clara Barton & the Red Cross

Today in History: Clara Barton & the Red Cross

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…

Learning from the Source: The Declaration, Her Declaration, Your Declaration

Learning from the Source: The Declaration, Her Declaration, Your Declaration

Discuss the Declaration of Independence. Why was it written? What meaning did it have in 1776? What meaning does it have today? Read the Declaration of Independence and highlight words and phrases that stand out to you. Read over the words and phrases you highlighted. In what ways does the language you selected help to…

Collections Spotlight: Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature

Collections Spotlight: Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature

The Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature at the Library of Congress contains recordings of poets and prose writers participating in literary events at the Library’s Capitol Hill campus as well as sessions at the Library’s Recording Laboratory. As of April, 2019, there are nearly 300 artists represented the digital collection. There is a biography…