U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War lasted more than a decade. Have students analyze political cartoons from the primary source sets below to consider different issues related to this war and how cartoonists’ perspectives of U.S. involvement evolved over time. If students are not practiced at analyzing political cartoons, use the accompanying resources to help…
Vietnam Veteran collections Personal Snapshots: Picturing the Vietnam War Select Vietnam veteran digitized collections Vietnam War: Looking Back Part 1 Vietnam War: Looking Back Part 2 Vietnam War: Looking Back Part 3 Vietnam War: Looking Back Part 4 All Vietnam veteran digitized oral history collections (some contain additional items such letters, photos, etc.) Vietnam War images…
We often think of cartoons as funny but, in addition to entertaining and amusing us, they can also enlighten, provoke or persuade us. Political or editorial cartoons, in particular, provide subjective viewpoints about current issues and events and the people involved in them. Cartoonists use a variety of techniques—symbolism, exaggeration, irony, analogy and labeling to…
From America’s Library: Born: March 29, 1790 Died: January 18, 1862 John Tyler, 10th president of the United States, was called “His Accidency” by his foes because he was the first president to get the job without being elected to it. He took the helm when President Harrison died after only one month in office. Tyler had…
Today in History–January 13–the Library of Congress features the Nullification Crisis. On this date in 1833, President Andrew Jackson wrote his new president Vice President Martin Van Buren affirming his commitment to preventing South Carolina’s defiance of federal authority by nullifying national tariff laws. The Nullification Crisis began in November, 1832 when South Carolina nullified a federal tariff. On December 10, 1832…
Today in History–December 30–the Library of Congress features politician John Peter Altgeld, born on this day in 1847. A lawyer, Altgeld served as a city attorney and a county prosecutor before serving on the bench of Cook County’s Superior Court from 1886 to 1891. In 1892 he was elected governor of Illinois. A progressive, Altgeld passed penal and legal…
Practical illustration of the Fugitive Slave Law Effects of the Fugitive-Slave-Law Triumph Fugitive slave law political cartoons Fugitive slave bill … Approved, September 18, 1850. Millard Fillmore Things to be remembered. Remember that the Whig administration of Millard Fillmore enacted the Fugitive Slave bill, in violation of the constitution and all the legal safeguards of…
Today in History–October 29–the Library of Congress features journalist and politician Carl Schurz. On this date in 1855, the recent German immigrant wrote his wife, Margarethe Meyer Schurz, about his hope for their future in America. Exactly five years later Schurz sent his wife another letter, this time from Abraham Lincoln’s presidential campaign trail. Schurz served as a U.S. senator and worked with…
Today in History–June 19–the Library of Congress features the Marshall Plan. On this day in 1947, British and French foreign ministers invited 22 European nations to participate in designing a plan for rebuilding war-torn Europe. Two weeks earlier in a speech at Harvard University, World War II general and U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall had called for a multi-billion dollar…
Today in History–May 16–the Library of Congress features presidential impeachments. On this day in 1868, the U.S. Senate failed by one vote to convict President Andrew Johnson of “high crimes and misdemeanors,” under the eleventh article of impeachment. The second trial of a U.S. president—President Bill Clinton—on articles of impeachment occurred in January and February of 1999….
![[Cut of broom] To sweep the Augean Stable](https://primarysourcenexus.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/johncalhoun.jpg)
Today in History–March 18–the Library of Congress features politician John C. Calhoun, born on this date in 1782. Calhoun served as a congressman, senator, secretary of war, secretary of state, and vice president of the United States but may be best known for his defense of slavery, particularly in relation to the Nullification Proclamation and the Compromise of 1850. Learn…
Today in History–March 7–the Library of Congress features Senator Daniel Webster, who delivered his famous “Seventh of March” speech on this date in 1850. The speech advocated for sectional compromise on the issue of slavery and the legislation package now referred to as the Compromise of 1850. Learn more about this politician and the debate about slavery by visiting the Today in History section and clicking…