George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are two of the most famous U.S. presidents. This project helps students to learn about these presidents through the lens of both primary and secondary sources. Students will also investigate different types of primary sources, learn how portraits are created to convey information, and consider their own presidential potential. To…
Students are active learners when they are engaged in real activities. The Abraham Lincoln & Me Primary Source Activity Book enables students to become familiar with primary sources and learn about Abraham Lincoln and his accomplishments while fostering a personal connection to this U.S. president. The activity book is available in English and Spanish with accompanying audio…
At the turn of the 20th century Admiral George Dewey, Pacific naval commander, became a veritable American hero for his role in the Spanish-American war. While United States foreign policy was focused on global expansion, not everyone believed it was a good idea. The Philippines, certainly, were not keen on U.S. imperialism and continued to fight…
The Union victory over Confederate forces at the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863) is considered a major turning point in the Civil War. But it was also the costliest in terms of human lives—more than 51,000, nearly one-third of all forces engaged, were killed, reported missing, or wounded.[1] Soon after, a project to build a…
Overview Students naturally look for connections between themselves and what they are learning. This project connects students to historical events that happened on their birthdays, helping them to recognize that each person is part of and contributes to the ongoing American memory. To complete this project, students will . . . discover different types of…
Overview The flag is one of the United States’ most important symbols and the central character of the country’s national anthem. This project introduces students to the key historical events that led to the creation of this patriotic song, helping them to learn the lyrics to The Star Spangled Banner and expand their overall understanding of U.S. history…
Overview The flag is one of the United States’ most important symbols and the central character of the country’s national anthem. This project introduces students to key historical events that led to the creation of this patriotic song, helping them to learn the lyrics to The Star Spangled Banner, and expands their overall understanding of…
Use the resources below to learn about the women in the White House and the some of the roles various first ladies took on throughout the years. One fun learning activity comes from the Collection Connections section of Words and Deeds in American History. Ask students to consider if these letter show evidence of a first lady…
The Today in History section for July 10 features Jelly Roll Morton, one of jazz music’s primary influences. From 1938 to 1948, William P. Gottlieb took over 1600 photographs of celebrated jazz artists. Carl Van Vechten also took a similar number of photographs of celebrities, including many figures from the Harlem Renaissance. The Library has two great…
The Library of Congress Digital Connections are filled with great ideas for primary source learning. Below we highlight an activity from the Civil War Maps Collection Connection. Historical Analysis and Interpretation In many cases the battles of the Civil War were fought by men unfamiliar with the area of the country in which they were…
One of the design considerations of the Common Core State Standards is the integration of research and media skills into the literacy framework. To be ready for college, workforce training, and life in a technological society, students need the ability to gather, comprehend, evaluate, synthesize, and report on information and ideas, to conduct original research in order…
Video is used to tell stories and provide information. Because we live in a world increasingly dominated by video, it is critical that we teach students how to analyze this powerful primary source that combines moving images with sound and, sometimes, text. In addition to dramatic or documentary films, primary source video recordings include news…