Have students use the primary sources in this set to tell a story about the period 1929-1945. At the depths of the great depression, which followed the stock market crash in October 1929, over one-quarter of the American workforce was out of work. But President Franklin D. Roosevelt instituted a variety of “New Deal” programs and told…
Today in History–December 7–the Library of Congress features the Japanese air raid on Pearl Harbor, which occurred on this day in 1941. A hurried Navy dispatch sent out the news: AIR RAID ON PEARL HARBOR X THIS IS NOT DRILL. More than 2,300 Americans were killed, 160 aircraft were destroyed, and 12 ships sank. The next day the United States declared…
Today in History–October 24–the Library of Congress features the United Nations. On this day in 1945 the U.N. charter was ratified. Derived from the 1942 Declaration by United Nations—26 nations pledged to continue fighting against the Axis powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan) in World War II—the final U.N. charter was signed by 51 member countries. Learn more by visiting the Today in History section, then…
Today in History–October 23–the Library of Congress features the Lend-Lease Act. On this day in 1941 the U.S. stepped closer to direct involvement in World War II when the Senate passed a $5.98 billion supplemental Lend-Lease bill. The Lend-Lease Act, passed in March, 1941, gave President Roosevelt nearly unlimited power to provide the Allies with material aid without officially…
Today in History–June 21–the Library of Congress features the U.S. defeat of Japanese troops on Okinawa Island on this day in 1945. One of the longest and bloodiest battles of World War II, the battle for Okinawa claimed somewhere around 12,000 American and 110,000 Japanese lives. Find out more by visiting the Today in History section, then click the links below…
Today in History–June 13–the Library of Congress features the Office of War Information (OWI), which was created on this date in 1942. Later that year, the documentary photography unit of the Farm Security Administration (FSA) was transferred to the OWI. An important U.S. government propaganda agency during World War II, OWI supported the war effort by recording the nation’s preparations for…
Today in History–June 6–the Library of Congress features D-Day. On this day in 1944, American, British and Canadian forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, France in a coordinated effort to open the western front. Learn more about this tragic but ultimately successful strike by visiting the Today in History section, then click the links below to access loads of primary sources…
Today in History–January 20–the Library of Congress features Franklin Delano Roosevelt, inaugurated as U.S. President in January on this day in 1937. This was the first inauguration held in January but FDR’s second of four inaugurations, his first was held on March 4, 1933. Find out more about the longest serving president in our nation’s history by visiting the Today…
Today in History–November 14–the Library of Congress features composer Aaron Copland, born on this day in 1900. Copland created scores that simplified music and expressed the American experience. Learn more about this prolific artist by visiting the Today in History section, then click the links below to access more Copland treasures. Primary sources The Aaron Copland…
Today in History–September 21–the Library of Congress features the beginning of publication of the nation’s first daily newspaper, the Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser, on this day in 1784. Prior to 1784 the newspaper’s publisher, John Dunlap, had published a weekly newspaper. Dunlap’s shop had also printed the first broadside copies of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Continuing to serve…