The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

General Resources

While most teachers are expert in finding sources for the classroom, we all know that no one can keep track of everything in the fast-breaking world of 21st century information technology. That's where HISTORY NOW and I can be of some help. Don't hesitate to let me know, however, when I'm giving you the wrong kind of help. HISTORY NOW is a work in progress, and the format and content of the Archivist's contributions will be the subject of continuing attention and revision.

Before I turn to specific suggestions for the topics discussed in the articles and lesson plans in this issue, I'll offer a few suggestions for broadly useful websites you may want to add to the list "Favorites" or "Bookmarks" on your Internet browser.

1. If you don't know about it already, turn to the History and Social Studies section of the National Endowment for the Humanities' (NEH's) "Edsitement" website. You're probably familiar with the NEH's programs for educators, so you won't be surprised that their site offers excellent lesson plans and links to websites useful to classroom teachers.

http://edsitement.neh.gov/tab_lesson.asp?subjectArea=3

2. On the most general level, I'd suggest that you take a look at the University of Michigan's "Internet Public Library" site:

http://www.ipl.org/div/about/

Within this site, you'll probably want to focus on the "History - North America" section

http://www.ipl.org/div/subject/browse/hum30.55.00

but don't ignore the broader scope of the site. You'll find links here to research materials and reference tools on the Web.

Finally, a word about a few websites that you'll find cited in every issue of History Now.

3. First, there's the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website. This site includes images and transcriptions of hundreds of documents in the Gilder Lehrman Collection, a number that is constantly increasing. The site also provides lesson plans, quizzes and other resources for teachers:

www.gilderlehrman.org

4. There is the more broad-based "American Memory" series at the Library of Congress. This website is dedicated to the Internet publication of the Library's American history collections in all formats - photos, newspapers, books, manuscripts, broadsides, and pamphlets. You'll see several elements of "American Memory" highlighted in the lists of resources for this issue, but give yourself time to go to the website to review the breadth of choices offered in the list of all collections so far included in this series:

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amtitle.html

5. Lastly, there is the "Digital History" Website, the product of a collaboration among the Chicago Historical Society/University of Houston, Museum of Fine Arts of Houston, the Gilder Lehrman Institute, and the U.S. Park Service:

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/

General resources on U.S. holidays

In recent years, scholars have begun to examine closely the ways in which Americans celebrate the events of their own history – the adoption of holidays, parades and music, popular poems and sermons, pageants and religious services. These books and articles deal with nationwide celebrations:

Dennis, Matthew. Red, White, and Blue Letter Days: An American Calendar (2002), which races the development of Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Columbus Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday. (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2002).

Lavin, Maud, ed. The Business of Holidays (New York: Monacelli Press, 2004.) A collection of essays on the commercialization of American holidays

Litwicki, Ellen M. America's Public Holidays, 1865-1920. (Washington: Smithsonian Institute Press, 2000)

Santino, Jack. All Around the Year: Holidays and Celebrations in American Life. (Urbana: U. of Illinois Press, 1994)

Schmidt, Leigh Eric. Consumer Rites: The Buying and Selling of American Holidays. (Princeton: Princeton U. Press, 1995)