K–12 teachers: Study with world-renowned scholars and earn PD credits! Learn about our professional development opportunities this summer:
Image: Teachers on the Gettysburg Battlefield (Photograph by Jason Minick)
20 Programs
In Person & Online
Native American Heritage Month is observed in November to highlight the culture, traditions, and achievements of the nation’s original inhabitants and their descendants.
Image: Hillside with cemetery and three Native American men on horseback. Photograph by Joseph K. Dixon, ca. 1908–1920 (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC03911.08.05)
An award ceremony honoring Evan Mawdsley and the two finalists for the prize, Tim Cook and Vaughn Scribner, will be held on December 2, 2025, at the Yale Club of New York. The event is free and open to the public.
Register below or write to events@gilderlehrman.org for further information.
Image: U.S.S. Intrepid CV.II in the Pacific, 1941-1945. (The Gilder Lehrman Institute, GLC09544.20)
K–12 educators can earn their graduate degree in this affordable, online, accredited program. Applications are open all year and are reviewed on a rolling basis.
Spring registration opens on Monday, November 24.
Image: Jason Minick, Gettysburg College, Master’s Degree in American History Commencement
History Now, the Gilder Lehrman Institute’s quarterly journal featuring essays by leading historians, is free and open to all!
Read the latest issue and explore the hundreds of essays in our History Now archive.
Image: Thomas Moran, The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, oil on canvas, 1893–1901 (Smithsonian American Art Museum)
This new unit is part of the History School Book Club. The founding era refers to the period in American history from approximately 1774 to 1797, encompassing the Revolutionary War, the establishment of the United States, and the creation of its foundational government.
Image: A detail from an engraving of Benjamin Franklin by Edward Savage, published in London, ca. 1800 (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC04952)
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is excited to introduce our new Citizenship hub. Take the US Naturalization Exam—available in short, intermediate, full, and Kahoot! formats—and receive real-time feedback on your results!
This Self-Paced Course examines the development of the American Civil Rights Movement from roughly the Reconstruction era through the early twenty-first century, paying particular attention to the ways the movement unfolded in the American South, the region of the country that served as the tactical, political, and intellectual epicenter.
Image: Marion S. Trikosko, Marchers with SCLC sign for the Savannah Freedom Now Movement during the March on Washington, August 28, 1963 (Library of Congress)
15 Professional Development Hours
To make room for all the exciting new exhibitions, the Gilder Lehrman Institute is offering select used copies for 75% off the purchase price! These exhibitions have previously traveled the country as part of our rental program and remain in good condition. Used exhibition purchases are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Photos are available in the shop for you to review your exhibition before purchasing. Visit the shop now to claim your copy!
Our master’s degree program gives K–12 educators an affordable way to earn a graduate degree while working full time.
Explore American history from your own home, in your own time, and at your own pace! Educators can obtain professional development credit.
Free, self-paced courses in American history for high school students. Students must be 13 or older to register for a course.
Deepen your knowledge of this commemorative month with historical documents, essays, videos, and lesson plans from the Gilder Lehrman Institute.
Celebrate Evan Mawdsley, the 2024 Gilder Lehrman Military History Prize winner!
Henry Knox and his teamsters moved 60 tons of artillery across snow and ice to help drive the British out of Boston.
Submit your best creative piece for the chance to see Hamilton in New York City! (Lottery deadline: February 15)
Students in the tri-state area and Pennsylvania can submit a performance piece about how New York City has shaped history and inspired the world.
Last day for books to be nominated.
Every Sunday at 2:00 pm ET (11:00 am PT) on Zoom
Join us for our weekly interview series in which historians discuss their acclaimed books followed by a Q&A with the at-home audience. Please click any of the upcoming episodes to register. You can purchase any of the books featured on our bookshop.org page, for which we receive an affiliate commission.
Without Fear: Black Women and the Making of Human Rights
The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America
The Greatest Sentence Ever Written
In 1991, Richard Gilder and Lewis Lehrman embarked on a mission to create one of the most important repositories of historical American documents in the country. Today, the Gilder Lehrman Collection comprises over 87,000 items that document the political, social, and economic history of the United States.
We hold many rare copies of foundational American documents, like this first draft of the US Constitution
Discover 2,000+ individuals who lived through the American Revolution, like the poet Phillis Wheatley.
Bring history to life with visual sources, like this US War Department recruitment poster (ca. 1944–1945).
In addition to documents, the Collection includes objects, like this campaign button for Lyndon Johnson.
Our Collection highlights the contributions of many Americans, like those of a female pilot in the 1910s.
Explore the fight against slavery through abolitionist writings, like this note by Frederick Douglass.
The Online Journal of the Gilder Lehrman Institute
Published four times a year, History Now features essays by the nation’s leading historians for teachers, students, and general readers.
History Now is free for everyone and does not require a subscription or login.
Learn about the historical research process in this step-by-step guide. As you progress, you will have opportunities to apply what you are learning.
Image: American Servicemen and women in Paris celebrating the unconditional surrender of the Japanese, August 15, 1945 (National Archives, 111-SC-210241)
See all official press releases for our important events, significant programs, and special initiatives.
