Congratulations to Tyson Reeder, the winner of this year’s George Washington Prize!
His book Serpent in Eden: Foreign Meddling and Partisan Politics in James Madison’s America (Oxford Academic, 2024) was celebrated on October 8 at an award ceremony in New York City hosted by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, and Washington College.
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 new self-paced course, led by Mia Bay of the University of Cambridge, uses the life of Ida B. Wells as a focal point for understanding Black history in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Image: Ida B. Wells-Barnett by Oscar B. Willis, ca. 1894 (New York Public Library Digital Collections)
15 Professional Development Hours
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
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.
Celebrate Valencia Abbott, the 2025 national winner, and history teachers nationwide!
In fewer than 275 words, Abraham Lincoln gave meaning to the Civil War.
Celebrate Evan Mawdsley, the 2024 Gilder Lehrman Military History Prize winner!
Deadline for scholars of American history to apply for a $3000 research fellowship.
Submit your best creative piece for the chance to see Hamilton in New York City! (Lottery deadline: February 15)
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.
History Matters, a collection of essays by David McCullough
Measuring the Man: The Writings of Frederick Douglass on Abraham Lincoln
Remember Us: American Sacrifice, Dutch Freedom, and a Forever Promise Forged in World War II
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)
Stay up to date with all the work that we do to combat historical illiteracy and invigorate the study of the past.
Catch up on the highlights from our work with students, teachers, researchers, and the general public.
See all official press releases for our important events, significant programs, and special initiatives.
