In 1845, Congress designated the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November as Election Day for presidential elections by federal law.
Image: Campaign button from Lyndon Johnson's 1964 presidential campaign (Gilder Lehrman Institute, GLC09750)
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)
Originally known as Armistice Day, Veterans Day occurs on November 11 in honor of the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” of 1918 that marked the end of World War I.
Image: Detail from a World War I recruiting poster by Edward G. Renesch, Chicago, Illinois, 1918 (The Gilder Lehrman Institute, GLC06134)
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 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
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 holiday with historical documents, essays, videos, and lesson plans from the Gilder Lehrman Institute.
Celebrate Valencia Abbott, the 2025 national winner, and history teachers nationwide!
In fewer than 275 words, Abraham Lincoln gave meaning to the Civil War.
Last day for books to be nominated.
Deadline for scholars of American history to apply for a $3000 research fellowship has been extended to November 10.
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.
Remember Us: American Sacrifice, Dutch Freedom, and a Forever Promise Forged in World War II
The American Revolution: An Intimate History
Without Fear: Black Women and the Making of Human Rights
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.
See all official press releases for our important events, significant programs, and special initiatives.
