Read the latest issue and explore the hundreds of essays in our History Now archive.
Image: Madam C. J. Walker, driving, with (left to right) niece Anjetta Breedlove, factory forelady Alice Kelly, and bookkeeper Lucy Flint, ca. 1911 (Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library)
Take the quiz once to reveal your true historical nature . . . or take it multiple times to discover the many sides of revolution.
Perfect for history lovers and students in grade 6 and up.
Image: Students performing in the Hamilton Education Program
Congratulations to Justene Hill Edwards, the winner of this year’s Frederick Douglass Book Prize!
Her book Savings and Trust: The Rise and Betrayal of the Freedman’s Bank (W. W. Norton and Company) will be celebrated on February 12, 2026, at Trinity Church NYC. The award ceremony will be free and open to the public.
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
K–12 educators and aspiring educators can earn their graduate degree in this affordable, online, accredited program. Applications are open year-round and are reviewed on a rolling basis.
Spring course registration is now open.
Image: Master’s Degree in American History Commencement at Gettysburg College (Photograph by Jason Minick)
The 2026 Citizenship Challenge contest is now open, allowing students in our Affiliate School network to creatively showcase their understanding of American history, civics, and the naturalization exam by creating a new exam question.
This new Self-Paced Course examines twelve military engagements—on both land and sea—that had a major impact on the course of American history.
Image: “6. Landing at Inchon,” Fight the Red Menace: The Children’s Crusade Against Communism trading cards, Bowman Gum Company, Philadelphia, PA, 1951. (The Gilder Lehrman Institute, GLC09627.06.01)
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.
Q&A session for prospective students to learn about the Gettysburg College–Gilder Lehrman master’s degree program.
Washington’s army struggled to survive with dwindling supplies, disease, and harsh weather.
Join us as we celebrate and recommit ourselves to the rising generation and the future of our democracy.
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.
Last day for books to be nominated.
Welcome to the Hamilton Education Program, which is free and open to students in grades 6–12, anywhere, whether learning at home with their family or under a teacher’s supervision at school.
In creating the musical Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda transformed historical documents into powerful art that challenges our understanding of the past and present. You can do the same.
Image: Students at a performance of Hamilton
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.
John Doe Chinaman: A Forgotten History of Chinese Life Under American Racial Law
Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters
Capitalism: A Global History
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.
See all official press releases for our important events, significant programs, and special initiatives.
