In 2021, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, first celebrated in California in 1992, was proclaimed by the president as a federal holiday to be observed on the same day as Columbus Day, which is established by Congress.
Image: “Their Sitting at Meate,” engraving number 16 from De Bry, 1590. (New York Public Library Digital Collections)
Journalist Charles C. Mann examines the population density and extensive land development in the Americas before Columbus’s arrival, as well as the rapid depopulation caused by the introduction of European and African diseases, which led Europeans to believe the land was a vast, empty wilderness.
On August 3, 1492, Columbus set sail from Spain to find an all-water route to Asia. On October 12, more than two months later, Columbus landed on an island in the Bahamas that he called San Salvador; the natives called it Guanahani.
Joe Morris Sr. was one of four hundred “code talkers” who used Native American languages to develop codes for military communication during WWI and WWII. The contributions of the Navajo code talkers were classified until 1968.
Author Nicole Eustace tells a story of murder and Indigenous justice in early America in her book, Covered with Night: A Story of Murder and Indigenous Justice in Early America.
Our Classroom-Ready PD series is designed to provide teachers with ready-made, classroom-friendly resources on topics in American history that are at the forefront of current events.
Self-Paced Courses offer graduate-level online instruction in American history by eminent historians. Courses are available to watch or listen to on your own time and at your own pace. Teachers can also get certificates for CEU credits.
History Now, the online journal of the Gilder Lehrman Institute, features essays by the nation’s leading historians.
Full Issues
Essays
These informative, colorful pop-up displays cover subjects in American history, from leading figures like Alexander Hamilton to important events like World War I and topics like immigration.
Each Spotlight on a document from the Gilder Lehrman Collection provides explanatory text, a transcript, and an image of the featured document.
Explore more about Columbus/Indigenous Peoples Day with talks by eminent scholars.
Book Breaks is a free weekly public program where hosts interview scholars about their new books.
Inside the Vault highlights unique primary sources from the Gilder Lehrman Collection each month.
