The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Dear Friend of the Gilder Lehrman Institute, Only 15% of eighth graders across the country are proficient in US history. Only 23% of them are competent in civics. These statistics represent a significant decline since 2014, according to the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress report.

This holiday season, the Gilder Lehrman Institute’s staff recommends their favorite history books, all of which can be purchased from the Gilder Lehrman Book Shop. Today, we feature GLI staff members Cassidy Hooker, Alinda Borell, Peter Shea, and Marissa Cheifetz explaining why they chose their books, all of which would make fun holiday gifts.

Yale University’s Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition today has announced the winners for the twenty-third annual Frederick Douglass Book Prize, one of the most coveted awards for the study of the African American experience. The 2021 Prize will be shared by two scholars.

This holiday season the Gilder Lehrman Institute’s staff is recommending their favorite books, which can be purchased from the Gilder Lehrman Book Shop. Over the next four weeks, we will feature GLI staff members explaining why they chose their books. This week, we feature veteran Education Department staffer Daniel Pecoraro and one of the newer members of the GLI team, Nathaniel Weisberg, Book Breaks and Program Coordinator.

This fall term marks the fourth year of the Pace–Gilder Lehrman MA in American History Program. During the past nine terms, we have offered 30 courses, admitted 1,500 students, and conferred 277 degrees––thanks to our cohort, faculty, and administrators. To highlight where we have been and where we are heading, we have created this MA Program newsletter.