69,889 items
The Gilder Lehrman Institute will be sponsoring the following events in the coming year: Wednesday, February 28, 2024: Frederick Douglass Book Prize Thursday, April 4, 2024 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize * by invitation only Tuesday,...
Understanding Lincoln: First Inaugural Address (1861)
Watch this close reading of a document by Abraham Lincoln, with Dickinson College historian Matthew Pinsker.
Understanding Lincoln: House Divided Speech (1858)
Understanding Lincoln: House Divided Speech Historian Matthew Pinsker discusses Lincoln's famous speech.
World War I poems: “In Flanders Fields” and “The Answer,” 1918
Ella Osborn’s 1918 diary provides insight into the experiences of an American nurse serving in France at the end of World War I. In addition to her notes about the men under her care and events in France, Osborn jotted down two...
Veterans Legacy Program | Digital Exhibitions
Their Full Measure: Digital Exhibition Veterans Legacy Program This online exhibition explores the lives of nineteen military service personnel in six conflicts: Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Cold War (Vietnam and...
Veterans Legacy Program | Professional Development
Professional Development Veterans Legacy Program These professional development recordings explore the sacrifices, strengths, and legacies of American Veterans and Service Members across six major conflicts in United States history. Watch these...
Announcing the 2024 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize Finalists
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2024 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize: Frank J. Cirillo , The Abolitionist Civil War: Immediatists and the Struggle to Transform the Union ...
Evaluating Lyndon B. Johnson’s Character and Efforts during the Civil Rights Era
Background Information In 1969 Thomas Baker conducted an interview with Roy Wilkins, executive directory of the NAACP, based on Wilkins’s experiences with Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. This abridged version of the...
History U | Lyndon Johnson and American Liberalism
Lyndon Johnson and American Liberalism Watch Michael Flamm, Professor of History, Ohio Wesleyan University discuss Lyndon Johnson as part of the History U course "1960s in Historical Perspective."
The Gilder Lehrman Institute’s...
History U | The Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation Watch Denver Brunsman, Associate Professor of History at George Washington University, discuss the Articles of Confederation as part of the History U course "Foundations of American Government."
The...
History U | American Indian History Introduction
American Indian History Introduction Watch Ned Blackhawk (Western Shoshone), Howard R. Lamar Professor of History and American Studies at Yale University, introduce his History U course "American Indian History: Recasting the Narrative"
...
Nominations Now Open for the 2024 National History Teacher of the Year
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History celebrates outstanding K–12 educators, providing a valuable opportunity to recognize and embrace diversity in education New York, February 12, 2024—Nominations are now open for the...
Join Us This Summer for an Inspiring Educational Journey at Gettysburg College
The Gilder Lehrman Teacher Symposium at Gettysburg College , running from July 7 to July 10, 2024, is a four-day residential program that allows K–12 educators to collaborate with other passionate educators, explore innovative...
"On Juneteenth": A Conversation with Annette Gordon-Reed
Recording of a Book Talk on On Juneteenth presented by author Annette Gordon-Reed (Harvard University) in conversation with Edward L. Ayers (University of Richmond).
Barack Obama’s First Inaugural Address, 2009
The inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States in 2009 was a historic moment not only because Obama was the first African American ever sworn into executive office but also because he entered the presidency at a...
President Ford’s remarks in Japan, 1974
In November 1974, Gerald Ford became the first sitting American president to visit Japan—the trip was also Ford’s first abroad since replacing Nixon in August of that year. He used the trip to reinforce US-Japanese relations, and in...
John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, 1961
On January 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the thirty-fifth President of the United States. His short, fourteen-minute inaugural address is best remembered for a single line: "My fellow Americans: ask not what your country...
The struggle for married women’s rights, circa 1880s
In the early nineteenth century, married women in the US were legally subordinate to their husbands. Wives could not own their own property, keep their own wages, or enter into contracts. Beginning in 1839, states slowly began to...
The "House Divided" Speech, ca. 1857–1858
By 1850, the extension of slavery into the new territories won through the Mexican-American War of 1846–1848 provided a testing ground for competing visions of America. The passage of the Fugitive Slave Law in 1850 and the Kansas...
Buying Frederick Douglass’s freedom, 1846
After he had escaped from slavery in 1838, Frederick Douglass became a well-known orator and abolitionist. He wrote an autobiography in 1845, but because he was a runaway slave, its publication increased the chances that he would be...
Lydia Maria Child on women’s rights, 1843
The best-known work of the poet and novelist Lydia Maria Child may be her poem "Over the River and through the Woods," but she is also remembered for her compelling objections to slavery and her support for underrepresented groups....
Hamilton’s Report on the Subject of Manufactures, 1791
When George Washington became president in 1789, he appointed Alexander Hamilton as his secretary of the Treasury. Hamilton’s vision for the economic foundation of the United States included three main programs: 1) the federal...
Phillis Wheatley’s poem on tyranny and slavery, 1772
Born in Africa, Phillis Wheatley was captured and sold into slavery as a child. She was purchased by John Wheatley of Boston in 1761. The Wheatleys soon recognized Phillis’s intelligence and taught her to read and write. She became...
President Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address, 1861
On March 4, 1861, the day Abraham Lincoln was first sworn into office as President of the United States, the Chicago Tribune printed this special pamphlet of his First Inaugural Address. In the address, the new president appealed to...
Sir Francis Drake’s attack on St. Augustine, 1586
Five years after leading the first English circumnavigation of the globe in 1577–1580, Sir Francis Drake led a raid against Spanish settlements in the Caribbean including Santiago, Santo Domingo, and Cartagena, as well as St....
Eleanor Roosevelt’s four basic rights, 1944
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, a lifelong advocate of equal rights, used her position as First Lady to advocate against discrimination in the United States. However, Mrs. Roosevelt’s ideas were not embraced by everyone in the pre-civil...
The origins of FDR’s New Deal, 1932
When the nation fell into the Great Depression following the stock market crash of 1929, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was serving as New York’s governor and was responsible for shaping the state’s response to the crisis. The origins of...
Voting Rights
Voting Rights Teaching Civics through History In this unit, students will develop knowledgeable and well-reasoned points of view on the history of voting rights in the United States. Image Source : “The First Vote” in Harper’s Weekly , November 16,...
Self-Paced Courses | Frequently Asked Questions
If you have further questions, please contact us at selfpacedcourses@gilderlehrman.org PART I: SELF-PACED COURSE PURCHASE AND ACCESS How do I sign up for a course? The 50 courses we currently offer are located on the first page of our...
Explore Black History Month Resources
In celebration of Black History Month, the Gilder Lehrman Institute highlights resources for studying Black history in America through curated groupings of documents and accompanying materials. Frederick Douglass Resources The Gilder...
Frederick Douglass Resources
Frederick Douglass, the “Prophet of Freedom,” was a prolific writer and speaker whose legacy of activism continues to inspire the world. The Gilder Lehrman Institute is fortunate to have several original Frederick Douglass documents...
Inside the Vault: Lincoln’s Refusal to Pardon Nathaniel Gordon
“It becomes my painful duty to admonish the prisoner that, relinquishing all expectation of pardon by Human Authority, he refer himself alone to the mercy of the Common God and Father of all men.” —Abraham Lincoln, February 4, 1862...
Hamilton Education Program | About the Hamilton Education Program
In October 2015, Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, The Rockefeller Foundation, the NYC Department of Education, and the Gilder Lehrman Institute announced an educational partnership to provide...
How to Participate in the Hamilton Education Program
Thank you for your interest in the Hamilton Education Program. Middle and high school students in Title I schools are currently eligible to participate in the program. If you are from a school , please register your interest in...
Announcing the 2024 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize Finalists
New York, NY, February 1, 2024 —The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2024 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize: Frank J. Cirillo , The Abolitionist Civil War: Immediatists and the...
Nominate a Teacher for the 2024 National History Teacher of the Year
Nominations are open for the 2024 National History Teacher of the Year Award ! Each year, we honor 53 teachers from across the country who have made an impact in their school community. We encourage you to submit a nomination for a...
Immigrants and Immigration in the Age of Lincoln
Immigrants and Immigration in the Age of Lincoln Led by : Prof. Harold Holzer (Hunter College, CUNY) Course Number : AMHI 679 Semesters : Spring 2024 Image: Engraving of Abraham Lincoln, circa 1892 (Gilder Lehrman Institute, GLC07102.05)
...
Securing the Right to Vote: The Selma-to-Montgomery Story
Essential Question What conditions created the need for a protest march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965, and what did that march achieve? Background Throughout American history, African Americans have struggled to gain...
Colonists Divided: A Revolution and a Civil War
Background The Stamp Act, the Quartering Act, the Declaratory Act, the Sugar Act, and the Tea Act were just a few of the many policies Great Britain enacted in the British North American colonies in the eighteenth century. To many...
Collection Programs | Student Transcription Project
Welcome to the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Digital Volunteer Transcription Project. You may start transcribing documents from the Gilder Lehrman Collection by selecting one of the projects below and logging in with...
“A City upon a Hill” from John Winthrop’s “A Modell of Christian Charity,” 1630
Click here to download this four-lesson unit.
Bill & Lia Poorvu, 2024 Gala Honorees
Bill & Lia Poorvu, 2024 Gala Honorees
Bill Poorvu Bill Poorvu is an entrepreneur and educator with more than sixty years of experience in his fields. He holds a BA from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard University....
Ruth & Sid Lapidus, 2024 Gala Honorees
Ruth & Sid Lapidus, 2024 Gala Honorees
Ruth Lapidus Ruth Lapidus graduated from the Bronx High School of Science and Hunter College in New York City. She has an MA in public health administration from Pace University and...
Generations of Chinese in America, 1880s–1940s/1940s–1990s
Click here to download Unit 1. Click here to download Unit 2.
Showing results 201 - 250