In October 1862, Mathew Brady opened a photography exhibition at his studio in New York City. EntitledThe Dead of Antietam, the exhibition attracted large crowds and brought the war home in a way that news articles and casualty listings could not. On October 20, 1862, aneditorial in theNew York Timesexplained that "the dead of the battle-field come up to us very rarely, even in dreams. We see the list in the morning paper at breakfast, but dismiss its recollection with the coffee. There is a confused mass of names, but they are all strangers; we forget the horrible…
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and Pace University offer a Master of Arts in American Historythrough online courses for K–12 educators. Applications are now open. Clickhereto apply.Course Spotlight: The American Civil Warwith Professor Allen Guelzo, Henry R. Luce Professor of the Civil War Era, and Director of Civil War Era Studies, Gettysburg CollegeThis course is an…
by Elena Colón-Marrero, Christopher Newport University Class of 2014One would think that growing up in a town rich in colonial and Civil War history would inspire an appreciation for that history. My experience living in Fredericksburg, Virginia, was quite the opposite. Fredericksburg’s history as a home for the Algonquian-speaking peoples, a port city in colonial Virginia, and a strategic location during the Civil War was all around me. However, I became desensitized due to numerous field trips to battlefields; constant…
The Gilder Lehrman Collection has more than 10,000 letters written by soldiers during the American Civil War, and when you read dozens or even hundreds of letters by the same person, it is very much like reality television. You become involved in the drama of their lives—the war, relationships, finances, and losses. You are withGeorge Tillotson when he learns his four-year-old daughter Lucy died during an epidemicthat also threatened his other children. And you can ’t help but cringe when Charles Morey is killed…
On October 3, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued aproclamationcalling on all Americans "in every part of the United States . . . to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a Day of Thanksgiving and Prayer to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens."Though the United States was embroiled in a bloody and destructive civil war, President Lincoln reminded the nation that there was still much to be thankful for: "The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the…
On December 22, 1864, Union General William T. Sherman senta messageto President Lincoln from Georgia, saying, "I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah, with one hundred and fifty heavy guns and plenty of ammunition, and also about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton."From November 15 until December 21, Sherman had led his notoriously destructive "March to the Sea" from the captured city of Atlanta to Savannah. Supporters of the Union applauded Sherman’s March, while Southerners were especially horrified by the actions of troops under his command.Sherman’s March…
Vivandieres, sometimes known as cantinieres, were women who followed the army to provide support for the troops. Ideally, a vivandiere would have been a young woman—the daughter of an officer or wife of a non-commissioned officer—who wore a uniform and braved battles to provide care for wounded soldiers on the battlefield. The history of vivandieres can be traced to the French Zouave regiments in the Crimean War. By 1859, many local militia regiments in the United States had adopted the name "Zouave," wore colorful uniforms, and adopted the practice of having a "daughter…
Join uson April 14, 2022, at 7:45 pm (ET) for the thirty-second annual Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize!The prize is awarded annually for the finest scholarly work in English on Abraham Lincoln, the American Civil War soldier, or the American Civil War era. The award includes a $50,000 prize and a bronze replica of Augustus Saint-Gaudens’s life-sized bust, Lincoln the Man.The 2022 Laureate is Caroline E. Janney for her book Ends of War: The…
This July onInside the Vault, the online program that highlights unique primary sources from the Gilder Lehrman Collection, we will feature pivotal moments in American progress, from the Declaration of Independence to the brave charge of the African American soldiers of the Massachusetts 54th Volunteer Infantry on Battery Wagner during the Civil War.On Thursday, July 1, we discover how the news of the Declaration of Independence was received and learn the history behind the William J. Stone printing of the Declaration.…
Due to popular demand, registration has been re-opened for select2021 Teacher Seminarstaking place July 12 through August 12.The deadline to register isFriday, July 9at 5 p.m. ET.Courses re-opened includeAfrican American History since EmancipationThe American Civil WarAmerican Indian History: Case StudiesThe American PresidencyBlack Women’s HistoryColonial North AmericaThe Life and Writings of Frederick DouglassLives of the EnslavedRace and…
The Institute co-sponsors four national book prizes annually. Each recognizes the best book of the year in its field. A jury of leading scholars evaluates the entries and presents the top choices to the prize’s board for final selection. The winner is honored at an award ceremony providing an opportunity for the public, including teachers and students, to hear the author speak.We always welcome submissions of books that bear a copyright date in the current year and which conform to the following criteria:Gilder Lehrman Lincoln PrizeThe prize is awar…
Registration for the 2020 Gilder Lehrman Teacher Seminars is now open!In its 25th year of offering dynamic, content-rich Teacher Seminars led by the top scholars in the country, the Gilder Lehrman Institute announces that, in addition to 6-Day Teacher Seminars and the inauguralTeacher Seminar Summit, 3-Day Teacher Seminars will be offered. These four regional seminars are rigorous workshops designed to help teachers receive exceptional professional development without traveling far from home.Particularly convenient for teachers unable to commit to a 6-Day Seminar, these 3-…
TheLincoln Prizehas been awarded annually since 1990 to a work that enhances the general public’s understanding of the Civil War era. Prize winners have included Doris Kearns Goodwin (2006), Eric Foner (2011), and David Blight (2002 and 2019).Gettysburg College and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History have announced the finalists for the 2021 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize. They are•Alice Baumgartner,South to Freedom: Runaway Slaves to Mexico and the Road to the Civil…
June 16–22Thirty-four K–12 teachers attendedNew Orleans and the History of the American Southat the Historic New Orleans Collection led by Pamela Tyler, Associate Professor of History (retired), University of Southern Mississippi, with Master Teacher Ron Nash. In addition to participating in Professor Tyler’s lectures and discussions, the group visited the New Orleans Jazz Museum. Thirty-four K–12 teachers participated inEveryday Life in Colonial America led by John Demos,…
At this evening’s Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize Ceremony, at the Union League Club in New York City, we will honor James B. Conroy and Douglas R. Egerton for their outstanding scholarly works on Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. The Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize, sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute and Gettysburg College, is a $50,000 prize awarded annually for the finest scholarly work in English on Abraham Lincoln, the American Civil War soldier, or the American…
High School DivisionClick on the title to view a pdf of a winning essay.First PrizeAnjelica Matcho,Bridgewater Raritan High School, Bridgewater, New Jersey"Dethroning King Cotton: The Failed Diplomacy of the Confederacy"Second PrizeStefano E. Jacobson,Collegiate School, New York, New York"Andrew Johnson’s Pardoning Policy and the Failure of Freedmen’s Land Ownership during Reconstruction"Third PrizeDante Mangiaracina,Collegiate School, New York, New York"The Army for Lincoln in 1864: Electing the…
Read aboutphotography in the 19th century, exploreselect images from the American Civil War, andcreate your own Civil War-era portrait.
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and Gettysburg College have partnered to offer the newGettysburg College–Gilder Lehrman MA in American History, an affordable, fully online master’s degree program, led by renowned, award-winning historians, that brings together the leading non-profit American history organization and one of the nation’s top liberal arts colleges.The Gettysburg College–Gilder Lehrman MA in American History is open to K–12 educators, librarians, district supervisors, National…
Gettysburg College and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History have announced thefinalists for the 2020 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize.Eric Foner,The Second Founding: How the Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution(W.W. Norton and Company)Matthew Fox-Amato,Exposing Slavery: Photography, Human Bondage, and the Birth of Modern Visual Politics in America(Oxford University Press)Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers,They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South(Yale University Press)W. Caleb…
Please join us onApril 19for the Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize ceremony. One of the most prestigious awards for the study of Abraham Lincoln, the American Civil War soldier, or the American Civil War era, this $50,000 prize is sponsored jointly by the Gilder Lehrman Institute and Gettysburg College.We invite teachers, students, and history lovers to join us for this special virtual event, where we will celebrate both the 2020 and 2021 winners of the Gilder Lehrman Lincoln…
Gettysburg College and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History announced today thatElizabeth R. Varon, author ofArmies of Deliverance: A New History of the Civil War(Oxford University Press), is the recipient of the 2020 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize. A specialist in the Civil War era and the nineteenth-century South, Varon is on the Executive Council of the John L. Nau III Center for Civil War History and Langbourne M. Williams Professor of …
Gettysburg College and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History have announced the finalists for the 2021 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize. They are•Alice Baumgartner,South to Freedom: Runaway Slaves to Mexico and the Road to the Civil War(Basic Books)•Adrian Brettle,Colossal Ambitions: Confederate Planning for a Post-Civil War World (University of Virginia Press)•Thavolia Glymph,The Women’s Fight: The Civil…
Gettysburg College and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History have announced the finalists for the 2020 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize:Eric Foner,The Second Founding: How the Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution(W.W. Norton and Company)Matthew Fox-Amato,Exposing Slavery: Photography, Human Bondage, and the Birth of Modern Visual Politics in America(Oxford University Press)Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers,They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South(Yale University Press)W. Caleb…
The American Civil War is remembered as being the bloodiest and most devastating of all the wars this country has faced. Brother, it is often said, fought brother. Families and friends were divided. The country nearly split in two, while enslaved people suffered inhuman degradation, and soldiers, some of whom had been enslaved, fought brutal battles and endured sickness, famine, and the elements as they clashed. In previous generations, our collective memory of the war was shaped by books and articles,…
Gilder Lehrman graduate courses led by eminent historians have been running since Summer 2014. Select courses are now available online asSelf-Paced Courseswith professional development credits.In Conjunction with Pace University[collapse collapsed title=2018-2019]Fall 2018Women in the American Revolution, Prof. Carol Berkin, Baruch CollegeThe American Civil War, Prof. Allen Guelzo, Princeton UniversityWorld War II, Prof. Michael Neiberg, US Army War CollegeRace and Rights in…