253 items
Bruce A. Ragsdale has served as the director of the Federal Judicial History Office at the Federal Judicial Center. Order Washington and the Plow at the Gilder Lehrman Book Shop We receive an affiliate commission from every purchase...
"No Small Potatoes: Junius G. Groves and His Kingdom in Kansas"
Junius G. Groves came from humble beginnings in the Bluegrass State. Born in Kentucky into slavery, freedom came when he was still a young man and he intended to make a name for himself. Along with thousands of other African...
Inside the Vault: Benjamin Franklin
On February 2, 2023, our curators discussed Benjamin Franklin’s copy of the US Constitution and Jean-Antoine Houdon’s bust of Franklin. They were joined by Liz Covart (Founding Director, Colonial Williamsburg Innovation Studios) and...
Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham - "From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans"
Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham is the Victor S. Thomas Professor of History and of African and African American Studies at Harvard University. Order From Slavery to Freedom at the Gilder Lehrman Book Shop We receive an affiliate...
The Right to Vote, Part 1: The Early Republic through the Civil War
The Right to Vote: Part 1 The Early Republic through the Civil War
Who could vote in the founding and Jacksonian eras? Scroll through to view the exhibition (above). Recorded readings of select components in the exhibition...
Inside the Vault: Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Voting Rights
On May 4, 2023, our curators were joined by Dr. Andrew Robertson (The Graduate Center and Lehman College, CUNY) to discuss materials related to eighteenth- and nineteenth-century voting rights. Dr. Robertson explained how voting...
Voting Rights and Restrictions in Pre-Emancipation America
Paragraphs
> Access this essay as a PDF , including key vocabulary terms and discussion questions, or read the text of the essay below. The concept of “democracy” changed throughout early American history. In...
Inside the Vault: The Whiskey Rebellion and United States Great Seal
On June 1, 2023, our curators were joined by Dr. Gautham Rao (American University) to discuss the Whiskey Rebellion and the United States Great Seal. The program explored the broader context of the Whiskey Rebellion and how it, like...
Inside the Vault: 1796 Civics Textbook
On July 6, 2023, our curators were joined by Dr. Adam Laats (Binghamton University) to discuss the 1796 book A Plain Political Catechism Intended for the Use of Schools in the United States of America . The program explored the...
John Wood Sweet- "The Sewing Girl's Tale: A Story of Crime and Consequences in Revolutionary America"
John Wood Sweet, a historian of early America, is the former director of the University of North Carolina’s interdisciplinary Program in Sexuality Studies. Order The Sewing Girl’s Tale at the Gilder Lehrman Book Shop We receive an...
Benjamin L. Carp - "The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution"
Benjamin L. Carp is the Daniel M. Lyons Professor of American History at Brooklyn College and also teaches at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Order The Great New York Fire of 1776 at the Gilder Lehrman Book...
Inside the Vault: The Reynolds Pamphlet
What led Alexander Hamilton to publish the infamous Reynolds Pamphlet (entitled Observations on Certain Documents . . . ) in which he confessed to an extramarital affair? What impact did it have on him, his family, and his career?...
H.W. Brands - "Founding Partisans: Hamilton, Madison, Jefferson, Adams and the Brawling Birth of American Politics"
H. W. Brands holds the Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History at the University of Texas at Austin. Order Founding Partisans at the Gilder Lehrman Book Shop We receive an affiliate commission from every purchase through the link...
Maurizio Valsania- "First Among Men: George Washington and the Myth of American Masculinity"
Maurizio Valsania is a professor of American history at the University of Turin, Italy. Order First Among Men at the Gilder Lehrman Book Shop We receive an affiliate commission from every purchase through the link provided. Thank you...
Steven Hahn - "Forging America: A Continental History"
Steven Howard Hahn is a professor of history at New York University. Order Forging America at the Gilder Lehrman Book Shop We receive an affiliate commission from every purchase through the link provided. Thank you for supporting our...
Jeffrey Rosen - "The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America"
Jeffrey Rosen is a legal scholar who serves as the president and CEO of the National Constitution Center and a professor of law at the George Washington University Law School. Order The Pursuit of Happiness at the Gilder Lehrman Book...
Brooke Barbier - "King Hancock: The Radical Influence of a Moderate Founding Father"
Brooke Barbier is a public historian and independent scholar with a doctorate in American history from Boston College. Order King Hancock at the Gilder Lehrman Book Shop We receive an affiliate commission from every purchase through...
Inside the Vault: Benjamin Banneker
Benjamin Banneker is known for his work in science, mathematics, and astronomy. In 1791, he wrote to Thomas Jefferson to point out the contradictions between the existence of slavery and the American ideals espoused in the...
Inside the Vault: Fighting for the Rights of Black Lives in the Founding Era
Prince Hall and James Forten protested the treatment of Black Americans during the Founding Era. In 1788 in Boston, Hall wrote a petition demanding the Massachusetts government protect Black sailors from being kidnapped and sold into...
"Eliza: The Story of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton"
This is a beautiful and informative biography featuring extensive back matter–including information about America’s revolution, the historical relevance of letter writing, and a timeline–and exquisite, thoroughly researched art that...
"Brick by Brick"
The home of the United States president was built by many hands, including those of enslaved persons, who undertook this amazing achievement long before there were machines to do those same jobs. Stirring and emotional, Floyd Cooper...
A brawl between Federalists and anti-Federalists, 1788
In 1787 and 1788, debates over the ratification of the Constitution took place in towns and villages across the country. To gain support, both Federalists and anti-Federalists held meetings and marches that sometimes became violent....
“Defence of Fort McHenry” or “The Star-Spangled Banner,” 1814
In September 1814, Francis Scott Key, an attorney and DC insider, watched the American flag rise over Baltimore, Maryland’s Fort McHenry from a British ship in the harbor. Key had been negotiating the release of an American captive...
Dayton Duncan & Ken Burns - "Blood Memory: The Tragic Decline and Improbable Resurrection of the American Buffalo"
Dayton Duncan is an award-winning writer and documentary filmmaker as well as the author of fourteen books. Ken Burns has been making documentary films for almost fifty years. Order Blood Memory at the Gilder Lehrman Book Shop We...
Kathleen DuVal - "Native Nations: A Millennium in North America"
Kathleen DuVal is a professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Order Native Nations at the Gilder Lehrman Book Shop We receive an affiliate commission from every purchase through the link provided. Thank...
Who is the "Father of Our Country"?
Who is the “Father of Our Country”? Explained by Denver Brunsman Associate Professor of History, George Washington University Question 69
Who was the first president?
Who was the first president? Explained by Denver Brunsman Associate Professor of History, George Washington University Question 70
What is freedom of religion?
What is freedom of religion? Explained by Phillip A. Jackson Rector, Trinity Church Wall Street Question 10
How many US senators are there?
How many US senators are there? Explained by Misha Matsumoto Yee Educator from Hawaii Question 18
We elect a US senator for how many years?
We elect a US senator for how many years? Explained by Misha Matsumoto Yee Educator from Hawaii Question 19
The House of Representatives has how many voting members?
The House of Representatives has how many voting members? Misha Matsumoto Yee Educator from Hawaii Question 21
We elect a US Representative for how many years?
We elect a US Representative for how many years? Explained by Misha Matsumoto Yee Educator from Hawaii Question 22
Who does a US senator represent?
Who does a US senator represent? Explained by Misha Matsumoto YeeYee Educator from Hawaii Question 24
Why do some states have more US representatives than other states?
Why do some states have more US representatives than other states? Explained by Misha Matsumoto Yee Educator from Hawaii Question 25
The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the US Constitution. Name one of the writers.
The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the US Constitution. Name one of the writers. Explained by Marc delaCruz Cast member from Hamilton Question 67
Spain's "Royal Gift" to George Washington, 1784
George Washington, as a landowner, was an agricultural scientist anxious to improve production on his plantations. His political experiences brought him into contact with agriculturalists from around the world and his military...
Spain's Multicultural Militias | Spanish Influence on American History
Notes on Spain's Multicultural Militias Featuring José Manuel Guerrero Acosta
English > In this video, military historian José Manuel Guerrero Acosta of the Academy of Military Arts and Sciences examines a primary source...
The Spirit of the Revolution Reaches Latin America | Spanish Influence on American History
The Spirit of the Revolution Reaches Latin America The Lost Legacy: Hispanic Heritage and the American Revolution
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Diplomacy and Partnership in the Time of the Revolution | Spanish Influence on American History
Diplomacy and Partnership in the Time of the Revolution
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Glory Liu- "Adam Smith's America: How a Scottish Philosopher Became an Icon of American Capitalism"
Glory Liu is the assistant director for the Center for Economy and Society and assistant research professor at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Order Adam Smith’s America at the Gilder Lehrman Book Shop We receive...
US Constitution | Elementary Curriculum
Elementary Curriculum: US Constitution Find lesson plans, student activity sheets, interactive resources, classroom videos, and free professional development resources to expand your knowledge of the US Constitution. Image: Junius Brutus Stearns,...
Lesson Plans
Lesson Plans "Taking a Stand for Voting Rights: Six States, Six Stories, One Goal" This unit, written by 2010 National History Teacher of the Year Nathan McAlister, is one of the Gilder Lehrman Institute’s Teaching Civics through History (TCTH)...
Discovering Diego de Gardoqui | Spanish Influence on American History
Discovering Diego de Gardoqui
> An approach to the figure of Diego María de Gardoqui y Arriquibar (Bilbao, 1735 - Turin, 1798), merchant, diplomat and first representative of the Spanish Crown in the newborn United States...
Lindsay M. Chervinsky - "Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic"
Lindsay M. Chervinsky is the executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library. Order Making the Presidency at the Gilder Lehrman Book Shop We receive an affiliate commission from every purchase through the link...
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