974 items
In September 1780, the discovery of General Benedict Arnold’s plot to surrender West Point to the British was a deeply shocking revelation. Arnold, whose name is now synonymous with the word “traitor,” was once a well-respected...
"The Storyteller's Candle / La velita de los cuentos"
This is the story of librarian Pura Belpré, told through the eyes of two young children who are introduced to the library and its treasures just before Christmas. Lulu Delacre's lovely illustrations evoke New York City at the time of...
American Immigration History
Widely considered a wellspring for US greatness, immigration has also been a source and expression of our deepest conflicts. Immigrant diversity made the United States different from other countries in ways that have been essential to...
Inside the Vault: World War II Propaganda
On the October 7, 2021 session of Inside the Vault, Professor Michael Neiberg from the United States Army War College and Stacie Christensen, 2020 Idaho History Teacher of the Year, join us as we discuss World War II propaganda...
“The war ruined me”: The aftermath of the Civil War in the South, 1867
In the aftermath of the Civil War, former slaveholders struggled to adjust to the economic conditions resulting from the end of slavery as well as the destruction of plantations and markets and the population loss. Many southern...
A family torn apart by war, 1777
The Revolutionary War divided families. In 1774, eighteen-year-old Lucy Flucker married twenty-four-year-old Henry Knox. Lucy’s parents were powerful, wealthy Tories, and they were not happy with the match. Henry Knox was the son of...
“Columbia’s Noblest Sons”: George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, 1865
Abraham Lincoln’s death on April 14, 1865, stunned the nation. He was the first US president to be assassinated and the third to die in office. As Americans mourned, they also began to see him as a martyr and the savior of the Union....
Japanese announcement of the attack at Pearl Harbor, 1941
In January 1941, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto began developing a plan to attack the American base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. For eleven months, the Japanese continued to refine their plans while at the same time working diplomatically to...
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....
Map of the Foreign-Born Population of the United States, 1900
According to the 1900 census, the population of the United States was then 76.3 million. Nearly 14 percent of the population—approximately 10.4 million people—was born outside of the United States. Drawn by America’s labor...
A frightening mission over Iwo Jima, 1945
Lieutenant Bob Stone served as a bombardier in the 431st Bomb Squadron (Heavy), 7th United States Army Air Force in the Pacific. This Spotlight is part of a series of documents detailing the experience of airmen in World War II. Click...
A soldier’s reaction to the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1945
Lieutenant Bob Stone served as a bombardier in the 431st Bomb Squadron (Heavy), 7th United States Army Air Force in the Pacific. This Spotlight is part of a series of documents detailing the experience of airmen in World War II. Click...
The World War II experience of Robert L. Stone, 1942–1945
Lieutenant Robert “Bob” Stone served as a bombardier in the 431st Bomb Squadron (Heavy), 7th United States Army Air Force in the Pacific during World War II. Born on December 19, 1921 in New York City, Bob was a nineteen-year-old...
The Battle of Iwo Jima: A family waits for news, 1945
Lieutenant Bob Stone served as a bombardier in the 431st Bomb Squadron (Heavy), 7th United States Army Air Force in the Pacific. This Spotlight is part of a series of documents detailing the experience of airmen in World War II. Click...
Bob Stone joins the US Army Air Forces, 1943–1944
Lieutenant Bob Stone served as a bombardier in the 431st Bomb Squadron (Heavy), 7th US Army Air Force in the Pacific. This Spotlight is part of a series of documents detailing the experience of airmen in World War II. Click here for...
Elementary
For interactive maps, lesson plans, student activity sheets, primary sources, professional development courses, and more, scroll down past the interactive timeline to the buttons below.
“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...
Bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, 1963
On the morning of September 15, 1963, Denise McNair (age 11), Addie Mae Collins (age 14), Cynthia Wesley (age 14), and Carole Robertson (age 14) were killed when nineteen sticks of dynamite exploded at the Sixteenth Street Baptist...
Anti-Communist Trading Cards, 1951
On June 25, 1950, war broke out on the Korean peninsula when the Soviet-backed Communist forces in North Korea invaded the recently founded democratic republic of South Korea. Following a unanimous UN resolution condemning the...
"Men of Color, To Arms! To Arms," 1863
After the Emancipation Proclamation was enacted on January 1, 1863, Black leaders including Frederick Douglass swiftly moved to recruit African Americans as soldiers. “A war undertaken and brazenly carried on for the perpetual...
The Declaration at 250
“The Declaration at 250” is a multi-year, broad-based initiative by the Gilder Lehrman Institute to recognize the importance of the Declaration of Independence in the history of America, and of the world. The initiative will produce...
What did Susan B. Anthony do?
What did Susan B. Anthony do? Explained by Sara Charles Educator from New York Question 77
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
Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s
Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s. Explained by Chad L. Williams Samuel J. and Augusta Spector Professor of History and African and African American Studies, Brandeis University Question 72
...
What does the judicial branch do?
What does the judicial branch do? Explained by Raymond J. Lohier Jr. Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Question 37
What is the highest court in the United States?
What is the highest court in the United States? Explained by Raymond J. Lohier Jr. Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Question 38
How many justices are on the Supreme Court?
How many justices are on the Supreme Court? Explained by Raymond J. Lohier Jr. Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Question 39
Who was the first president?
Who was the first president? Explained by Denver Brunsman Associate Professor of History, George Washington University Question 70
Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s
Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s. Explained by Chad Williams Samuel J. and Augusta Spector Professor of History and African and African American Studies, Brandeis University Question 78
Who was president during World War I?
Who was president during World War I? Explained by Chad Williams Samuel J. and Augusta Spector Professor of History and African and African American Studies, Brandeis University Question 79
Who was president during the Great Depression and World War II?
Who was president during the Great Depression and World War II? Explained by Chad Williams Samuel J. and Augusta Spector Professor of History and African and African American Studies, Brandeis University Question 80
...
Who did the United States fight in World War II?
Who did the United States fight in World War II? Explained by Chad Williams Samuel J. and Augusta Spector Professor of History and African and African American Studies, Brandeis University Question 81
What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
What movement tried to end racial discrimination? Explained by Hasan Kwame Jeffries Associate Professor of History, The Ohio State University Question 84
What did Martin Luther King Jr. do?
What did Martin Luther King Jr. do? Explained by Hasan Kwame Jeffries Associate Professor of History, The Ohio State University Question 85
What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?
What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment? Explained by Raymond J. Lohier Jr. Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Question 6
Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
Why does the flag have 13 stripes? Explained by Marc delaCruz Cast member from Hamilton Question 96
Why does the flag have 50 stars?
Why does the flag have 50 stars? Explained by Marc delaCruz Cast member from Hamilton Question 97
What is the name of the national anthem?
What is the name of the national anthem? Explained by Marc delaCruz Cast member from Hamilton Question 98
What is freedom of religion?
What is freedom of religion? Explained by Phillip A. Jackson Rector, Trinity Church Wall Street Question 10
What is one reason colonists came to America?
What is one reason colonists came to America? Explained by Tim Bailey Educator from Utah Question 58
What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States?
What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States? Explained by Adam Stevens Educator from New York Question 86
When do we celebrate Independence Day?
When do we celebrate Independence Day? Explained by Adam Stevens Educator from New York Question 99
Name two national US holidays.
Name two national US holidays. Explained by Adam Stevens Educator from New York Question 100
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
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