Search | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

90,989 items

History Now Essay

The Indians’ War of Independence

Colin G. Calloway

Geography, Government and Civics, World History

9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson clearly described the role of American Indians in the American Revolution. In addition to his other oppressive acts, King George III had "endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of...

Appears in:

21 | The American Revolution Fall 2009

Essay

Reconstruction

Edward L. Ayers

In the twelve years after the Civil War—the era of Reconstruction—there were massive changes in American culture, economy, and politics. These were the years of the "Old West," of cowboys, Indians, and buffalo hunts, of cattle drives,...

Essay

The Failure of Compromise

Bruce Levine

Government and Civics

K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

In the spring of 1861, the United States of America split into two hostile countries—the United States and the new Confederate States of America. The two opposing heads of state agreed about what was causing the rupture—the long...

Essay

Colonization and Settlement, 1585–1763

John Demos

Economics, Geography, Government and Civics, Religion and Philosophy, World History

8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

American colonial history belongs to what scholars call the early modern period. As such, it is part of a bridge between markedly different eras in the history of the western world. On its far side lies the long stretch we call the...

Essay

Washington Encourages a Prospective Immigrant: The Economic Potential of the States in 1796

Mary-Jo Kline and Theodore J. Crackel

Geography

9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

During his second presidential term, George Washington enjoyed a lively correspondence with Sir John Sinclair, member of Parliament and leader of Britain’s scientific agriculture movement, on matters of mutual interest to the two...

History Now Essay

James Madison and the Constitution

Jack Rakove

Government and Civics

9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

James Madison had just turned twenty-five when he took up his first public office as a delegate to the Virginia provincial convention that endorsed American independence and then adopted a new constitution and an accompanying...

Appears in:

13 | The Constitution Fall 2007

History Now Essay

The Square Deal: Theodore Roosevelt and the Themes of Progressive Reform

Kirsten Swinth

Economics, Government and Civics, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math

9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Progressivism arrived at a moment of crisis for the United States. As the nineteenth century came to a close, just decades after the Civil War, many feared the nation faced another explosive and violent conflict, this time between the...

Appears in:

17 | Theodore Roosevelt and the Progressive Era Fall 2008

History Now Essay

Early America’s Jewish Settlers

Eli Faber

Religion and Philosophy

If you had the opportunity to create a new society from scratch, to build its institutions and establish its social structure from the ground up, how would you go about doing it? This is one of the most fruitful ways for teachers and...

Appears in:

29 | Religion in the Colonial World Fall 2011

History Now Essay

Natural Rights, Citizenship Rights, State Rights, and Black Rights: Another Look at Lincoln and Race

James Oakes

Government and Civics

9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Stephen Douglas was the first in a long line of observers frustrated by the inconsistent things Abraham Lincoln had to say about racial equality. In their fifth debate, at Galesburg, Illinois, on October 7, 1858, Douglas complained...

Appears in:

18 | Abraham Lincoln in His Time and Ours Winter 2008

History Now Essay

Technology of the 1800s

Brent D. Glass

Government and Civics, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math

9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

In his classic study, Democracy in America (1835–1840), Alexis de Tocqueville titled one of his chapters "Why the Americans are more Addicted to Practical rather than Theoretical Science." He observed that the political and social...

Appears in:

10 | Nineteenth Century Technology Winter 2006

Site Search

90,989 items

The Indians’ War of Independence

Reconstruction

The Failure of Compromise

Colonization and Settlement, 1585–1763

Washington Encourages a Prospective Immigrant: The Economic Potential of the States in 1796

James Madison and the Constitution

The Square Deal: Theodore Roosevelt and the Themes of Progressive Reform

Early America’s Jewish Settlers

Natural Rights, Citizenship Rights, State Rights, and Black Rights: Another Look at Lincoln and Race

Technology of the 1800s

Stay up to date, and subscribe to our quarterly newsletter.