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90,988 items

History Now Essay

From the Editor

Carol Berkin

The Declaration of Independence was written to explain the just causes for the Americans’ break with their mother country. In it, Thomas Jefferson carefully listed the American grievances against the king, creating a catalogue of...

Appears in:

63 | The Declaration of Independence and the Long Struggle for Equality in America Summer 2022

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2022 George Washington Prize Awarded to Bruce A. Ragsdale for “Washington at the Plow”

May 26, 2022, MOUNT VERNON, VA — Bruce A. Ragsdale has been awarded the 2022 George Washington Prize for his work Washington at the Plow: The Founding Farmer and the Question of Slavery . The annual award recognizes the past year’s...

History Now Essay

Polish Political Exiles and the Legacy of the American Revolution in the Antebellum US

Derek Kane O'Leary

World History

In the second of the Cabinet rap battles in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton (2015), Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton wage a fiery debate in 1796 about whether the US should honor its old treaty obligations to a newly...

Appears in:

63 | The Declaration of Independence and the Long Struggle for Equality in America Summer 2022

Essay

An Introduction to Juneteenth

Graham Hodges

Juneteenth is the most widely recognized, long-lived Black commemoration of slavery’s demise. Juneteenth marks June 19, 1865, when federal troops commanded by General George Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to proclaim freedom to...

News

2022 George Washington Prize Awarded to Bruce A. Ragsdale for “Washington at the Plow”

Bruce A. Ragsdale has been awarded the 2022 George Washington Prize for his work Washington at the Plow: The Founding Farmer and the Question of Slavery . The annual award recognizes the past year’s best works on the nation’s founding...

News

Announcing the Gilder Lehrman College Fellows in American History for 2022

The Gilder Lehrman Institute is pleased to announce the selection of ten Gilder Lehrman College Fellows in American History for 2022. Through its newly launched College Fellowship Program in American History, the Gilder Lehrman...

News

Announcing the Summer 2022 Issue of HISTORY NOW: The Declaration of Independence and the Long Struggle for Equality in America

The Summer 2022 issue of History Now , " The Declaration of Independence and the Long Struggle for Equality in America ," illustrates the ways in which the centuries-long struggle of African Americans, women, and others to achieve...

Video: Book Breaks

Megan Kate Nelson - "Saving Yellowstone: Exploration and Preservation in Reconstruction America"

Economics

Megan Kate Nelson is a writer and historian who has written about the Civil War, US western history, and American culture for the New York Times , the Washington Post , The Atlantic , Time , and Smithsonian Magazine . Order Saving...

Video: Book Breaks

Ricardo A. Herrera - "Feeding Washington's Army: Surviving the Valley Forge Winter of 1778"

Government and Civics

Ricardo A. Herrera is a professor of military history in the School of Advanced Military Studies at the US Army Command and General Staff College. Order Feeding Washington’s Army at the Gilder Lehrman Book Shop We receive an...

News

Cold War Video Series from Gilder Lehrman History School Wins Telly Award

The Gilder Lehrman Institute is proud to announce that the Cold War series created by Retro Report for the 2021 History School course led by 2018 National History Teacher of the Year Joe Welch is a Silver Winner in the Education &...

News

Four Book Breaks from the Archives for Juneteenth

Every week, the Gilder Lehrman Institute interviews award-winning historians about important topics in American history on Book Breaks . Our growing archive of past episodes serves as a diverse and abundant resource for students,...

Video: Book Breaks

C. Patrick Burrowes - "Liberia & the Quest for Freedom"

World History

Carl Patrick Burrows is a leading Liberian historian. He has served as vice president for academic affairs at Cuttington University and the Carter G. Woodson Distinguished Professor at Marshall University. Order Liberia & the...

Lesson Plan

Juneteenth and Emancipation

9, 10, 11, 12

Click to download this four-lesson unit.

News

Mix and Match Your Teacher Seminars: Examples from Real Teachers

Gilder Lehrman Institute Teacher Seminars —part of our 2022 Summer PD programming –are being held online this summer, which means teachers can participate from anywhere, even on vacation. But the quality is still top-notch, providing...

Program/Event

Celebrating American Historical Holidays

News

A New Resource Collection for Celebrating American Historical Holidays

Recognizing and celebrating historical holidays—from memorializations of monumental American figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. to remembrances of events like Juneteenth—offer entry points for a deeper exploration of the pivotal...

Video: Book Breaks

Jeanne Theoharis - "A More Beautiful and Terrible History: The Uses and Misuses of Civil Rights History"

Government and Civics, Literature

Jeanne Theoharis is a Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Brooklyn College. Order A More Beautiful and Terrible History at the Gilder Lehrman Book Shop We receive an affiliate commission from every purchase through the...

News

Celebrate the Fourth of July with Gilder Lehrman Resources and Book Breaks

Fourth of July Resources The Gilder Lehrman Institute invites everyone—students, teachers, and history enthusiasts—to visit our new Fourth of July resource page and explore materials related to American independence. Expect to find:...

Lesson Plan

What Does Liberty Look Like?

Government and Civics

" We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness ." Declaration of...

Video: Book Breaks

Elliott West - "The Essential West: Collected Essays"

Geography

Elliot West is an Alumni Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Arkansas Order The Essential West: Collected Essays at the Gilder Lehrman Book Shop We receive an affiliate commission from every purchase through the...

Video: Inside The Vault

Inside the Vault: Thomas Paine's "Common Sense"

Government and Civics, Literature

On July 7, 2022, our curators discussed Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense . They were joined by Eric Slauter, Associate Professor of English at the University of Chicago, who provided an overview of the pamphlet’s publication...

News

History U Offers New Course on the American Revolution for High School Students

The Gilder Lehrman Institute’s History U offers free, graduate-level American history courses with top scholars for high school students. NEW COURSE! The American Revolution with Professor Carol Berkin This course focuses on the story...

Video: Book Breaks

Denver Brunsman - "The Evil Necessity: British Naval Impressment in the Eighteenth-Century Atlantic World"

Government and Civics, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, World History

Denver Brunsman is an associate professor of history at The George Washington University. Order The Evil Necessity at the Gilder Lehrman Book Shop We receive an affiliate commission from every purchase through the link provided....

News

Announcing Our 50th Self-Paced Course: American Colonies, led by Alan Taylor

Gilder Lehrman Self-Paced Courses offer graduate-level instruction in American history led by the nation’s top historians. We are pleased to announce that the addition of Alan Taylor’s American Colonies course now brings us to 50 Self...

Video: Book Breaks

David Hackett Fischer - "African Founders: How Enslaved People Expanded American Ideals"

Art, Economics, Foreign Languages, Geography, Government and Civics, Literature, Religion and Philosophy

David Hackett Fischer is University Professor and Earl Warren Professor of History, Emeritus at Brandeis University. Order African Founders at the Gilder Lehrman Book Shop We receive an affiliate commission from every purchase...

Site Search

90,988 items

From the Editor

2022 George Washington Prize Awarded to Bruce A. Ragsdale for “Washington at the Plow”

Polish Political Exiles and the Legacy of the American Revolution in the Antebellum US

An Introduction to Juneteenth

2022 George Washington Prize Awarded to Bruce A. Ragsdale for “Washington at the Plow”

Announcing the Gilder Lehrman College Fellows in American History for 2022

Announcing the Summer 2022 Issue of HISTORY NOW: The Declaration of Independence and the Long Struggle for Equality in America

Megan Kate Nelson - "Saving Yellowstone: Exploration and Preservation in Reconstruction America"

Ricardo A. Herrera - "Feeding Washington's Army: Surviving the Valley Forge Winter of 1778"

Cold War Video Series from Gilder Lehrman History School Wins Telly Award

Four Book Breaks from the Archives for Juneteenth

C. Patrick Burrowes - "Liberia & the Quest for Freedom"

Juneteenth and Emancipation

Mix and Match Your Teacher Seminars: Examples from Real Teachers

Celebrating American Historical Holidays

A New Resource Collection for Celebrating American Historical Holidays

Jeanne Theoharis - "A More Beautiful and Terrible History: The Uses and Misuses of Civil Rights History"

Celebrate the Fourth of July with Gilder Lehrman Resources and Book Breaks

What Does Liberty Look Like?

Elliott West - "The Essential West: Collected Essays"

Inside the Vault: Thomas Paine's "Common Sense"

History U Offers New Course on the American Revolution for High School Students

Denver Brunsman - "The Evil Necessity: British Naval Impressment in the Eighteenth-Century Atlantic World"

Announcing Our 50th Self-Paced Course: American Colonies, led by Alan Taylor

David Hackett Fischer - "African Founders: How Enslaved People Expanded American Ideals"

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