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The Potsdam Conference, which began on July 17, 1945, was the third meeting of the " Big Three, " after Tehran and Yalta, to address the waging of WWII. But this time the cast was different, FDR’s death thrusting Harry Truman into the...

No, we’re not referring to the fact the Lin-Manuel Miranda has left the lead in his Broadway smash. On this day in 1804 Alexander Hamilton died from injuries sustained in a duel with Aaron Burr. Find out more about Hamilton ’s life...

We’re excited to team up with Google Cultural Institute on the launch of their American Democracy initiative! The project brings together more than 60 online exhibits from museums, archives, and institutions around the country, and...

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

Today we say Happy Birthday to Henry Knox, one of the stars of the Gilder Lehrman Collection. Henry grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. When Henry was nine, the family was in serious financial straits. Henry left school to help support...

After the Constitutional Convention adopted the US Constitution in September 1787, the long and contentious road to its ratification began. Each state formed a special convention to vote on ratification. The pressure was on: at a...

From the time of the founding of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1830, its members, also known as Mormons, faced persecution. In 1844, the church’s founder, Joseph Smith, was murdered in Illinois. Seeking a safer...

On October 3, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation calling 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...

This year we recognized 50 teachers as State History Teachers of the Year . These exceptional educators were awarded $1,000 and an archive of books and resources for their school library, and were honored in state ceremonies. But who...

On October 7, 1763, King George III issued a Proclamation that would cause much resentment among American colonists. During the Seven Years’ War—also called the French and Indian War—England, with the assistance of such American...

On October 12, 1492, after a two-month voyage, Christopher Columbus landed on an island in the Bahamas he called San Salvador—though the people of the island called it Guanahani. From there, Columbus and his men traveled around the...

This year we recognized 50 teachers as State History Teachers of the Year . These exceptional educators were awarded $1,000 and an archive of books and resources for their school library, and were honored in state ceremonies. But who...

In coordination with our 2017 Calendar of World War II and to commemorate Veterans Day, we’re inviting teachers to submit photographs of military monuments or memorials taken by K–12 students in their classes. Up to ten winners will...

Yesterday, we honored Kevin Cline of Indiana as the 2016 National History Teacher of the Year in an exciting ceremony at the Yale Club. Mr. Cline’s award was presented by historian Gordon S. Wood, Alva O. Way University Professor and...

On October 28, 1886, the Statue of Liberty was formally dedicated. Although the idea for the statue was first conceived in 1865, it took over two decades to complete the long process of planning, building, shipping, and installing the...

Catch up on presidential elections since 1789 with two Gilder Lehrman resources: The Electing the President Digital Exhibition and Interactive Timeline Then look for more of the Gilder Lehrman Institute’s Online Exhibitions and...

This year we recognized 50 teachers as State History Teachers of the Year . These exceptional educators were awarded $1,000 and an archive of books and resources for their school library, and were honored in state ceremonies. But who...

BE PART OF A NATIONAL PUBLIC PROGRAMMING INITIATIVE TO MARK THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE US ENTRY INTO WORLD WAR I Round 2 of applications for the World War I and America project are now open! Grants of $1200–$1800 are available to...

This year, in conjunction with the WWI and America project and the upcoming 100-year anniversary of America’s entry in WWI, we look at the origins of Veterans Day as a day to commemorate veterans of the Great War. On November 11, 1919...

On November 14, 1775, Richard Henry Lee, a Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, visited fellow delegate John Adams, and the two held a fruitful discussion on “what form of government is more readily and...

In November 1637, Anne Hutchinson was sentenced to banishment by the Massachusetts Bay Colony , having been declared a "woman not fit for our society." As a midwife, wife, and mother of fifteen children, Hutchinson was held in high...

The city of Hoboken, New Jersey, has a special connection to World War I. It was the port of embarkation for almost two million American soldiers heading overseas. To commemorate the 100-year anniversary of America’s entry into WWI,...

Applications are now being accepted for Summer 2017 Teacher Seminars ! Spend an exciting week living among fellow educators at a university campus or historical site and learning from renowned scholars on a variety of historical...

In coordination with classroom use of our 2017 Calendar of World War II, and to commemorate Veterans Day, we invited teachers to submit photographs of military monuments or memorials taken by K–12 students in their classes. We...

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas. The Dow Jones News Service ticker tape shown here provides a testimony of the day’s harrowing events as they unfolded, and gives...