News Inside the Vault: Romeo Smith: Slave, Soldier, Freeman Read a transcript of the certificate and examine an African American’s pay warrant from the Revolutionary War .
News Inside the Vault: An African American Protests the Fugitive Slave Law, 1850 Read the transcript of Henry Weeden’s note and read an essay about abolition and antebellum reform .
News Happy Birthday George Washington: On This Day, 1732 George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, in Virginia. To celebrate, enjoy a performance of "One Last Time" from the Broadway musical Hamilton , performed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Christopher Jackson, Sydney James Harcourt, and...
News An "Autograph and Something More" from Frederick Douglass Between 1855 and 1886, Franklin E. McNear collected autographs in his leather-bound, red autograph book . Among the eighty-four signatures are notable historic figures like P.T. Barnum, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Frederick Douglass ....
News "Bookending" the Twentieth Century The twentieth century was packed with socio-economic changes in American society. It is often difficult to understand just how different our country was at the beginning of the century. Use the infographic below as you are teaching...
News Counting Down to Hamilton There are only six short weeks until the first student matinee of Hamilton on April 13! To celebrate the launch of the program, we are excited to give you a series of posts that offer insight into the life of Alexander Hamilton. Every...
News Interactive Infographic: Women’s Suffrage through 1920 Looking to celebrate Women’s History Month by teaching women’s suffrage? Take a peek at our new infographic map and explore which states did (and did not) pass women’s suffrage before the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified in 1920....
News The Boston Massacre: On This Day, March 5 On March 5, 1770, tensions in the American colonies culminated with an armed skirmish between British troops and American colonists in Boston. Although the American Revolution did not begin in earnest until five years later, the...
News Inside the Vault: The "Long S" Take a closer look at the first draft of the US Constitution to see an example of the "long S" in print.
News Remembering "Princess Alice" Roosevelt Many American presidents are remembered for the landmark laws, amendments, or executive acts they passed while in office. We remember President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, or President Franklin D. Roosevelt...
News Counting Down to Hamilton: Week 5 There are now five weeks until the first student matinee of Hamilton ! This week, we’re continuing our blog series on Alexander Hamilton with Amtrak’s Arrive magazine—the March/April 2016 issue features a story on the student ticket...
News Ulto & Inst, 18th-Century Abbreviations: Document in a Minute Take a closer look at George Washington’s letter using 18th-century abbreviations.
News Counting Down to Hamilton: Week 4 There’s less than one month left until the Hamilton student matinee on April 13! This week, discover Alexander Hamilton in the American Imagination , the newest issue of History Now , Gilder Lehrman’s online journal . In five essays,...
News Hamilton at the White House Yesterday, the cast of Hamilton were welcomed to the White House by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for a day of events that honored the musical’s groundbreaking qualities and showcased its ability to inspire...
News Counting Down to Hamilton: Week 3 There are only three short weeks until the first student matinee of Hamilton on April 13! This week, discover a letter written by Alexander Hamilton. When the hotly contested election of 1800 ended in a tie between the two Democratic...
News Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire: On This Day, March 25 On the afternoon of Saturday, March 25, 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City caught fire, killing 146 of the 500 employees—mostly young immigrant women and girls . The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory produced women’s...
News Counting Down to Hamilton: Week 2 We’re almost there—only two more weeks until the first student matinee of Hamilton ! This week, watch Ron Chernow, author of Alexander Hamilton — the biography that inspired the musical — discuss the Founding Father ’ s achievements...
News Frederick Douglass Book Prize Highlights Watch highlights from the Frederick Douglass Book Prize ceremony , on February 4. The highlights include remarks by James G. Basker, president of the Gilder Lehrman Institute; David Blight, director of the Gilder Lehrman Center for...
News Counting Down to Hamilton: Week 1 In exactly one week, the Hamilton Student Education Program launches with its first matinee performance. This 1804 letter was written by Angelica Schuyler Church, Alexander Hamilton’s sister-in-law and close friend, after Hamilton’s...
News One of the Last Links to the Battle of Little Bighorn Dies On April 3, 2016, Joseph Medicine Crow, the last living link to the Battle of Little Bighorn , died at the age of 102. Medicine Crow heard firsthand accounts of the 1876 battle from his great uncle White Man Runs Him, who was one of...
News The Sinking of the Titanic: On This Day, April 15 On the night of April 14–15, 1912, the world’s largest passenger steamship, the RMS Titanic , sank in the Atlantic Ocean after hitting an iceberg during its maiden voyage, with approximately 1,500 people still on board. This letter,...