Search | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

1,567 items

Spotlight on: Primary Source

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s First Inauguration, 1933

Economics, Government and Civics, Literature

When Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave his first inaugural address on March 4, 1933, the nation was reeling from the Great Depression and was dissatisfied with the previous administration’s reluctance to fight it. Roosevelt declared that...

Spotlight on: Primary Source

George Washington’s First Inaugural Address, 1789

Government and Civics, Literature

After officially enacting the newly ratified US Constitution in September 1788, the Confederation Congress scheduled the first inauguration for March 1789. However, bad weather delayed many congressmen from arriving in the national...

Lesson Plan

President Dwight Eisenhower’s Farewell Address to the Nation, 1961

Government and Civics

7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Click here to download this four-lesson unit.

Lesson Plan

JFK’s Inaugural Address

Government and Civics

4, 5, 6

Unit Objective This lesson on President John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address is part of Gilder Lehrman’s series of Common Core–based units. These units were written to enable students to understand, summarize, and analyze original...

Lesson Plan

The First Inaugural Address of George Washington

Government and Civics, Literature

11, 12

Unit Objectives This lesson on the First Inaugural Address of George Washington is part of the Gilder Lehrman Institute’s series of Common Core–based units. These units were written to enable students to understand, summarize, and...

Lesson Plan

Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address

Government and Civics, Literature

11, 12

Unit Objective This lesson on Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address is part of Gilder Lehrman’s series of Common Core–based units. These units were written to enable students to understand, summarize, and analyze original texts...

Spotlight on: Primary Source

John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, 1961

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

On January 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the thirty-fifth President of the United States. His short, fourteen-minute inaugural address is best remembered for a single line: "My fellow Americans: ask not what your country...

Lesson Plan

World War II Posters and Propaganda

Art, Government and Civics

Click here to download this four-lesson unit.

Lesson Plan

National Security, Isolationism, and the Coming of World War II

Government and Civics

11, 12, 13+

Unit Overview The two decades following the end of "The Great War" witnessed significant changes in American economic, social, and cultural life. The affluence and optimism of the 1920s were tempered by memories of the war and an...

Lesson Plan

The Gettysburg Address: Identifying Text, Context, and Subtext

Government and Civics, Literature, Religion and Philosophy

6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Objective This lesson is part of Gilder Lehrman’s series of Common Core State Standards–based teaching resources. These resources were developed to enable students to understand, summarize, and analyze original texts of historical...

Site Search

1,567 items

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s First Inauguration, 1933

George Washington’s First Inaugural Address, 1789

President Dwight Eisenhower’s Farewell Address to the Nation, 1961

JFK’s Inaugural Address

The First Inaugural Address of George Washington

Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address

John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, 1961

World War II Posters and Propaganda

National Security, Isolationism, and the Coming of World War II

The Gettysburg Address: Identifying Text, Context, and Subtext

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