Video: Inside The Vault Inside the Vault: The Surrender of Robert E. Lee 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ “I ask a suspension of hostilities pending the discussion of the Terms of surrender of this army.” —Robert E. Lee, April 9, 1865 Shortly before noon on April 9, 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee sent a message to Union General...
Video: Book Breaks Frank J. Cirillo - "The Abolitionist Civil War: Immediatists and the Struggle to Transform the Union" Government and Civics Frank J. Cirillo is a historian of slavery and antislavery in the nineteenth-century United States. Order The Abolitionist Civil War at the Gilder Lehrman Book Shop We receive an affiliate commission from every purchase through the...
Video: Book Breaks Tomiko Brown-Nagin - "Civil Rights Queen: Constance Baker Motley and the Struggle for Equality" Government and Civics Tomiko Brown-Nagin is dean of Harvard Radcliffe Institute, Daniel P. S. Professor of Constitutional Law at Harvard Law School, and professor of history in the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Order Civil Rights Queen at the...
Video: General Black Writers of the Founding Era: A Conversation with James Basker Literature Black Writers of the Founding Era: A Conversation with James Basker Recorded at Roosevelt House, Public Policy Institute at Hunter College, April 17, 2024. This discussion of the new Library of America anthology Black Writers of the...
Video: Book Breaks Matthew Davenport - "The Longest Minute: The Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906" Government and Civics Matthew J. Davenport’s first book, First Over There: The Attack on Cantigny, America’s First Battle of World War I (2015), was a finalist for the 2015 Guggenheim-Lehrman Prize in Military History. Davenport is a practicing attorney...
Video: Inside The Vault Inside the Vault: Jewish American Soldiers & Jewish Refugees after World War II Geography, Government and Civics, World History 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ In the wake of World War II, American servicemen helped Jewish refugees come to the United States. Join us as we learn more about the servicemen’s work through primary sources. Who were these people? What are their stories? On...
Video: Book Breaks James G. Basker - "Black Writers of the Founding Era" Literature James G. Basker is president and CEO of the Gilder Lehrman Institute and Richard Gilder Professor of Literary History at Barnard College, Columbia University. Order Black Writers of the Founding Era at the Gilder Lehrman Book Shop We...
News Congratulations to three 2024 Pulitzer Prize winners featured on Book Breaks! Congratulations to Jacqueline Jones, Jonathan Eig, and Ilyon Woo! On May 6, 2024, Columbia University announced the 108th Pulitzer Prizes, awarded on the recommendation of the Pulitzer Prize Board. Among the winners were Jones, Eig,...
News Teaching Resources for Teacher Appreciation Week It’s Teacher Appreciation Week! The Gilder Lehrman Institute is honored to work with K–12 teachers across the globe and provide support for their invaluable work in not only bringing history to life for their students, but educating...
Video: Book Breaks Anastasia C. Curwood - "Shirley Chisholm: Champion of Black Feminist Power Politics" Government and Civics Anastasia Curwood is a professor of history and director of the Commonwealth Institute for Black Studies at the University of Kentucky. Order Shirley Chisholm at the Gilder Lehrman Book Shop We receive an affiliate commission from...
History Now Essay American Independence and the Spanish Navy Manuel Lucena-Giraldo For the ministers in charge of the Spanish empire, the outbreak of the American Revolution was nothing short of unthinkable. In 1776, the rebellion of American colonists against Spain’s quintessential enemy, the British empire, was... Appears in: 68 | The Role of Spain in the American Revolution Fall 2023
Video: Book Breaks James Traub - "True Believer: Hubert Humphrey's Quest for a More Just America" Geography, Government and Civics James Traub is a historian, journalist, and scholar. Order True Believer at the Gilder Lehrman Book Shop We receive an affiliate commission from every purchase through the link provided. Thank you for supporting our programs! ...
Basic Page Veterans Legacy Project | 2024 Student Contest Winners The 2024 World War II: Portraits of Service Award Winners About the Contest As part of the Veterans Legacy Program , the Gilder Lehrman Institute is pleased to announce the ten winners of the 2024 World War II: Portraits of...
Video: Book Breaks Steve Inskeep - "Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America" Government and Civics Steve Inskeep is an American journalist who hosts Morning Edition and Up First on National Public Radio. Order Differ We Must at the Gilder Lehrman Book Shop We receive an affiliate commission from every purchase through the link...
Video: Book Breaks Dylan C. Penningroth - "Before the Movement: The Hidden History of Black Civil Rights" Government and Civics Dylan C. Penningroth is Alexander F. & May T. Morrison Professor of American History & Citizenship at the University of California, Berkeley. Order Before the Movement at the Gilder Lehrman Book Shop We receive an affiliate...
Video: Inside The Vault Inside the Vault: A 1925 Study Guide for Eighth-Grade Graduation in Iowa Foreign Languages, Geography, Government and Civics, Literature, Religion and Philosophy, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, World History 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ Are you smarter than a (1925) eighth grader? In the 1920s, when most students did not go to high school, the eighth-grade state examinations marked the end of their formal education. Sam C. Stephenson published review books to help...
Video: Book Breaks Rachel L. Swarns - "The 272: The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Catholic Church" Religion and Philosophy Rachel L. Swarns is a journalism professor at New York University and a contributing writer for the New York Times . Order The 272 at the Gilder Lehrman Book Shop We receive an affiliate commission from every purchase through the...
Lesson Plan Pilgrims, the Plymouth Colony, and Thanksgiving, 1608-1621 Government and Civics, Religion and Philosophy, World History 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 Click here to download this five-lesson unit.
Basic Page Special Topics in History: Introduction to World War II Portraits of Service | Summer PD 2024 An Introduction to World War II Portraits of Service Date and Time: August 6, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. ET Register Now About This Session In this session, Professor Michael S. Neiberg (Professor of History and Chair of War...
Video: Book Breaks Eddie Glaude Jr. - "We Are the Leaders We Have Been Looking For (The W. E. B. Du Bois Lectures)" Government and Civics Eddie S. Glaude Jr. is an American academic, author, and pundit. He is the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University. Order We Are the Leaders We Have Been Looking For...
History Now Essay American Jewish Origins, 1654-1820 Hasia Diner Religion and Philosophy A year after his inauguration as president, George Washington visited the Newport, Rhode Island Jewish Congregation, Jeshuat Israel, in 1790. He went in response to a letter he had received from the leaders of that synagogue as well... Appears in: 71 | The Jewish Legacy in American History Summer 2024
Video: Book Breaks Fergus M. Bordewich - "Klan War: Ulysses S. Grant and the Battle to Save Reconstruction" Government and Civics Fergus M. Bordewich is the author of eight highly praised previous books, including Congress at War: How Republican Reformers Fought the Civil War, Defied Lincoln, Ended Slavery, and Remade America . Order Klan War at the Gilder...
History Now Essay Alexander Hamilton and the Civic Status of Jews in the Early Republic Andrew Porwancher Government and Civics, Religion and Philosophy “I fear prepossessions are strongly against us,” Alexander Hamilton confided to his beloved wife, Eliza. “But we must try to overcome them.” That day, February 5, 1800, marked the beginning of a high-stakes trial in which Hamilton... Appears in: 71 | The Jewish Legacy in American History Summer 2024
History Now Essay Exiles by the Streams of Babylon: Newport Jews in the Colonial Era Michael Hoberman Newport, Rhode Island, wears its colonial past like a badge of honor. Visitors to its historic district encounter numerous plaques, markers, and monuments as they wend the town’s narrow and cobblestoned streets. As contemporary... Appears in: 71 | The Jewish Legacy in American History Summer 2024
History Now Essay Jewish Athletes and the Challenges of American Sports Jeffrey S. Gurock The world of American sports has long offered the athletically inclined Jew with grand opportunities for achievement, acceptance, and even glory within this country’s society. But the road to success on the track, in stadiums, or in... Appears in: 71 | The Jewish Legacy in American History Summer 2024
History Now Essay Hometown Societies in the New World: Jewish Landsmanshaftn and Americanization Daniel Soyer Religion and Philosophy Jacob Sholts, a Jewish immigrant from the Russian Empire, wandered dejectedly through the streets of New York in 1904. Sholts, who had fled Russia to avoid military service during the Russo-Japanese War, could not keep a job. He felt... Appears in: 71 | The Jewish Legacy in American History Summer 2024
History Now Essay The Jewish Health Professionals of Cincinnati Frederic Krome Science, Technology, Engineering and Math In studies of the significance of the Cincinnati Jewish community within the wider context of American Jewish history, the development of the Reform movement, and Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise’s oversight in establishing the iconic Plum... Appears in: 71 | The Jewish Legacy in American History Summer 2024
History Now Essay The Jewish Imprint on American Musical Theater Elizabeth Wollman Art Long celebrated as one of the most quintessentially American of entertainment genres, Broadway musicals delight audiences with glitz, glitter, and polish; send them home with at least a glimmer of hope; and celebrate America’s promise... Appears in: 71 | The Jewish Legacy in American History Summer 2024
History Now Essay The Role of Jewish Americans in the Civil Rights Movement Cheryl Greenberg American Jews played an outsized role in the Civil Rights Movement, both in number and prominence. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Rabbi Joachim Prinz spoke at the 1963 March on Washington. Of... Appears in: 71 | The Jewish Legacy in American History Summer 2024
Video: Book Breaks David Chrisinger - "The Soldier's Truth: Ernie Pyle and the Story of World War II" World History David Chrisinger is the executive director of the Harris Writing Workshop at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. He is the author of Public Policy Writing That Matters . Order The Soldier’s Truth at the Gilder...
Video: Book Breaks Alan Taylor - "American Civil Wars: A Continental History, 1850-1873" World History Alan Taylor is the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Professor of History at the University of Virginia. Order American Civil Wars at the Gilder Lehrman Book Shop We receive an affiliate commission from every purchase through the...
Video Economic and Financial Crises in American History, Part 1 Economics, Government and Civics 10, 11, 12, 13+
Video Great Biographies: African American Scientists Science, Technology, Engineering and Math 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+
Video Reflections on the History of Environmental Health and Sustainability Economics, Geography, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, World History
Video An Overview of Key Moments in the Separation of Powers and the Supreme Court; Federalism and the Two Court Systems 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+
Video Eleanor Roosevelt’s Role in the White House Government and Civics 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+
Video Grand Expectations: The United States, 1945–1974 Art, Economics, Government and Civics, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, World History
Video Race and Renaissance: African Americans in Pittsburgh Since World War II Economics, Government and Civics 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ Professor of History and Social Justice and Department Head, Carnegie Mellon University Professor Trotter talks about his recent book, Race and Renaissance: African Americans in Pittsburgh Since World War II . ...
Video Madison’s Role in the Virginia Ratification Convention Government and Civics 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+
Video What Kind of Nation: Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, and the Epic Struggle to Create a United States Government and Civics James F. Simon, the Martin Professor of Law at New York Law School, traces the protracted conflicts between Thomas Jefferson, an ardent believer in state sovereignty, and John Marshall, the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court,...
Video The Bondwoman’s Narrative Literature Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the W.E.B. Du Bois Professor of the Humanities, chair of Afro-American Studies, director of the Du Bois Institute at Harvard University, and author of seminal works on African American literary criticism and...
Video The Cousins’ Wars: Religion, Politics and the Triumph of Anglo-America Government and Civics, Religion and Philosophy Kevin Phillips is the author of eight books, a journalist and a national elections commentator for CBS News during l988, 1992 and 96 presidential elections In the Cousins’ Wars, Phillips poses the question, how did Anglo-America ...
Video The Supreme Court and Religious Freedom Government and Civics A. E. Dick Howard, the White Burkett Miller Professor of Law and Public Affairs at the University of Virginia School of Law, presents a short history of the Constitution and discusses the Supreme Court’s role in the ongoing debate...
Video The Arab-Israeli Conflict and the Cold War Government and Civics, World History Aaron David Miller, Vice President for New Initiatives, The Wilson Center, argues that in the Arab-Israeli conflict national interest, moral interest, and the capacity of America to make a difference are closely aligned. Miller...
Video In Pursuit of Equity: Women, Men, and the Quest for Economic Citizenship in 20th-Century America Economics, Government and Civics
Video The Costs of the American Revolution Economics, Government and Civics 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+
Video A Voyage Long and Strange World History 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ Award-winning author Tony Horwitz discusses the research and writing process for his book A Voyage Long and Strange: On the Trail of Vikings, Conquistadors, Lost Colonists, and Other Adventurers in Early America (2008). ...
Video Morgan: American Financier Art, Economics, World History 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ Based on extensive research in newly opened archives, Morgan: American Financier , Jean Strouse’s portrait of J. P. Morgan, shows a man who helped transform the United States into an industrial nation, and amassed an extraordinary...
Video Europeans and the New World, 1400–1530 Economics, Geography, Government and Civics, Religion and Philosophy, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, World History Brian DeLay, associate professor of history at the University of California, Berkeley, discusses how the backwater of western Europe emerged from the devastation of the fourteenth century to generate the power, wealth, knowledge,...
Video Myths of the American Revolution Government and Civics 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ Carol Berkin, Presidential Professor of History at Baruch College and the CUNY Graduate Center, contrasts the popular memory of the Revolutionary War with its more complicated realities. She argues that although many of us were...
Video America before Columbus Geography, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ Charles Mann’s book 1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus (Knopf, 2005) won the US National Academy of Sciences’ 2006 Keck Award for the best book of the year. In this lecture he looks at new research on pre-Columbian...
Video The American West and the Great Depression Economics, Geography, Government and Civics 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+
Video The Fight over Slavery in the Revolutionary Era Government and Civics, Religion and Philosophy Columbia University professor Christopher Brown, author of Moral Capital: Foundations of British Abolitionism (2006), examines the rise of anti-slavery thought during the Revolutionary era. Focusing on the often contrasting...