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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...

Program/Event

Traveling Exhibitions | World War II: Voices of Service

> World War II: Voices of Service explores major events of the war through the photographs, letters, and oral histories of everyday Americans. From the attack on Pearl Harbor through the GI Bill, this traveling exhibition...

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...

History U | The Great Depression and the New Deal

The Great Depression and the New Deal This History U course considers the causes and consequences of the economic slump of 1929–1933 and the economic recovery of 1933–1941 under the New Deal. Course Instructor: Professor Eric Rauchway, University of...

2024 Teacher Seminar Livestream Registration Calendar

Register to Livestream Lectures from Our Four In-Person Seminars A List of Livestream Lectures by Date Cost: Free Location: Online Options: A compilation of all the lectures from four Teacher Seminars In Person Dates: July 15–July 26, 2024...

News

May 18 - Virtual PD: Veterans Legacy Program with Florida National Cemetery

In partnership with the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program, we are pleased to offer free professional development sessions in spring 2024 focusing on different aspects of American Veterans’ and Service Members’...

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...

Program/Event

Book Breaks

Book Breaks Sundays at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT) on Zoom Upcoming Session: January 26, 2025 Author: Max Boot Book: Reagan: His Life and Legend Register Past Episodes Free All Audiences Every Sunday About Book Breaks Every...

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,...

History U | American Environmental History

American Environmental History This History U course introduces the history of human interactions with the environment in the United States, focusing on the history of political, social, cultural, and economic forces that have structured...

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...

Program/Event

Self-Paced Course PD Programs for K-12 School Districts

Meet the needs of your history, social studies, and ELA teachers with a customizable, scalable, and affordable PD program. Contact PD@gilderlehrman.org to discuss a custom program for your state or district. What are Gilder Lehrman...

Spanish Influence on American History

Spanish Influence on American History The Spanish influence on American history is significant, complex, and diverse, spanning more than three centuries of cooperation between Spain and the United States. Learn more about this story through our...

The American Revolution | Spanish Influence on American History

Spanish Influence on the American Revolution Explore Our Resource Suite In partnership with the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute and the Royal Academy of History of Spain, the Gilder Lehrman Institute is pleased to offer this free suite of resources to...

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! ...

History U | The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War This History U course covers the long struggle for Vietnam waged between 1940 and 1975, with particular attention to the period of direct American involvement. Course Instructor: Professor Fredrik Logevall, Harvard University...

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...

News

Explore "Who Can Vote?" as It Travels across the Country This June

This summer, the Gilder Lehrman Institute invites you to view Who Can Vote?: A Brief History of Voting Rights in the US as it tours the country. From June 3 through June 28, this traveling exhibition—created as part of The Right to...

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 link...

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.

Lesson Plan

Debating Chinese Immigration and Naturalization, 1869-1898

Government and Civics

7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

About This Lesson Plan Unit > Over the course of three lessons, students will focus on the late-nineteenth-century history of Chinese immigration and the immigration and naturalization policies of...

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

Spotlight on: Primary Source

Spain's "Royal Gift" to George Washington, 1784

George Washington, as a landowner, was an agricultural scientist anxious to improve production on his plantations. His political experiences brought him into contact with agriculturalists from around the world and his military...

Spotlight on: Primary Source

Spain's Covert Contribution to the American Revolution, 1778

This 1778 unpublished letter from Diego de Gardoqui, head of the commercial firm of Joseph Gardoqui and Sons in Bilbao, Spain, to Arthur Lee, a diplomat from Virginia, documents Spanish contributions to the American Revolution. Prior...

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 Issue

The Jewish Legacy in American History

#71 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

History Now Essay

From the Editor

Carol Berkin

Jewish Americans have made contributions to American society that far exceed their percentage of our country’s population. This is a minority culture that has touched every aspect of American society, from the arts, to medicine and...

Appears in:

71 | The Jewish Legacy in American History Summer 2024

The Declaration of Independence and the Pursuit of Equality

The Declaration of Independence and the Pursuit of Equality In July 1776, the Continental Congress issued the Declaration of Independence to announce the separation of the North American British colonies from Great Britain. Its preamble set forth...

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...

George Washington and His World

George Washington and His World Led by: Prof. Denver Brunsman (George Washington University) Course Number: AMHI 623 Semesters: New Course Image: A portrait of George Washington by Rembrandt Peale, ca. 1846 (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 24.109.86...

African American History to Emancipation

African American History to Emancipation Led by: Prof. Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham (Harvard University) Course Number: AMHI 678 Semesters: New Course Image: A photograph of African Americans at Rhett’s Plantation, Port Royal Island, SC, ca. 1861–1865...

Dwight D. Eisenhower and His Times

Dwight D. Eisenhower and His Times Led by: Prof. Michael Birkner (Gettysburg College) Course Number: AMHI 658 Semesters: New Course Image: Dwight Eisenhower, ca. 1945 (The Gilder Lehrman Institute, GLC00162.23) Course...

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The Jewish Legacy in American History

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