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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...

Today is Giving Tuesday —a day between Thanksgiving and the rush of the holiday season to give back to the community by volunteering, donating, or speaking out. Americans have a long history of coming together to make a difference and...

On December 2, 1823, President James Monroe delivered his annual message to Congress. In one portion, now known as the Monroe Doctrine , he declared that the United States would not meddle in European affairs, and warned European...

On December 6, 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery, was ratified : Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall...

Seventy-five years ago, shortly before 8 a.m. on Sunday, December 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack against US armed forces in Hawaii . Japanese pilots targeted Army, Navy, and Marine airfields, followed by naval ships at...

The first Battle of Fredericksburg, fought December 11–15, 1862, has the distinction of being the largest Civil War battle, with a staggering total of 173,000 combatants. On December 11, Union troops came under heavy fire as they...

Congratulations to Lamar University history professor Jeff Forret, who has been selected as the winner of the 2016 Frederick Douglass Book Prize for his book Slave Against Slave: Plantation Violence in the Old South (Louisiana State...

We’re excited to announce that the Gilder Lehrman Institute is now a registered provider of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) in Texas! Educators can obtain CPE hours through a variety of programs: online Self-Paced Courses ,...