Basic Page History U | Women and Politics in 20th-Century America Women and Politics in 20th-Century America This History U course examines the struggles and successes of American women fighting for equality in American politics, life, and culture, from the movement for suffrage to campaigns for fair wages. Course...
Lesson Plan Declarations of Independence: Women's Rights and the Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions Government and Civics 6, 7, 8 Background Under the leadership of Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a convention for the rights of women was held in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848. It was attended by between 200 and 300 people, both women and men. Its...
News Women in the Civil War: Vivandieres Vivandieres, sometimes known as cantinieres, were women who followed the army to provide support for the troops. Ideally, a vivandiere would have been a young woman—the daughter of an officer or wife of a non-commissioned officer—who...
Program/Event Past History School Classes Since April 2020, the Gilder Lehrman History School has served more than 5,600 students through thirty-two classes covering many eras and themes in American history. Classes held in Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 are available to watch on...
Lesson Plan Women in the Great Depression: Investigating Assumptions 9, 10, 11, 12 Introduction The greatest economic calamity in the history of the United States occurred in the third decade of the twentieth century. When the stock market crashed in 1929 and the economy plummeted over the next few years, the nation...
Collection Landing Page American History 1493-1945 American History 1493-1945 This subscription-based database provides immediate access to images of more than 50,000 documents from the Gilder Lehrman Collection and is available at schools, libraries, and colleges around the world....
History Now Essay Women’s Leadership in the American Revolution Rosemarie Zagarri What did it mean for women to exercise "leadership" in the American Revolution? Before that conflict, the question itself would probably have baffled most American women and men. Living within a staunchly patriarchal society, they... Appears in: 47 | American Women in Leadership Winter 2017
Lesson Plan "Contagious Liberty": Women in the Revolutionary Age Government and Civics Background The American Revolution, a byproduct of events both on the North American continent and abroad, unleashed a movement that focused on egalitarianism in ways that had never been seen before. Even John Adams commented on these...
History Now Essay Home Adrift: Women and Domesticated Rail Travel Amy G. Richter Science, Technology, Engineering and Math In the summer of 1869 Godey’s Lady’s Book published an editorial marking the completion of the transcontinental railroad. The author praised the new "wonder of the world" and then clarified that "this great work was begun, carried on... Appears in: 38 | The Joining of the Rails: The Transcontinental Railroad Winter 2014
Lesson Plan Black Women and the American Revolution 9, 10, 11, 12 Click to download this lesson plan.
News Asian Pacific American Heritage Month: Japanese American Committee for Democracy May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, recognizing the achievements and contributions of Asians and Pacific Islanders to the history and culture of the United States. Senators Daniel K. Inouye and Spark Matsunaga of Hawaii,...
Program/Event History Scholar Program Winners 2011 Participants 2011 History Scholars Alicia DeMaio of the University of Pennsylvania and Aston, PA Michael Johnson of the University of Notre Dame and Berlin, NJ Jooyeon Koo of Boston College and Monroe Twp, NJ Kristen Maye of the...
Spotlight on: Primary Source Lydia Maria Child on women’s rights, 1843 The best-known work of the poet and novelist Lydia Maria Child may be her poem "Over the River and through the Woods," but she is also remembered for her compelling objections to slavery and her support for underrepresented groups....
News National Poetry Month, Part 1: Phillis Wheatley on Tyranny & Slavery In celebration of National Poetry Month, we’ll be highlighting some of the intriguing, eloquent, and historically significant poems in the Gilder Lehrman Collection. These poems shed a personal light on momentous events in American...
Guided Readings Guided Readings: The Changing Status of Women 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 Reading 1 Man is or should be woman’s protector and defender. The natural and proper timidity and delicacy which belongs to the female sex evidently unfits it for many of the occupations of civil life. . . .The paramount destiny and...
Classroom Resources Statistics: The Changing Lives of American Women Economics 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ The Changing Family Age of First Marriage Average Household Size Male Female 1790 -- -- 5.79 1890 26.1 22.0 4.93 1900 25.9 21.9 4.76 1910 25.1 21.6 4.54 1920 24.6 21.2 4.34 1930 24.3 21.3 4.11 1940 24.3 21.5 3.77 1950 22.8 20.3 3.52...
Program/Event Richard Gilder History Prize The Gilder Lehrman Institute is pleased to sponsor the Richard Gilder History Prize. This prize serves as an opportunity for Affiliate School teachers to honor a promising and passionate history student in their school. The Richard...
Program/Event Teaching Literacy through History Teaching Literacy through History™ (TLTH) is an interdisciplinary professional development program that uses primary sources to improve K–12 education. TLTH workshops are beneficial for elementary, middle, and high school teachers who...
Program/Event Affiliate School Program | Affiliate School History Scholarships The Gilder Lehrman Institute is pleased to partner with Gettysburg College and Marist College to offer scholarships of $5,000 or more each year for up to four years exclusively for Gilder Lehrman Affiliate School students. Click the...
News SAT US History Exam The SAT US History Exam is only two weeks away, on January 21! Forty percent of the exam will focus on the momentous events and changes of the twentieth century. Prepare by reviewing the prewar , postwar , and present-day eras, or...
Program/Event Freedom: A History of US This exhibition documents and illustrates critical figures and events while tracing the evolving concept of freedom from founding until 1968. Among the highlights are: a rare 1776 printing of the Declaration of Independence, a printed...
Program/Event Traveling Exhibitions | Freedom: A History of US Since 1776, when the United States declared independence from Great Britain, the idea of freedom and our understanding of its implications have changed dramatically. Drawing on materials from the Gilder Lehrman Collection, this...
Lesson Plan The Role of Women in the 1950s 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 Essential Question What roles were women expected to play during the 1950s? Materials Questions for The Feminine Mystique (PDF) Four Photos of Women , ProQuest K–12 "Housewife or Career Woman: The Changing Roles of Women in WWII and...
History Now Essay Women and the United States Supreme Court Julie Silverbrook Government and Civics If you ask most people about the history of women and the United States Supreme Court, they are likely to point to the historic nomination of Sandra Day O’Connor as the first female justice, in 1981. That is a watershed moment in our... Appears in: 47 | American Women in Leadership Winter 2017
History Now Essay African American Women and the Nineteenth Amendment Sharon Harley Government and Civics Sharon Harley is Associate Professor and former Chair of the African American Studies Department at the University of Maryland, College Park. She and historian Rosalyn Terborg-Penn co-edited the pioneer anthology The Afro-American... Appears in: 57 | Black Voices in American Historiography Summer 2020 56 | The Nineteenth Amendment and Beyond Spring 2020