Search | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

90,976 items

Spotlight on: Primary Source

Creating the Air Force, 1924

In this July 1924 letter to aviation pioneer and publisher Lester D. Gardner, Brigadier General William "Billy" Mitchell prophesied the coming tide of Japanese militarism. Concerned about Japan’s growing military power in the skies,...

Spotlight on: Primary Source

J. Edgar Hoover on campus unrest, 1970

Government and Civics

In September 1970, J. Edgar Hoover composed an open letter to American students detailing his view on civil unrest at the nation’s colleges and universities and warning against the elements he believed responsible. Hoover opened with...

Spotlight on: Primary Source

Henry Knox on the British invasion of New York, 1776

When twenty-six-year-old Henry Knox, the Continental Army’s artillery commander, penned this letter to his wife, Lucy, on July 8, 1776, patriot morale was at a low point. The summer of 1776 was a particularly hard time as word of...

Classroom Resources

Study Aid: Cultures of the Americas, 1200 BC–AD 1600

5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Mound Builders (Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River) Key Groups : Adena (500 BC), Hopewell (100 BC) Religion and Culture : Known as mound builders because they buried the dead in large earth mounds, these groups lived in small...

Classroom Resources

Study Aid: Major European Explorers

Foreign Languages, Geography, World History

5, 6, 7, 8, 9

View this infographic as a PDF.

Lesson Plan

The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math

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

Essential Question What lessons have been learned about space travel from the Challenger incident? What makes someone a hero? Materials "The Shuttle Explodes," January 28, 1986 , New York Times Speech on the Challenger Disaster,...

Lesson Plan

The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine

Government and Civics, Literature, World History

7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

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

Lesson Plan

Andrew Jackson's Message to Congress Concerning the Indian Removal Act of 1830

Geography, Government and Civics

7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

View a copy of Jackson’s Message to Congress in the Gilder Lehrman Collection by clicking here . For additional resources click here . Unit Objective This unit is part of Gilder Lehrman’s series of Common Core State Standards–based...

Lesson Plan

The Haymarket Riot

7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Lesson Plan

Washington's Farewell Address

7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

View a copy of Washington’s Farewell Address in the Gilder Lehrman Collection by clicking here . For a resource regarding the possibility of Washington staying on for a third term click here . Click here to download this five-lesson...

Site Search

90,976 items

Creating the Air Force, 1924

J. Edgar Hoover on campus unrest, 1970

Henry Knox on the British invasion of New York, 1776

Study Aid: Cultures of the Americas, 1200 BC–AD 1600

Study Aid: Major European Explorers

The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster

The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine

Andrew Jackson's Message to Congress Concerning the Indian Removal Act of 1830

The Haymarket Riot

Washington's Farewell Address

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