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July in History with the Library of Congress

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This post was written by Uhuru Flemming of the Library of Congress.

Many teachers like to include mini-lessons or bell-ringers about “this day in history.” The Library of Congress offers two resources that recount what happened on a particular day using the Library’s collections of digitized primary sources: Jump Back in Time (introductory) and Today in History (advanced). Choose the one that best matches your students’ reading levels to build both content knowledge and research skills with primary sources in context.

July highlights include the Seneca Falls Convention (introductory; advanced) and independence for Liberia (introductory; advanced), as well as milestones related to:

The Great Depression

  • July 8, 1932: The stock market dropped to its lowest point during the Depression  (introductory; advanced);

Religion

The W.P.A. Federal Theatre Negro Unit [presents] Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Poster by Anthony Velonis.
The W.P.A. Federal Theatre Negro Unit [presents] Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Poster by Anthony Velonis.
  • July 24, 1847: Brigham Young and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints settled in the Great Salt Lake Valley (introductory; advanced);

The Arts

  • July 25, 1936: The closing night of the Works Progress Administration performance of Macbeth took place at the Park Theatre in Bridgeport, Connecticut  (introductory; advanced);
Times Building, Times Square. Samuel H. Gottscho, 1962.
Times Building, Times Square. Samuel H. Gottscho, 1962.

The Built Environment

  • July 27, 1853: Architect Cyrus Eidlitz, known for designing the Times Building in New York City, was born (introductory; advanced);

Military History

  • July 31, 1816: General G.H. Thomas, known as the “Rock of Chickamauga” was born (introductory; advanced).

To engage your students immediately, distribute or display one primary source from an entry and invite them to jot down a single detail they notice and then share. To draw your students deeper into analyzing the primary sources, ask them to record observations, reflections and questions on the Library’s primary source analysis tool. Anne Savage offers tips in the Blog Round-Up: Using the Primary Source Analysis Tool.

Students can also:

  • Compare a secondary source account, such as a textbook explanation, to a primary source account. What can be learned from each? What cannot be learned from each? What questions do students have?
  • Consider how a series of primary sources support or challenge information and understanding on a particular topic. Ask students to refine or revise conclusions based on their study of each subsequent primary source.
  • Use the list of additional resources at the end of each Today in History entry to search for additional primary sources.

Some of our favorite ideas for using these resources came in the comments reacting to Primary Sources Every Day from the Library of Congress. Let us know how you use them!

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