May in History with the Library of Congress

Uhuru Flemming, of the Library of Congress, wrote this post.

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.

May highlights include Minnesota becoming the 32^nd state in the Union (introductory; advanced), and the origins of the Montana Territory (introductory; advanced), as well as milestones related to:

U.S. Holidays

• May 4, 1894:  Bird Day was first observed (introductory; advanced),
• May 9, 1914:  Mother’s Day was first observed (introductory; advanced),
• May 30, 1868:  Memorial Day was first observed (introductory; advanced);

Military History

• May 10, 1865:  Jefferson Davis was captured by Union troops (introductory; advanced),
• May 13, 1864:  The first soldier was buried in Arlington National Cemetery (introductory; advanced),
• May 19, 1863:  General Ulysses S. Grant attempted to take Vicksburg, Mississippi (introductory; advanced);

U.S. Statesmen

• May 12, 1850:  American Senator and noted historian Henry Cabot Lodge was born (introductory; advanced),
• May 21, 1796:  American Senator and Attorney General Reverdy Johnson was born (introductory; advanced),
• May 29, 1736:  Orator and Virginia Governor Patrick Henry 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!