One of Dr. Carla’s Hayden’s stated goals for her time as Librarian of Congress is to continue to expand access to our primary source collections, and the Library of Congress staff is working hard to achieve this goal. Here is the first post from the Teaching with the Library of Congress blog team highlighting some of the newer online collections. Let us know in the comments if you find this helpful!
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Benjamin Franklin Papers
Documenting his work as diplomat, publisher, scientist and inventor, Franklin’s papers include correspondence between him and notable people of the day including John Adams, George III – King of Great Britain, Thomas Jefferson, the Marquis de Lafayette, George Washington, Antoine Lavoisier, and Joseph Priestley. Also included are some of his diaries, notes on experiments, and copies of some of his scientific writings.
Salmon P. Chase Papers
Chase served as an Ohio governor, Secretary of the Treasury in Lincoln’s cabinet, and Supreme Court justice. His papers document his legal career, work as an abolitionist, and activities as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Included are Chase’s diaries, select speeches, and other writings and correspondence with people including Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield, William Henry Seward, and Horace Greeley.
Branch Rickey Papers
Engage the baseball fans in your classroom! The Branch Rickey papers include scouting reports on noted baseball players including Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Don Drysdale, Sandy Koufax, and Harmon Killebrew.
Selections from the National Film Registry
This collection provides access to a number of the films that have been considered to be “works of enduring importance of American culture” and earmarked for preservation by the Library of Congress. See Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor, The House I Live In featuring Frank Sinatra, Master Hands, a film that documents the activity on an automobile assembly line, and a film documenting the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
Susan B. Anthony Papers
This collection features diaries and scrapbooks assembled by Anthony’s sister that documented their work on suffrage and the activities of New York state and national suffrage organizations, and correspondence from the noted suffragist. Included is a draft of her first public address, letters documenting the activities of the National Women’s Suffrage Association and speeches she made against slavery.
A number of presidential papers collections are also now available online, including the papers of Franklin Pierce, Ulysses S. Grant, James K. Polk, and Millard Fillmore.
Many of the new collections have links to teaching resources or related collections. Explore and let us know what you discover in these newly published collections, and let us know if you’d like to see more columns highlighting the new collections in the comments provided below.