Are your students beginning their research for the National History Day contest? Many of the millions of Library of Congress digitized primary sources highlight events that led to triumph or tragedy. Here are a few examples:
- The 100th anniversary of ratification of the 19th amendment will be in 2020, and the Library has many collections that document the women’s suffrage movement. To narrow your focus, consider the work of noted African American women such as Mary Church Terrell and Sojourner Truth to ensure that the suffrage movement included all women.
- Explore the triumph of invention by studying the work of Alexander Graham Bell, Samuel Morse or the Wright Brothers.
- Examine the actions of the Six Nations during the French and Indian and Revolutionary wars and government policy toward Native Americans during the development of the United States.
- The tragedies called by illnesses such as Yellow Fever and the Spanish flu and the triumphs of finding cures and treatments might appeal to students interested in the history of science.
- Oral histories from the Veterans History Project can provide a personal perspective of the tragedies and triumphs of war.
Need more guidance in learning navigating the Library’s online resources?
- View professional development videos, especially Exploring the Library of Congress website, LOC 101 for Teachers, and Planning a Search.
- Explore Primary Source Sets, collections of primary sources on a specific topic.
- The American Memory timeline and Topics in Chronicling America provide topic ideas and related primary sources.
- The Teaching with the Library of Congress blog highlights specific topics and primary sources throughout the Library. To begin, read the blog post on topic selection featuring Lynne O’Hara, the Director of Programs for National History Day as well as this post on project planning with LC primary sources.
- And don’t forget you can always Ask A Librarian for assistance!