Despite the controversies, Huckleberry Finn has remained a staple in high school literature study because teachers seek to engage students with texts that provoke discussion and questions. Primary sources from the Library of Congress can help deepen students' thinking around the issues central to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and other literary works.
Currently 12 Years a Slave, the film version of the true story of Solomon Northup, is showing in theaters. His account is a powerful one: A free African American, Northup was kidnapped in 1841 and taken from New York to Washington, D.C., then to New Orleans, where he was sold into twelve years of slavery. A study of primary sources from the Library of Congress indicates that Northrup's experience was far from unique.
Would your students be willing to march for something they believed in? On August 28, 1963 more than 250,000 people came to the Reflecting Pool and the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
Baseball still holds a special place in the culture of the United States. As this year's season opened around the nation's capital we began to see more and more people wearing baseball caps, shirts and jackets with their team's favorite logo. Though baseball has been a part of the culture of the United States for many years, not all were allowed to play in the major leagues.
African American History Month is a perfect time to celebrate the abolitionist efforts of white and black Americans alike, and to examine the relationship between the Emancipation Proclamation’s author and one of the greatest American abolitionists.
Are there statues in your community created to honor those who have made a difference? Have buildings in your town been named or renamed for important people in history? Martin Luther King, Jr. is one such person. Ask your students to analyze a mural documenting the life of Dr. King, as seen in a photograph from the Carol M. Highsmith Archive at the Library of Congress.
