On November 19, 1863, renowned orator Edward Everett spoke at the dedication of a memorial cemetery. The world has little noted nor long remembered what he said in those two hours.
Everett’s oration was upstaged by the next speaker’s concise 272 words, now familiar as Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. The following day, Everett himself sent Lincoln a note, complimenting him, “I should be glad, if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes.”
The Library's new primary source set, "Civil War Soldiers' Portraits: The Liljenquist Family Collection," brings students face to face with some of the everyday men and boys who fought in the Civil War.
The Civil War was the most photographed war of its era, and the Library's new primary source set, "Civil War Soldiers' Portraits: The Liljenquist Family Collection," brings students face to face with some of the men and boys who fought in the Civil War.
At least 400 women served as soldiers on both sides of the Civil War and explored why they joined and how they managed to pass as men. Primary sources from the Library of Congress chronicle the experiences of some of those women, and allow us to examine how they were remembered after their service.
Women filled a variety of roles in the Civil War. In addition to women who served as spies, daughters of regiments, cooks, laundresses, and nurses, approximately 400 posed as male soldiers. So, who were these hundreds of women soldiers? Why did they join? And how did they manage to do it?
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.
A recent blog post on presidential inaugurations noted that while the Constitution requires only an oath of office, presidential inaugurations have evolved to include many more activities. Many of these elements, including inaugural addresses, are documented in primary sources from the Library of Congress.
