Top of page
Posted by: Danna Bell
Campaign songs have been part of presidential elections for almost as long as there have been presidential elections. These songs helped rally the crowd, encourage enthusiasm for the candidate and sometimes say something about the candidate and his beliefs.
Posted in: Fine and Performing Arts, Government and Law
Posted by: Cheryl Lederle
Newspapers offer rich examples of complex text, and they often have features to help readers understand and put it into context. Chronicling America offers digitized historical newspaper pages from 1836-1922, including a time-saving list of Recommended Topics. In this election season, I was drawn to the pages about presidential elections. Here are a few particulars that caught my attention, with teaching ideas that came to mind.
Posted in: Government and Law, Lesson Ideas, Teaching Strategies
Posted by: Danna Bell
On Tuesday, November 6, voters in the United States will go to the polls to elect a president, members of Congress and other state and local political leaders. As we move closer and closer to Election Day, this blog will be providing suggestions for ways to use primary sources from the Library of Congress to help students learn about the election process and past elections.
Posted in: Government and Law, Industrial United States, World Wars and the Great Depression (1914-1945)
Posted by: Stacie Moats
As students (and teachers) begin looking ahead to summer, celebrate the Fourth of July a little early in your classroom by using The Declaration of Independence: Rewriting the Rough Draft, an online activity from the Library of Congress,
Posted in: Government and Law, Revolution and the New Nation (1764-1815)
Posted by: Cheryl Lederle
You can learn a lot by getting to know a member of Congress-either in person or through primary sources.
Posted in: Government and Law, Lesson Ideas
Posted by: Danna Bell
By law, February 22 is called George Washington's Birthday, but many now use the day to honor or commemorate all U.S. presidents. One easy way to help your students explore the legacy of three great presidents is by using a primary source set from the Library of Congress.
Posted in: Government and Law, Holidays
Posted by: Stephen Wesson
For those of us at the Library of Congress who work with K-12 teachers, a crucial part of our work is promoting the effective instructional use of primary sources. Primary sources—the raw materials of history and culture—are very powerful tools for teaching.
Posted in: Government and Law, Teaching Tools
Posted by: Stephen Wesson
Looking for a Constitution Day activity? Have students zoom in on actual draft documents to learn what’s behind the main ideas in the Constitution. They’re sure to discover some intriguing changes along the way.
Posted in: Constitution, Government and Law
Posted by: Stephen Wesson
Students can explore Thomas Jefferson's rough draft of the Declaration of Independence to think about the story behind the edits.
Posted in: Government and Law, Lesson Ideas, Revolution and the New Nation (1764-1815)