We the Teachers

Featured:
Teaching Lincoln’s Decision-Making
Today is the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's death. Instead of a story about Lincoln, we're posting a story about a teacher who, each year in history class, tears the great…
Documents and Debates: The Nullification Crisis
High above the football stadium at Clemson University sits Fort Hill, the stately antebellum home…
Wilson’s War Message
President Woodrow Wilson, on April 2nd, 1917, spoke before a special joint session of Congress,…
Containment and the Truman Doctrine: Documents and Debates
Like many youngsters interested in history, I read only books about presidents and generals as…
John Brown’s Legacy: From Kansas to the Classroom
I have a confession to make. In my years teaching American history, I did an…
The Market Revolution and (The Myth of?) Free Labor
What historical sites are on your bucket list? Fortunately, I have visited several of mine…
Women’s Voices Collection Documents the Visionary Work of Women
Today we feature a conversation with Sarah Morgan Smith, Teaching American History’s Director of Faculty…
Documents and Debates: The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb
On July 16, 1945, the USS Indianapolis slipped away from its moorings on Mare Island,…
The Battle of Verdun 105 Years Later
February 21 will mark the 105th anniversary of the commencement of the Battle of Verdun,…
The Hartford Convention: Secession or Reform?
Rumors were swirling throughout New England. What were the delegates, gathered in secret, doing? Were…
The Convention—and the Cause—that Organized the Confederacy
A critical step precipitating the Civil War was taken 160 years ago this month. On…
The Whiskey Rebellion
President George Washington and Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton stepped into a carriage on Market Street…
400 Years Ago This Week: The Pilgrims Land at Plymouth (but not necessarily on a rock)
Although we remember the Pilgrims most commonly in November, it was actually in December of…
No Less Than a Miracle
Writing this series of posts about Teaching American History’s Core Document Collection: Documents and Debates…
On Horse-racing, Bank Runs, and Economic Collapse: What Caused the Great Depression
My favorite movie is Seabiscuit, the story of one broken horse and two broken men…
NARA Releases Newly Digitized Documents Related to Native American History
Teaching Native American history with documents presents several challenges to the historian: problems of perspective…
Equality for Whom: Revolutionary Considerations of Citizenship and Self-Government
In 2018, my wife and I attended a One Day University event in Charlotte, NC,…
Justice Denied: The Eugenics Crusade
Today we continue our exploration of Teaching American History's two-volume document collection, Documents and Debates…
Timely Ideas: Abraham Lincoln’s Lyceum Address
On 27 January 1838, notable local lawyer Abraham Lincoln addressed the Young Men's Lyceum in…
Experimenting with Freedom of Conscience
Today we continue our exploration of Teaching American History's two-volume document collection, Documents and Debates…
Documenting Labor in American History
This weekend, Americans will enjoy an extra day off as the nation observes Labor Day.…
Big Trouble in a Company Town: The Pullman Strike
Today we continue our exploration of Teaching American History’s two-volume document collection, Documents and Debates…
Chapter 3 Documents and Debates: Labor, Servitude and Slavery
Today's post is the latest in a series of articles highlighting the print and audio…
“The Starting Point” of the Abolitionist Movement: Morgan Godwyn’s Plea to Evangelize Slaves
Frederick Douglass, in one of his last speeches, drew attention to a little-known book published…
Let Us Have Peace: Reconstructing the West, Grant’s Peace Policy
On May 29, 1868, General Ulysses S Grant accepted the Republican nomination for president in…
Remembering Seneca Falls
172 years ago this Sunday, Lucretia Mott (1793–1880), Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815–1902) and over a…
Under Construction: Merchants and Morality in Colonial Massachusetts
Almost every American can close their eyes and picture the scene. A small ship arrives…
Documents and Debates: Reconstructing the South
South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union when a convention in…
A Perspective on the Battle of Bunker Hill
On June 13th, 1775, American troops around Boston learned of a British plan to occupy…
Documents and Debates: Chapter 1: Early Contact
Frequent visitors to Teaching American History.org tell us we are their go-to site for primary sources. We…
Federalism and Pandemics: A National Teachable Moment
“Emergencies are crucibles that contain and reveal the daily, slower burning problems of medicine and…
Beyond the Amistad: The antislavery legislative career of John Quincy Adams
On February 21st, 1848 Representative John Quincy Adams rose on the House floor to vote…
Contemporary Responses to the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
The assassination of President Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theater on April 14, 1865 brought an…
The Supreme Court Debates Religious Freedom: A Conversation with Ken Masugi
Professor Ken Masugi has edited a new core document collection, the first in a planned…
The Attack on Pearl Harbor in Two Documents
December 7th, 1941, marked the forced entry of the United States into World War II.…
Why Should We Teach Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address?
On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered "a few appropriate remarks" at the dedication…
D-Day: What if it had failed?
General Dwight Eisenhower was the most powerful man in the world in early June, 1944,…
The Bill of Rights
TAH has produced some new content and resources about the Bill of Rights, and we've…
Constitution Day Lecture: “The Least Dangerous Branch”
Professor Gordon Lloyd gave the attached address at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library as part…
Core American Documents: Reconstruction
"Reconstruction is one of these times in American History where you can learn the limits…
The Declaration of Independence: Full Reading
TAH.org is doing a trial run of making recorded readings of essential original documents available…
Core Documents Collection: Religion in American History and Politics
"You can't understand American History without understanding the role of religion in our history and…
Teaching the American Founding and the Constitutional Convention
Over the course of 100 days in 1787, American history would be made in a…
Core Documents: 2 Volume “Documents and Debates” now available
The latest volumes of our Core American Documents Collections – Documents and Debates – are…
Fifth Volume of Core Documents Collection – The Cold War Now Available!
The latest volume of our Core American Documents Collections – the Cold War – is…
Fourth Volume of Core Documents Collections – World War II Now Available!
The fourth volume of the American History and Government Core Documents Collections – World War…
Third Volume of Core Documents Collections – The Constitutional Convention OUT NOW!
The third volume of the American History and Government Core Documents Collections – the Constitutional…
Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address: Good Winners and Bad Losers