Agreed-upon Boundaries at the Close of the Revolutionary War

As Independence Day approaches, this week we're highlighting this 1775 "Annotated Map of the British Colonies in North America with the Roads, Distances, Limits and Extent of the Settlements." During the negotiations to end the Revolutionary War, all sides used a copy of the so-called Mitchell map. The red lines marked on the map were … Continue reading Agreed-upon Boundaries at the Close of the Revolutionary War

The Golden Spike in the Transcontinental Railroad

Today we shine a spotlight on this photograph of the golden spike ceremony taken in Promontory, Utah. As school lets out and vacation begins, we're changing up our posts for the summer. Look for these spotlights highlighting great documents, photographs, posters, and more from our holdings. The Transcontinental Railroad was completed on May 10, 1869, … Continue reading The Golden Spike in the Transcontinental Railroad

Summer Professional Development at the LBJ Library in Austin, TX

From July 29 to August 2, 2013 the LBJ Library will offer a research-based workshop for teachers of all disciplines and grade levels. Participants will learn how to conduct research in historical records, create classroom materials, and present documents in ways that sharpen students’ skills and enthusiasm for history and the humanities. If you're interested, … Continue reading Summer Professional Development at the LBJ Library in Austin, TX

Searching for the Seventies in New York and New Jersey

As a child of the 1980s, the 1970s have always been a mysterious decade to me.  So, I get the appeal of the exhibition “Searching for the Seventies” now on display at the National Archives in Washington, DC, through September 8. “Searching for the Seventies” highlights the photographs of the Documerica project, a documentary project … Continue reading Searching for the Seventies in New York and New Jersey

The DocsTeach App for iPad

The DocsTeach App extends learning activities from the DocsTeach website to your students' iPads. Using the app, they can choose a topic, such as “Civics & Government” or “Postwar U.S. 1945–early 1970s,” and challenge themselves with a DocsTeach activity, interacting with stories, events, and ideas of the past. The activities are all based on primary source documents from the … Continue reading The DocsTeach App for iPad