The Library of Congress' collection of U.S Congressional Documents and Debates spans from the Continental Congress in 1774 to the 43rd Congress in 1875, and they have been digitized for students, scholars, and the interested public. Visitors can browse the collection by category, which includes "Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention", "Journals of Congress", "Debates of...

In 1893, Chicago played host to the World's Columbian Exposition, a seminal event in American cultural history. With that spirit in mind (and in an attempt to get people to forget the darkest days of the Great Depression), the "City of Big Shoulders" played host to the 1933-1934 Century of Progress World's Fair. The event was held on the shores of Lake Michigan, and stretched from 12th Street (now...

Born in Winslow Township, Pennsylvania in 1843, Tilton C. Reynolds was a member of the 105th Regiment Pennsylvania at the tender age of 17 and served admirably throughout the Civil War for four years. This particular online collection (which includes 164 items) offers a look into "the lives of a Union soldier and members of his family during the Civil War," and includes letters that deal with the...

The 4th of July brings out orators of all stripes, and over the past two centuries many distinguished Americans have seen fit to offer their own encomia on this day. This lovely collection from the University of Missouri's Ellis Library brings together published pamphlets made on Independence Day from 1791 to 1925. The speeches take a look at crucial topics from this time period, including civic...

Women have been educated at the Harvard Business School (HBS) since 1937, and this online exhibit from the Baker Library at HBS provides a wealth of material on the period from "the first daring experiment in 'practical education' for women" in 1937 to 1970, when women became residents in HBS dormitories. The materials here are organized chronologically into areas like "Co-Education: Women and Men...

To commemorate the recent 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, August 28th, 1963, the Library of Congress has selected these images from its extensive Prints and Photographs collections. Images by members of the White House News Photographers Association, color slides for publication in Look magazine, and pictures from a professional Ohio photographer document a "day that changed the...

In 1983, the Smithsonian American Art Museum began collecting photographs. Today they have over 7000 images and this website offers a wonderful exploration of but a few of their holdings. The title of this collection refers to Walt Whitman's belief that photography was a quintessentially American activity, rooted in everyday people and ordinary things. The visual delights here are divided into...

While millions of people visit Yellowstone National Park each year, very few of them will actually pay detailed attention to the various concessions offered around the area, unless of course they are unable to purchase various sundries or crucial items. In this wholly engaging 153-page work, author Mary Shivers Culpin (writing for the National Park Service's Yellowstone Center for Resources),...

Cornell University Library's Social Welfare Digital Collection brings together manuscripts, early journals, narratives, reports, letters, photographs, prints, and much more that document the history of social welfare in the United States. The two foci here include the historical development of social welfare services in New York and the history of social welfare provisions by and for African...

Sure, you might know that Longfellow was a member of the literati who called Maine home, but did you know that Robert McCloskey was one as well? In case you might have forgotten, McCloskey was the author and illustrator of those children's classics "Make Way for Ducklings" and "Blueberries for Sal". It's easy to learn about dozens of Maine authors via this delightful website created as part of a...