History

Works of history explore a person, event, or other meaningful part of the past. These works examine the subject in detail, especially as the subject relates to subsequent events or how the subject had an impact on society.

Primary Source: Mother’s Day Oberved All Over America

While the roots of a day to honor mothers began earlier, when Anna Jarvis’ mother died in 1905, Jarvis dedicated herself to promoting the idea of one day to recognize mothers. She started in Philadelphia, and the movement grew quickly. This is a newspaper article from the Boston Herald on…

Washington. The Legislature. And The President’s House

In 1842 Charles Dickens was probably the most famous English language author in the world. He was received around the world as a major celebrity, often mobbed by fans. It was in that year that Dickens visited the United States. He wrote and published his thoughts about his visit in…

Biography: Dorothea Lynde Dix

Dorothea Dix (1802-1887) was born in Massachusetts. Her early childhood with her parents was unhappy. When she was 12 years old, she went to live with her wealthy grandmother in her house called Orange Court. That is where the passage begins. —————————— At Orange Court, Dorothea was allowed no time…

Robert Louis Stevenson: Pirate Tales, Treasure Maps, and Monsters

Robert Louis Stevenson was born on November 13, 1850 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was very sick as a child. He suffered from fevers and coughs which confined him to bed. His imagination kept him company. He loved listening to stories and dreaming up stories. Robert’s father wanted him to study…

The Gold Rush: Rise of the Golden State

California was forever changed the day James Marshall saw flakes of gold sparkling in the American River. Between the years of 1848 and 1855, the discovery of gold would inspire more than 300,000 people to move to California. This “gold rush” helped California to officially become a state. James Marshall…

To the High Mountains

John Muir was one of the foremost American conservationists. In 1869 he went with a group of shepherds who were taking a flock of sheep to summer pasture in the Sierra Nevada mountains. In this passage, the shepherds try to get the sheep to cross a river. The man named…

Biography: George Washington

One of the greatest heroes of American history is George Washington, the leader of the Continental Army during the American Revolution and first President of the United States. This story is about his life. ————————————— George had shown that he could do the work of a man on the farm…

The Rush

The Klondike Gold Rush began in 1896 with the discovery of gold in Alaska and Canada. Over 100,000 people hurried to the area in order to find their own fortune of gold. One of these people was May Kellogg Sullivan, who along with her brother and father, went to get…

Primary Source: Washington Monument Is Almost Finished

The Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. took many years to build. The cornerstone was laid in 1848, the obelisk was completed in 1884, and the entire building was finished in 1888. Below is an article from the Wisconsin State Journal in January 1885 regarding the completion of the obelisk. As…

Helen Learns Words

Helen Keller was a remarkable woman. She was born in Alabama in 1880. When she was just a small child, she became very ill. She recovered, but lost her sense of sight and hearing. She was so very young that she had not learned to talk much. She could communicate…