Tagged History
Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage in the Fleisher Collection
The Edwin A. Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music at the Free Library of Philadelphia offers a closing theme as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month comes to an end for 2023. As we share a sampling of the rich cultural…
Special Lecture Series: Orson Welles & The Golden Age of Hollywood
Beginning Wednesday, April 12, 2023, the Free Library of Philadelphia launches a unique seven-part series of live evening events exploring the life and career of George Orson Welles , one of the most remarkable producer/director/actors…
Celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month this May
Celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month this May! Also sometimes known as Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, it first began during the 1970s with a week-long celebration, and eventually got extended into…
Honoring Jewish American Heritage Month
Did you know that in 1654, 23 Jewish refugees sailed to the port of New Amsterdam (presently New York City) and established the first Jewish community in what we now call the United States? It has been nearly 400 years since this…
Profiles in Literature
The Free Library of Philadelphia has some wonderful resources for people researching the history of children's literature in America. With just a library card , several databases are available to help you learn more about the…
Ancestry Library Edition
Visit one of our libraries to explore our newest database, Ancestry Library Edition , which provides the most extensive collection of genealogical information currently available online. You can explore your family’s…
Teaching Interior Chinatown — With Appropriate Supports
Early in our Interior Chinatown unit, my co-teacher and I talked to our students about the idea of interior and exterior — an important contrast that structures Charles Yu ’s novel. What did we mean by interior and exterior?…
Comrade Sisters: Women of the Black Panther Party
Over the years, the Philadelphia Commission for Women has partnered with the Free Library of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Chapter of the National Organization for Women on vital programs to elevate the voices and aspirations of…
NewspaperArchive Is a Blast From the Past!
NewspaperArchive is an online database of billions (and yes, that’s BILLIONS with a B!) of newspaper articles from Pennsylvania, the U.S. (all 50 states plus Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands), and all over the globe…
The HistoryMakers: Enjoy African American History On-Demand
Using your library card, you can now enjoy Black history in the oral tradition via The HistoryMakers Digital Archive : the largest video archive of African American history spanning from the 1700s to the present day. This special…
All the Historic Black Newspapers Available Online With Your Library Card
What better way to learn about Black history than through the lens of Black news sources, as written and published by the African American journalists of yesterday? The Free Library is pleased to highlight a digital resource…
Celebrate the Dog Days of Summer!
Phew, the summer is heating up! As we all try our best to deal with the rising temperatures in our area, don't forget that the Free Library is a great place to cool off. Check your neighborhood library's hours of…
Bloomsday is back!
The Rosenbach's annual Bloomsday festival is BACK on Delancey Place after a two-year hiatus. Join the celebration on Thursday, June 16 anytime between 11:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. What is Bloomsday? Bloomsday is the day…
Celebrating Juneteenth!
The Free Library is celebrating Juneteenth! Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the end of enslavement in the United States and a time when we come together to celebrate this monumental occasion across the country, within our…
Commemorating Immigrant Heritage Month This June
This June, the Free Library is celebrating Philadelphia’s immigrant communities! June is Immigrant Heritage Month , a time when we celebrate the beauty and strength of our city’s many immigrant communities. Philadelphia…
Dracula at 125
Written by Edward P. On May 26, 1897, visitors to bookshops in London found a new book, for just six shillings, published by Constable and Co., bound in a lurid yellow cloth cover with blood red letters announcing its strange…
Rosemary for Shakespeare
Written by Isabel S. April 23 marks the day that we traditionally celebrate William Shakespeare’s birth and deathday, though neither of those occasions are confirmed to have actually been on the 23rd. Shakespeare was baptized on…
Up Above: Thinking about the "Little Old Lady Tost Up in a Basket"
Just in time for spring cleaning, N. C. Wyeth's The Old Woman Tost Up in a Basket is back on display in Up Above: Thinking About the Skies in Parkway Central Library. Creating and researching an exhibition is always an…
The Quilts of Gee's Bend
History is found in the pages of a textbook—or so I thought! This February, celebrate Black History Month by learning more about the history of Black quilt makers! Do you know about the (Quilt) Pieces of Black History series…
Who Was the Saint of Valentine's Day?
Was there a saint of love? Despite myths surrounding the "real" Saint Valentine , this holiday likely owes its origins to Medieval English poet Chaucer . At a time of growing romance around ideas of forbidden courtly love, he…
"The Legacy of Orson Welles" | Bob Mondello
Final Part of the Special Lecture Series: Orson Welles & The Golden Age of Hollywood As a film critic for National Public Radio, Bob Mondello sees and comments on 300 films a year. Mondello was a new NPR employee at the time that…
"The Crusader for Social Justice" | Zuhairah McGill
Part Six of the Seven-Part Special Lecture Series: Orson Welles & The Golden Age of Hollywood The noted actress and director Zuhairah McGill explores the commitment of Orson Welles to hiring gifted African-American actors…
"The Genius Who Made Legendary Films on a Shoestring" | Sam Adams & Meta Mazaj
Part Five of the Special Lecture Series: Orson Welles & The Golden Age of Hollywood This program will be presented jointly by two individuals. Sam Adams is a senior editor at Slate and the editor of its cultural blog, Brow Beat…
Black Luminaries Film Series | Malcolm X (1972)
Join the Free Library of Philadelphia's Education, Philosophy, and Religion Department for a screening of Arnold Perls' 1972 film Malcolm X. This documentary combines interviews, archival footage, and a voice-over narrator to…
Bryn Ziegler's Don’t Look Into The Abyss and Other Local Comics
This display was curated by book artist Bryn Ziegler and comics scholar Joshua Kopin in partnership with the Art Department as a companion to the book launch event for Ziegler’s Don’t Look Into The Abyss . The works…
Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building
The Free Library’s newest exhibition, Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building explores the creative and artistic choices that mapmakers use to build worlds and enhance storytelling. The exhibition delves into the…
Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building
The Free Library’s newest exhibition, Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building explores the creative and artistic choices that mapmakers use to build worlds and enhance storytelling. The exhibition delves into the…
Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building
The Free Library’s newest exhibition, Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building explores the creative and artistic choices that mapmakers use to build worlds and enhance storytelling. The exhibition delves into the…
Let’s Explore Space
Children are invited to join the Geography Lady and learn all about space through pictures, maps, stories, games, movement, crafts, and more!
“Mapping Imagination” Curator-Led Exhibition Tour
The Free Library’s newest exhibition, Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building explores the creative and artistic choices that mapmakers use to build worlds and enhance storytelling. The exhibition delves into the…
"The Genius Who Couldn't Do Anything Right" | Ray Kelly
Part Four of the Seven-Part Special Lecture Series: Orson Welles & The Golden Age of Hollywood Ray Kelly was a journalist for nearly 40 years and ended his first career as the managing editor of the Springfield Republican…
Hands on History: Mapping (More) Imagination
Have you seen the exhibition Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building and want to learn more? Now’s your chance with this hands-on event featuring materials that were considered (but sadly not included) in the exhibition.…
Hands on History: Mapping (More) Imagination
Have you seen the exhibition Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building and want to learn more? Now’s your chance with this hands-on event featuring materials that were considered (but sadly not included) in the exhibition.…
“Mapping Imagination” Curator-Led Exhibition Tour
The Free Library’s newest exhibition, Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building explores the creative and artistic choices that mapmakers use to build worlds and enhance storytelling. The exhibition delves into the…
Black Luminaries Film Series | I Am Not Your Negro (2016)
Join the Free Library of Philadelphia's Education, Philosophy, and Religion Department for a screening of Raoul Peck's 2016 film I Am Not Your Negro . This documentary and social critique rounds out James Baldwin's personal…
“Mapping Imagination” Curator-Led Exhibition Tour
The Free Library’s newest exhibition, Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building explores the creative and artistic choices that mapmakers use to build worlds and enhance storytelling. The exhibition delves into the…
Blair LM Kelley | Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class
REGISTER In conversation with Marc Lamont Hill Referred to by acclaimed author and academic Michael Eric Dyson as “one of the most important works of history to come across my desk in a long time,” Blair LM Kelley’s…
African Empires and African American History
Join Ms. Gwen Ebron for a focused session of classes exploring African and African American History. Each session runs from 6:00 - 7:30 and includes time to browse our collection and check out materials. June 5: Have…
The Queer Art of Protest
**People of all identities are welcome!** Join Philadelphia scholar Carolyn Chernoff and Art Librarian Alison for a two-part workshop looking at some examples of protest signs, posters, and banners from history, and then…
Around the World with The Geography Lady!
Take a trip around the world from the comfort of the Library with The Geography Lady! This is an all ages family program.
Alice Dunbar-Nelson
Free Library resources in support of the Rosenbach's Digital Exhibition: "I Am an American!" The Authorship and Activism of Alice Dunbar-Nelson
Freedom Train - Adults
Supplemental adult reading suggestions for the Rosenbach's Freedom Train exhibition, running July 1st, 2016 through November 1st, 2016.
Freedom Train - Teens
Supplemental teen reading suggestions for the Rosenbach's Freedom Train exhibition, running July 1st, 2016 through November 1st, 2016.
Freedom Train - Children
Supplemental children's reading suggestions for the Rosenbach's Freedom Train exhibition, running July 1st, 2016 through November 1st, 2016.
Presidents of the United States
Under the United States Constitution, the President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States. As chief of the executive branch and face of the federal government as a whole, the presidency is…
Asians American History, Cultural Traditions, and Celebrations
History of different Asian ethnic groups in America and background on Asian cultural traditions and holidays.
U.S. Elections and Politics
The United States midterm general election will be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018. In Pennsylvania, the ballot includes candidates for Governor, Lt. Governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, the Pennsylvania State Senate,…
U.S. Congressional Serial Set (1817-1980)
The bound, sequentially numbered volumes of all the Reports, Documents, and Journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives constitutes a rich source of primary source material on all aspects of American history. Upon…
Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture, and Law
This HeinOnline collection brings together a multitude of essential legal materials on slavery in the U.S. and the English-speaking world. It includes nearly 2,000 titles, with every statute passed by every colony and state on slavery,…
Philadelphia Tribune (1912-2001)
Full access to the oldest continuously published daily Black newspaper in the United States.
Philadelphia Evening Telegraph
Philadelphia Evening Telegraph was a daily afternoon newspaper started on January 4, 1864. Search, browse, and read it online here.
HistoryMakers Digital Archive
The HistoryMakers Digital Archive is the nation's largest African American video oral history collection. It provides high-quality primary source content, with fully searchable transcripts, from thousands of people from a broad range of…
Historical Newspapers - Black Newspapers
Primary source material from ten historic Black newspapers, including the Chicago Defender, The Baltimore Afro-American, New York Amsterdam News, Pittsburgh Courier, Los Angeles Sentinel, Atlanta Daily World, and the Cleveland Call and Post
Gun Regulation and Legislation in America
This new HeinOnline collection brings together more than 550 titles dealing with this difficult and important topic. Included are periodicals, key compiled federal legislative histories, relevant congressional hearings, CRS Reports,…
Gale OneFile | High School Edition (formerly InfoTrac Student Edition) *
High school students will have access to age-appropriate content from magazines, journals, newspapers, reference books, and engaging multi-media covering a wide range of subjects, from science, history, and literature to political…
Gale In Context: U.S. History
Covers themes, events, individuals and periods in U.S. history from pre-colonial times to the present. The material also includes access to the citations for over 180 additional history journals from the Institute for Scientific…
Gale in Context | Middle School (formerly Research in Context) *
Discover reliable and trusted information on a variety of topics to support middle school student research for government, U.S and world history, geography, literature, sciences, and social issues. Research In Context offers…
Early American Imprints, Series II: Shaw-Shoemaker (1801-1819)
Covering every aspect of American life during the early decades of the United States, this rich primary source collection provides full-text access to the 36,000 American books, pamphlets and broadsides published in the first nineteen…
Early American Imprints, Series I: Evans (1639-1800)
Based on the renowned American Bibliography by Charles Evans. The definitive resource for every aspect of life in 17th- and 18th-century America, from agriculture and auctions through foreign affairs, diplomacy, literature, music,…
Archive of Americana
Search or browse the books, pamphlets, and other imprints listed in the renowned bibliography by Charles Evans, including publications unavailable earlier. Search or browse the books, pamphlets, broadsides and other imprints listed in…
Ancestry Library Edition
Kristen R. Ghodsee | Everyday Utopia: What 2,000 Years of Wild Experiments Can Teach Us
In conversation with Arwa Mahdawi Referred to by bestsstelling author Rebecca Traister as “exhilarating, good humored, and forward looking,” Kristen R. Ghodsee ’s Everyday Utopia is a two-millennia examination of diverse…
Linda Villarosa | Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation
A contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine and The 1619 Project, Linda Villarosa has won numerous awards for articles concerning issues of Black mother and infant health, medical myths, America’s hidden HIV epidemic,…
Camille Dungy | Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden
In conversation with Abra Lee Camille T. Dungy is the author of Guidebook to Relative Strangers: Journeys into Race, Motherhood, and History , a debut personal essay collection that was nominated for the National Book Critics Circle…
Chad L. Williams | The Wounded World: W. E. B. Du Bois and the First World War
In conversation with Mia Bay Chad L. Williams is the author of Torchbearers of Democracy: African American Soldiers in the World War I Era , winner of the Liberty Legacy Foundation Award from the Organization of American Historians. The…
Simon Winchester | Knowing What We Know: The Transmission of Knowledge: From Ancient Wisdom to Modern Magic
Pine Tree Foundation Endowed Lecture Exuding “the comfort and charm of a beloved encyclopedia come to life” ( The New Yorker ), Simon Winchester is the bestselling author of nearly 30 nonfiction books that explore some of the world’s…
David Grann | The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
David Grann is the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI , an account of the chilling true-life story of one of the most sinister conspiracies in U.S. history.…
Neil King Jr. | American Ramble: A Walk of Memory and Renewal
In conversation with Signe Wilkinson A Wall Street Journal correspondent for two decades, Neil King Jr. reported from more than 50 countries, served as the newspaper’s chief diplomatic correspondent, national political reporter, and…
Mary Louise Kelly | It. Goes. So. Fast.: The Year of No Do-Overs
In conversation with award-winning journalist and broadcaster Tracey Matisak Barbara Gohn Day Memorial Lecture An NPR reporter for more than two decades, Mary Louise Kelly currently co-hosts the network’s flagship program All Things…
Jennifer Senior | On Grief: Love, Loss, Memory
In conversation with Mike Sielski A staff writer at The Atlantic, Jennifer Senior won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for feature writing for “Twenty Years Gone,” an account of a family still reeling from the loss of a loved one on 9/11. Her…
Vanessa Hua | Forbidden City
In conversation with Pia Sarkar A former longtime columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle , Vanessa Hua has written about Asia and the diaspora from countries such as China, Burma, and South Korea, and has contributed articles to The…
Angela Saini | The Patriarchs: The Origins of Inequality
Angela Saini is the author of Superior , an “easy-to-read blend of science reporting, cultural criticism, and personal reflection” ( Slate ) that explores the resurgence of the harmful and faulty study of race science. She is also the…
Heather McGhee | The Sum of Us (Adapted for Young Readers): How Racism Hurts Everyone
Sandra Shaber Memorial Lecture In conversation with award-winning journalist and broadcaster Tracey Matisak The Sum of Us , Heather McGhee’s 2021 odyssey across the American landscape of inequality, won wide acclaim for its empathetic…
Guthrie P. Ramsey, Jr. | Who Hears Here: On Black Music, Pasts, & Present
In conversation with Marc Lamont Hill Professor emeritus of Music at the University of Pennsylvania, Guthrie P. Ramsey, Jr. is a celebrated musicologist, composer, pianist, and music historian. He is the author of Race Music: Black…
Dan Berger | Stayed on Freedom: The Long History of Black Power through One Family's Journey
In conversation with Michael Simmons and Robert Saleem Holbrook Dan Berger is the author of the James A. Rawley Prize winning Captive Nation: Black Prison Organizing in the Civil Rights Era , an “illuminating” ( The Nation )…
Clint Smith | How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America
In conversation with award-winning journalist and broadcaster Tracey Matisak “A public intellectual with much to offer about teaching (and unlearning) history” ( The Washington Post ), Clint Smith , in his bestselling book How the Word…
Ilyon Woo | Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom
In conversation with Imani Perry Ilyon Woo is the author of The Great Divorce , the “lively, well-written, and engrossing tale” ( The New York Times Book Review ) of a young mother’s five-year fight against her husband, the Shakers…
Neal Gabler | Against The Wind: Edward Kennedy and the Rise of Conservatism, 1976-2009 with Patrick Kennedy
In conversation with former congressman Patrick Kennedy Neal Gabler is the author of Catching the Wind: Edward Kennedy and the Liberal Hour , a “rich and insightful” ( The New York Times ) account of the figure known as the most complex…
Kerri K. Greenidge | The Grimkes: The Legacy of Slavery in an American Family
In conversation with Tamala Edwards, anchor, 6ABC Action News morning edition Historian Kerri K. Greenidge is the author of Black Radical: The Life and Times of William Monroe Trotter , a portrait of the post-Reconstruction civil…
George Lakey | Dancing With History: A Life for Peace and Justice
In conversation with Varshini Prakash Active in grassroot campaigns for social change for more than seven decades, sociologist and Quaker organizer George Lakey was first arrested at a civil rights demonstration in 1963 and most…
Andrew K. Diemer | Vigilance: The Life of William Still, Father of the Underground Railroad
Andrew K. Diemer is the author of The Politics of Black Citizenship: Free African Americans in the Mid-Atlantic Borderland, 1817–1863 , an examination of the ways in which free Black Philadelphians and Baltimoreans fought to defend…
What Was on the Menu at the First Thanksgiving?
Traditional Thanksgiving dinner includes turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes but the First Thanksgiving likely included wildfowl, corn, porridge and venison.
The Story of America’s Freedom Trains
In-depth history and information about America’s Freedom Trains.
National Parks Center – Valley Forge
Valley Forge was the site of the 1777-1778 winter encampment of the Continental Army. The park commemorates the sacrifices and perseverance of the Revolutionary War generation and honors the ability of citizens to pull together and…
National Constitution Center
The National Constitution Center is the first and only institution in America established by Congress to “disseminate information about the United States Constitution on a non-partisan basis in order to increase the awareness and…
Ben’s Guide to the US Government
Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government, a service of the Government Publishing Office (GPO), is designed to inform students, parents, and educators about the Federal Government, which issues the publications and information products…
American Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights Timeline
This timeline was prepared for NHD Philly!, the regional National History Day program for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is a collaboration of more than thirty history and community-based organizations in the Greater Philadelphia region.…
10 Thanksgiving Myths Dispelled
Read about these 10 Thanksgiving Myths and separate the fact from the fiction.