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Frenemies: The Strange Friendship of JFK and Richard Nixon

The 1960 presidential campaign was close, hard-fought, and left both sides feeling embittered. Kennedy’s final margin of victory was less than 115,000 votes out of nearly 70 million cast. Nixon was convinced that the Kennedy…

Trust No One: Joe McCarthy and the Politics of Fear

Lies. Alternative facts. Demonize and Destroy Your Opponents. Does this sound familiar? Former Senator Joseph R. McCarthy (R-Wisconsin) has been dead for 63 years, but the political tools and techniques that he pioneered are as fresh as…

Voting by Mail? Avoid "Naked Ballots"!

Updated Tuesday, October 20, 2020 12:15 p.m. Spanish and Chinese translations have been added to this blog post. In the real world, small technical details count for a lot. How many checks were never cashed because the person who wrote…

Making Her Mark: Philadelphia Women Fight for the Vote Exhibition Opens Fall 2020

As we find ourselves weeks away from Election Day, consider this question: Who was the first person in your family to vote? The stories of Philadelphia women who built and sustained movements dedicated to voting rights is…

Defying Putin: The Dangers and Opportunities in Opposing Russia’s President

Bad things happen to people that Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, dislikes. Currently, Aleksi Navalny, the most important leader of Russia’s opposition, lies in a German hospital bed struggling to recover from a cup of…

The Picture of Health: The Strange Case of John F. Kennedy

During the critical first presidential debate in 1960, the difference in the physical appearance of the two candidates could not have been sharper. Vice President Richard Nixon looked like a man who belonged in a hospital. The…

A Dying Man Runs for President

If ever a man simply wore himself out while serving his country, Franklin D. Roosevelt is his name. First elected during the depths of the Great Depression in 1932, he was still on the job twelve years later in the midst of World War…

President Eisenhower, Senator McCarthy, and "The Junketeering Gumshoes"

During the years that Dwight Eisenhower served as Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, he had to contend with some of the most demanding and difficult personalities on two continents. The shortlist included Franklin D. Roosevelt ,…

Race in the United States: Social Justice Virtual Workshops for Teens

Updated Friday, July 10, 2020 4:59 p.m. "The Social Justice Symposium Teen Planning Committee supports the Concerned Black Workers of the Free Library of Philadelphia ! CBWFLP Response to DEI/Board of Trustees' letter We are…

"I Voted" Stickers from Our Special Collections

It's Primary Election Day in Philadelphia! If you've signed up in Pennsylvania to vote by mail , you should have already received your ballot with its easy-to-follow instructions, enclosure envelope, and mailing envelope. The…

Women of the World, Unite!

"Women of the world, unite. You have nothing to lose but your chains!" You’ve probably heard a slightly different version of this quote (or, to be fair, misquote ) from Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto , the…

Get Your Trusted 2020 Presidential Election News from the Free Library

Super Tuesday is now behind us. The 11th debate of the Democratic presidential primary is on the horizon. Candidates are dropping out of the race left and right, but it’s still anybody’s game. As the field narrows, how can…

Women's History Month 2020: Stories We Know, Stories We'll Discover

"Even if I believed that women should be denied the right of suffrage, wild horses could not drag such an admission from my pen or my lips, for this reason: precisely the same arguments used to prove that the ballot be withheld…

MLK Day of Service | When the Youth Lead

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a strongly celebrated day in Philadelphia. People of all ages come together to support their communities and uplift the values of MLK’s civil rights leadership during this nationally recognized Day of…

Election Day is Tuesday, November 5

Election Day is Tuesday, November 5 throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. During this general election, Philadelphians will elect a Mayor, 10 District Council and Seven Council at-Large members, as well as Judges, City…

New Voting Machine Demonstrations at a Neighborhood Library Near You!

Whether you've voted or not in the past few years for national or local elections, you may or may not know that voting security has become an ever-increasing concern. A bipartisan report by the Senate Intelligence Committee released…

How to Vote in the Primary Election on Tuesday, May 21

Philadelphians: it’s time to make your voting plans for the 2019 Pennsylvania primary election, which will be held this coming Tuesday, May 21! The Free Library is here to help you vote, in more ways than one. Here’s an…

First Ladies, In Their Own Words

The position of First Lady is a unique one in American government. It’s not a democratically elected position, but the office holds a great deal of cultural clout, and the women who occupied it have been deemed significant enough…

Plan for the Polls: No Excuses!

With the launch of our Division of Cultural and Civic Engagement (DCCE), the Free Library is committed, more than ever, to getting Philadelphians involved in what’s happening in their neighborhoods and communities, as well as the…

Midterms Matter: Democracy Looks Like You!

Voting is an exercise in democracy. And no matter where you fall on the political spectrum, if you’re not registered to vote, your voice won’t be heard. Midterms matter! And for these crucial 2018 elections, the deadline to…

IN-PERSON - Fintan O’Toole | We Don’t Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Modern Ireland

TICKETS A Dublin native and a 34-year columnist and drama critic for The Irish Times, Fintan O’Toole is the author of nearly two dozen books, including A History of Ireland in 100 Objects , …

IN-PERSON - Elie Mystal | Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution

REGISTER The Nation ’s legal analyst and justice correspondent, Elie Mystal is an Alfred Knobler fellow at the Type Media Center and is the legal editor of More Perfect , Radiolab’s podcast about the U.S.…

IN-PERSON - Michael Kazin | What It Took to Win: A History of the Democratic Party

TICKETS Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Endowed Lecture In conversation with Tamala Edwards, anchor, 6ABC Action News morning edition Michael Kazin ’s many critically acclaimed books include War Against War: The American…

For the Greatest Number: The New Deal Revisited

It’s been ninety years since the crisis of the Great Depression inspired a New Deal of arts programs, infrastructure investment, and worker protections. The art and objects funded by New Deal programs show us how workers shaped…

For the Greatest Number: The New Deal Revisited

VIRTUAL - Ro Khanna | Dignity in a Digital Age: Making Tech Work for All of Us

REGISTER In conversation with Jonathan Tamari Born in Philadelphia to an immigrant family, Democrat Ro Khanna has served as the U.S. representative for California’s 17th congressional district—better known…

VIRTUAL - Barbara F. Walter | How Civil Wars Start: And How to Stop Them

REGISTER Political scientist Barbara F. Walter is the author of Reputation and Civil War: Why Separatists Conflicts are So Violent ; Globalization, Territoriality, and Conflict; and Civil Wars, Insecurity, and…

American Presidency

The 2016 American Presidency Series will blend education and entertainment for the whole family, offering lectures and analysis about the presidency and leadership along with enriching programs for children in our neighborhood libraries.…

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…

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,…

NewsBank Hot Topics

Trending news and hot topics for your next assignment! Hot topics covers Current Events, Business & Economics, Civics, Government, & Politics, Social Issues, Science, Technology & Health, Sports, Arts & Literature, and People in the News.

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…

Solomon Jones | Ten Lives, Ten Demands: Life and Death Stories, and a Black Activist’s Blueprint for Racial Justice

An award-winning Philadelphia Daily News columnist and morning host for 900 am WURD radio in Philadelphia, Solomon Jones is the author of the Essence bestselling novel The Bridge , as well as the critically acclaimed books Pipe…

Mark Bowden and Matthew Teague | The Steal: The Attempt to Overturn the 2020 Election and the People Who Stopped It

In conversation with Tracey Matisak , award-winning journalist and broadcaster Renowned for his “signature blend of deep reportage and character-driven storytelling ( The New York Times Book Review ),” Mark Bowden is a national…

Kathryn Kolbert and Julie F. Kay | Controlling Women: What We Must Do Now to Save Reproductive Freedom

Watch the event here . In conversation with Dorothy Roberts Sandra Shaber Memorial Lecture Recognized by the National Law Journal as one of the “100 Most Influential Lawyers in America,” Kathryn Kolbert made history in 1992 when…

Edward Sorel | Profusely Illustrated

Watch the video on our youtube channel. In conversation with Signe Wilkinson “One of America’s foremost political satirists” ( The New York Times ), illustrator, caricaturist, and cartoonist Edward Sorel has illustrated 41 covers for …

Jonathan Karl | Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show

In conversation with Tamala Edwards, anchor, 6ABC Action News morning edition Jonathan Karl is the author of Front Row at the Trump Show , an instant New York Times bestseller that peered behind the scenes into President Trump and his…

Nikole Hannah-Jones | The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story

In conversation with Tamala Edwards, anchor, 6ABC Action News morning edition, and Dr. Anthea Butler, Geraldine R. Segal Professor in American Social Thought and Chair of Religious Studies, University of Pennsylvania Introduced by…

Kristin Henning | The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth

In conversation with Marsha Levick, cofounder, deputy director, and chief counsel of the Juvenile Law Center The Blume Professor of Law and director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic and Initiative at the Georgetown University Law Center,…

Robert Costa | Peril

Ellis Wachs Endowed Lecture In conversation with Michael Smerconish A national political reporter at The Washington Post , Bucks County's own Robert Costa has earned a wide readership and praise from fellow journalists for his deeply…

Linda Greenhouse | Justice on the Brink: The Death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Rise of Amy Coney Barrett, and Twelve Months That Transformed the Supreme Court

In conversation with Tamala Edwards, anchor, 6ABC Action News morning edition Pine Tree Foundation Endowed Lecture The New York Times ’s Supreme Court correspondent for nearly three decades, Linda Greenhouse won the Pulitzer Prize for…

Huma Abedin | Both/And: A Life in Many Worlds

In conversation with Tracey Matisak, award-winning journalist and broadcaster Currently Hillary Clinton’s chief of staff, Huma Abedin began as an intern for the former first lady in 1996. In the interim she has served in the U.S. Senate…

George F. Will | American Happiness and Discontents: The Unruly Torrent, 2008–-2020

Meelya Gordon Memorial Lecture Renowned for his “ability to combine high thinking with a shrewd capacity to understand day-to-day American politics,” ( The Economist ) Pulitzer Prize winner George Will has written a nationally…

Woody Holton | Liberty Is Sweet: The Hidden History of the American Revolution

In conversation with Adam McNeil, host of the New Books in African American Studies podcast The McCausland Professor of History at the University of South Carolina, Woody Holton teaches early U.S. history, specializing in economics,…

Adam Schiff | Midnight in Washington: How We Almost Lost Our Democracy and Still Could

In conversation with Tracey Matisak, award-winning journalist and broadcaster The United States representative for California’s 28th congressional district and the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Adam…

Keisha N. Blain | Until I Am Free: Fannie Lou Hamer's Enduring Message to America

In conversation with Mitchell S. Jackson Keisha N. Blain ’s Set the World on Fire , a history of some of the early 20th century’s leading Black nationalist women, won the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians Book Prize and was…

Fiona Hill | There Is Nothing for You Here: Finding Opportunity in the Twenty-First Century

In conversation with Trudy Rubin, Worldview columnist, The Philadelphia Inquirer Known for her testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives during Donald Trump’s 2019 impeachment hearings, Fiona Hill has more than 30 years of…

Dara Horn | People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present

In conversation with Adam Kirsch Recognized for their “signature blend of tragedy and spirituality” ( The Washington Post ), Dara Horn’s novels include In the Image , The World to Come , and A Guide for the Perplexed . One of …

Randall Kennedy | Say It Loud!: On Race, Law, History, and Culture

Celebrated for “his courage and his convictions” in tackling sensitive issues, Randall Kennedy is “a member of that small coterie of our most lucid big thinkers about race” ( The Washington Post ). The Michael R. Klein Professor at…

Rebecca Donner | All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days: The True Story of the American Woman at the Heart of the German Resistance to Hitler

In conversation with David Clay Large, professor at the Fromm Institute, University of San Francisco, Senior Fellow at the Institute of European Studies, U.C. Berkeley, and author of ten books including Berlin, Where Ghosts Walked:…