Tagged politics

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…

Our Spring 2018 Author Events Series Is Full of Fire and Fury!

Updated January, 16, 2018 Watch our interview with Michael Wolff tonight LIVE starting @ 7:30 p.m. A week from today, in what is sure to be one of our more interesting Author Events to ever take place at the Free Library, we welcome…

VIRTUAL - Scott Ellsworth | The Ground Breaking: An American City's Search for Justice

REGISTER HERE In conversation with Tracey Matisak, award-winning journalist and broadcaster Scott Ellsworth is the author of Death in a Promised Land , an in-depth book about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, one of modern history’s…

VIRTUAL - Joshua Cohen | The Netanyahus with Rivka Galchen | Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch

REGISTER HERE Joshua Cohen ’s acclaimed novels include Moving Kings , Witz , and Book of Numbers , “a fascinating look at the dark heart of the Web” and “one of the best novels ever written about the…

VIRTUAL - Laura Raicovich | Culture Strike: Art and Museums in an Age of Protest

REGISTER HERE In conversation with Seph Rodney, PhD, opinions editor and managing editor of the Sunday Edition for Hyperallergic , author of The Personalization of the Museum Visit , and winner of the 2020 Rabkin Arts Journalism Prize.…

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…

Jason L. Riley | Maverick: A Biography of Thomas Sowell

In conversation with Anthony B. Bradley, Professor and Chair of Religious and Theological Studies at The King's College (New York) and a Research Fellow at The Acton Institute Jason L. Riley ’s books include  Let Them In: The Case for…

Paul Farmer | Fevers, Feuds, and Diamonds: Ebola and the Ravages of History

Pine Tree Foundation Endowed Lecture In conversation with Dr. Steven Larson, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Acclaimed for his “exceptional empathy and care” ( Boston Globe )…

Lawrence Wright | The Plague Year: America in the Time of Covid

In conversation with Tamala Edwards, anchor, 6ABC Action News morning edition Acclaimed for bringing “a clear-eyed, investigative fearlessness” ( The Washington Post ) to a diverse range of topics, Lawrence Wright  is a longtime staff…

Carol Anderson | The Second: Race and Guns in a Fatally Unequal America

In conversation with Tracey Matisak, award-winning journalist and broadcaster In appreciation of the George S. Pepper Society Carol Anderson is the author of the National Book Critics Circle Award winner White Rage , “a riveting and…

Sebastian Junger | Freedom

In conversation with Joe Klein, Time political columnist and bestselling author of six books including Primary Colors and most recently Politics Lost Employing “his narrative gifts and vivid prose” ( The Washington Post ) to chronicle…

Marc Bookman | A Descending Spiral: Exposing the Death Penalty in 12 Essays

In conversation with Reggie Shuford, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Pennsylvania. The Executive Director of the Atlantic Center for Capital Representation, Marc Bookman is an internationally renowned…

Camille T. Dungy, Gregory Pardlo and Joshua Bennett | There’s A Revolution Outside, My Love: Letters from a Crisis

In conversation Trapeta Mayson, Philadelphia Poet Laureate A reflection of the heartrending turmoils of racial injustice and brutality against Black Americans amidst the fear and uncertainty of a pandemic,  There’s a Revolution Outside,…

Amy Klobuchar | Antitrust: Taking on Monopoly Power from the Gilded Age to the Digital Age

In conversation with Mark Zandi, Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics The senior United States Senator from Minnesota, Amy Klobuchar chairs the Senate Rules Committee; the Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and…

Caleb Azumah Nelson | Open Water

In conversation with Megha Majumdar, bestselling author of A Burning British–-Ghanaian writer Caleb Azumah Nelson’s debut novel Open Water is, “an intense, elegant” ( Guardian ) tale of two young Black British artists who find love as…

Martha C. Nussbaum | Citadels of Pride: Sexual Abuse, Accountability, and Reconciliation

Martha C. Nussbaum is the author of numerous watershed books and articles concerning moral, legal, and political philosophy, including The Fragility of Goodness , Sex and Social Justice , and Cultivating Humanity . The Ernst Freund…

Annette Gordon-Reed | On Juneteenth 

Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Endowed Lecture In conversation with Tracey Matisak, award-winning broadcaster and journalist Annette Gordon-Reed won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for  The Hemingses of Monticello: An…

Ross King | The Bookseller of Florence: The Story of the Manuscripts That Illuminated the Renaissance

Celebrated for his skill at “elucidating crucial episodes in the history of art and architecture” (Time ), Ross King is the author of many bestselling nonfiction books that peak behind the curtain of history of the studios, workshops,…

Senator Mazie K. Hirono | Heart of Fire: An Immigrant Daughter’s Story

In conversation with Tamala Edwards, anchor, 6ABC Action News morning edition Natalie Cohn Memorial Lecture A “hero on the left” ( Washington Post ) for her vocal support of progressive legislation and issues, Mazie K. Hirono is the…

Kate Masur | Until Justice Be Done: America's First Civil Rights Movement, from the Revolution to Reconstruction

Ellis Wachs Endowed Lecture In conversation with Tracey Matisak, award-winning broadcaster and journalist Kate Masur is the author of  An Example for All the Land , a Lincoln Prize finalist that examined Washington, D.C.’s role as a…

Don Lemon | This Is the Fire: What I Say to My Friends About Racism

In conversation with Tamala Edwards, anchor, 6ABC Action News morning edition America’s sole Black primetime news anchor, Don Lemon has hosted  CNN Tonight  since 2014. Before joining the respected cable network in 2006, he worked for…

Hala Alyan | The Arsonists’ City

In conversation with Alix Gerz, Vice President of Communications, Free Library of Philadelphia Hala Alyan’s novel  Salt Houses , a “heart-wrenching, lyrical and timely” ( Dallas Morning News ) study of three generations in a Palestinian…

Joby Warrick | Red Line: The Unraveling of Syria and America's Race to Destroy the Most Dangerous Arsenal in the World

Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Endowed Lecture Joby Warrick won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction for Black Flags , “a revealing, riveting and exquisitely detailed account” ( San Francisco Chronicle ) of the rise of ISIS and its…

Amelia Pang | Made in China: A Prisoner, an SOS Letter, and the Hidden Cost of America’s Cheap Goods

In conversation with Tracey Matisak, award-winning broadcaster and journalist In 2017, Amelia Pang earned the first place award in investigative journalism from the LA Press Club for her undercover exposé on the exploitation of…

Michael Eric Dyson | Long Time Coming: Reckoning with Race in America

In conversation with Jon Meacham Meelya Gordon Memorial Lecture Michael Eric Dyson is the author of Tears We Cannot Stop , an “eloquent, righteous, and inspired” ( Philadelphia Inquirer ) call for racial change that was named one of the…

Elizabeth Kolbert | Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future

Barbara Gohn Day Memorial Lecture In conversation with Tracey Matisak, award-winning broadcaster and journalist “An astute observer, excellent explainer, and superb synthesizer” ( Seattle Times ), Elizabeth Kolbert is the author of the…

American Presidency Series

Join the Free Library for a series of compelling provocative programs that examine the untold stories of, unconventional approaches to, and contemporary concerns about the world's most difficult job. The 2016 American Presidency Series…