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World Refugee Day – June 20th

June 2, 2016

Posted on June 2, 2016

By Debra Kirby

Since ancient times refugees have fled their homes and countries because of war, famine, natural disaster, and religious and racial persecution and genocide, often risking their lives and the lives of their children in search of safe haven. The current Syrian refugee crisis is only the latest in a string of similar tragic human events that has occurred in every corner of the world.

In the aftermath of World War II in response to the atrocities committed during that conflict, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was issued by the United Nations, which recognized the right of persecuted people to seek asylum in other countries. The United Nations also established the IUN International Refugees Organization (IRO), which provided assistance to some 1.5 million European and Asian World War II refugees. Though it was disbanded in 1951, it was replaced by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which continues to provide such assistance and which established the first World Refugee Day on June 20, 2001 – now an annual event observed by more than 100 countries throughout the world.

Read moreWorld Refugee Day – June 20th

New Smithsonian Primary Sources in U.S. History: Lively, First Person, and Real

June 9, 2016May 26, 2016

Posted on May 26, 2016

Primary sources have been called snippets of history – small windows that show a picture of one moment in time. A letter, a memoir, a personal account – each provides a unique, often personal perspective. And when they are put together in a meaningful way, they create a full and rich picture of historical events, people, and developments while supporting national learning standards.

By directly engaging with artifacts and individual records, students can explore, analyze, and delve more deeply into a topic. In addition, primary sources help students:

Develop critical thinking skills by examining meaning, context, bias, purpose, point of view, and more.
Pursue independent learning as they construct knowledge by interacting with sources that represent different accounts of the same event/topic.
Understand how viewpoints and biases affect interpretation of history.

Honoring Those That Have Served Our Country

May 18, 2016

Posted on May 18, 2016

By Candy Jones-Guerin

Memorial Day is almost up on us. Observed as a holiday on the last Monday of May, Memorial Day honors men and women who died while serving in the United States Military. In cities and towns across the country Memorial Day is honored with parades including military personnel and members of veterans organizations.

Prior to being called Memorial Day, this day was celebrated as Decoration Day, originating in the years following the Civil War. It became a federal holiday in 1971 and has been observed annually by Americans.

Take some time this year to learn about the significant wars in American history and the men and women who lead the charge.

The Civil War, 1st Edition
February 2016
The bombardment of Fort Sumter in 1861 set off the savage four-year war between the North and the South. The North fought to preserve the Union, whereas the South fought to win recognition as an independent nation. The war was a climax to quarrels between the two sides over the interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. With this title readers will analyze the background of the war, military leadership and strategic plans of the war in the West and East, specific battles on land and sea, and the costs of the war.

A Captivating Crime Story: the Brighton Railway Murder

April 23, 2018May 4, 2016

Posted on May 4, 2016

By: Daniel Pullian

‘The compartment was much bespattered with blood’: the Brighton Railway Murder

Barely a week went by in the nineteenth-century press without a sensational crime story appearing. Whether it was the gory prospect of blood and dismembered bodies, or simply the thrill of a classic ‘whodunit’, there can be little doubt that crime reporting made compelling copy. This was certainly the case with the ‘Brighton Railway Murder’ which took place in the summer of 1881. From beginning to end, the case captivated the imagination of the British people, eager to discover who had murdered wealthy tradesman Frederick Gold, and what would become of the culprit. A search of Gale Artemis: Primary Sources highlights the case’s notoriety, giving me the perfect opportunity to trace its development.

Early Arabic Printed Books from the British Library – New Sciences, History and Geography module

November 14, 2016April 27, 2016

Posted on April 27, 2016

By: Elinor Hawkes

Tracing the exchange of ideas between East and West in the new Sciences, History and Geography module.

Vast digitizing project will put Harvard’s colonial archives online

May 25, 2016April 6, 2016

Published on April 6, 2016 Harvard University has launched a project to digitize almost half a million items from its 17th and 18th century archives – the largest digitizing effort the university has ever undertaken. The letters, journals, documents and drawings tell the story not only of the nation’s oldest institution of higher learning, but … Read more

Women Unite!

February 16, 2016

Posted on February 17, 2016

I love learning about history, and there’s nothing like having the entire month of March devoted to the often overlooked contributions of women.I take my middle-school daughter to historic sites (sometimes with her feet dragging), and it’s great when she connects to historic figures to further understand what she reads about in books. Here are some notable women we’ve “met” in our travels:

A Deborah Sampson re-enactor was our tour guide along Boston’s Freedom Trail. She related her fascinating story – dressing as a man to fight in the Revolutionary War – as we toured some of the sites of the American Revolution. Years later, she fought for – and eventually received – a soldier’s pension.

Meet the Growing Need for Transnational History with America in the World

May 25, 2016February 3, 2016

Posted on February 3, 2016

Help undergraduates examine the role of the U.S. from early days to the present with a new title from Charles Scribner’s Sons, American in the World. One of the first references with a transnational perspective, this Dictionary of American History supplement focuses on the global role of the U.S. and Americans, while also analyzing global influences on the U.S. Supporting undergraduates, community college students, and high schoolers alike, this text offers signed and peer-reviewed articles as well as some 100 photographs, maps, and graphics.

Learn more about American in the World with Editor-in-chief Dr. Edward J. Blum as he weighs in on the value of America in the World.

ECCO the World, and Why…

December 18, 2015

Published on December 18, 2015

Gale’s Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO) recently celebrated its 14th anniversary on December 4^th and it got me to thinking. Most commonly, the conversations surrounding the 18th century point to the major stories or developments of the American Revolution, French Revolution, and Industrial Revolution. For example, the industrialization of the world and manufacturing of powered, special-purpose machinery, factories, and mass production. Others might think about the American Revolution’s Boston Tea Party or the Battle of Bunker Hill, for instance. But what about the moments that lead up to these events?

Tales for the ‘Every-day Reader’: Winston Churchill and the ‘War in the Indian Highlands’

January 5, 2016December 14, 2015

Posted on December 14, 2015

By: Daniel Pullin, Publishing Assistant, Gale, a part of Cengage Learning

When the name ‘Winston Churchill’ is mentioned, images of a heroic war leader with cigar in mouth and face set in steely determination are usually the first to come to mind. His wartime speeches became iconic in symbolising gung-ho British determination to battle on through endless bloodshed, helping steer Britain through the turmoil of a cataclysmic conflict. Yet, with perhaps less well-known flair, the former Prime Minister proved equally adept on paper. This is evident in his first published material: a series of war letters commissioned for British newspaper The Daily Telegraph.

Between October and December 1897, Churchill wrote and published the eleven letters while accompanying the Malakand Field Force in India. With Gale’s The Telegraph Historical Archive, 1855-2000 now available, these letters are fully-searchable in digital format for the first time. This gave me the perfect opportunity to explore their contents.