Uniform and hat of soldiers of the 1st Regiment of U.S. Sharpshooters, better known as Berdan's Sharpshooters. Mustered in 1861, this unit was commanded by Colonel Hiram Berdan.

At six feet four inches tall, Lincoln towered over most of his contemporaries. He chose to stand out even more by wearing high top hats. He acquired this hat from J. Y. Davis, a Washington hat maker. Lincoln had the black silk mourning band added in remembrance of his son Willie. No one knows whe

"I want to talk for a few minutes with the people of the United States about banking." So began on March 12, 1933, the first of about thirty informal "Fireside Chat" addresses that President Franklin D. Roosevelt would deliver over the radio. His ability to communicate over this new medium direct

In this lesson plan, students will review an online exhibition, conduct historical research using artifacts and primary source documents, and develop group presentations that discuss ways that Abraham Lincoln's life was extraordinary. This lesson plan is one of the resources connected with the on

In this section of the online exhibition Treasures of American History, students will learn that by understanding the challenges of the past, they can draw lessons and inspiration for confronting new challenges in the present and future. The topics discussed in this sectio

This website, from the New York Times, allows students to read the texts of every American president’s inauguration speech.  The site creators clarify each address by highlighting words that appear the most often in each president’s speech.  The site also includes related multimedia

Through the use of downloadable images of the original documents and 4 brief videos using Lincoln's words to answer questions about the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation, students will learn how Abraham Lincoln struggled with the same questions that many Americans had about th

This website focuses on the last handwritten copy of the Gettysburg Address, a manuscript that usually resides out of the public eye in the Lincoln Bedroom of the White house. Also included to help students further explore this important document are a printable version of the manuscript, transcr

This online exhibition commemorates the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. The website covers each major period of Lincoln's private and public life, especially his years in Washington when he made the crucial decisions that ended slavery and preserved the nation. Also

Students can learn about the Choate family by investigating a room from their house, a deed from 1772, and artifacts that a family like the Choate's would have owned. In the mid-1760s, Abraham Choate had a 10-room house built in Ipswich, Massachusetts, for his wife, Sarah, and their growing