History

In 1918 Michigan passed a Constitutional Amendment to recognize women's right to vote. Nationally, the 19th Amendment wouldn't pass until the following year and wouldn't be official until the year after that.

The 19th Amendment clarified that the right to vote could not be denied based on sex, and was passed on June 5, 1919 and ratified by 36 states on August 18, 1920. The last state to ratify this amendment was Mississippi in 1984.

Celebrate this milestone by checking out one of the following titles and learning more about the global fight for women's suffrage. Titles geared for younger audiences are at the top, but may interest older readers.

Follow suffragettes Nell Richardson and Alice Burke's cross-country journey to campaign for women's right to vote.

Explore the history of women's suffrage, highlighting the contributions of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and such other reformers as Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, and Lucy Stone.

Thorndyke the Bear Dressed as a Stereotypical Pilgrim

 

1619 was a very busy year in and around Jamestown, Virginia. The business of getting a colony up and running was in full swing, and more than a decade after the first colonists arrived, they were still hard at work. Some of the momentous tasks taken on during the latter half of 1619 include beginning official self-governance, the landing of the first documented Africans in Virginia, the beginning of an official recruitment drive for colonial women, and the stated intention of beginning an annual Thanksgiving tradition. The schedule would have looked something like this:

  • From July 30 - August 4, 1619, the first representative legislative assembly took place in Jamestown.
  • In August of 1619, Africans were brought to Virginia and sold.
  • In November of 1619, the Virginia Company began actively recruiting females to provide stability to their colony.
  • December 4, 1619, settlers arrived at Berkeley and presumably held the first official Thanksgiving celebration.

 

These milestones resonated through our history and still impact what the United States is today. Investigate the 400-year-old history of our nation, its government, and its people. The following suggested titles might help you get started.

What was Jamestown? This book covers the first settlers, the problems they faced, and how Jamestown led to the larger colonization of the American continent. 

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Allied invasion of occupied France during World War II. The operation began on June 6, 1944 and was the largest single-day amphibious invasion of all time, with 160,000 troops landing on the Normandy coast. 

This year marks the 50th anniversary of several unforgettable events in American history - the Moon landing and Woodstock to name just a few. Check out some of the following resources to learn more about the highlights - and the lowlights - of this tumultuous year.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie's, assassination on June 28, 1914 sparked the beginning of what became World War I.  On July 28th of that year, Austria-Hungry declared war on Serbia and within weeks, WWI was in full swing. The war lasted until November 11, 1918 when Germany was finally forced to seek armistice. 

World War I for Kids

World War I technology by Tammy Gagne

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