Primary Source Set District of Columbia: Selected Library of Congress Primary Sources
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Birds eye view of Barnes & Weaver's addition to Brookland, 1895 -
Frederick Douglass House, 1411 W Street, Southeast, Washington, District of Columbia, DC -
D.C. view from Washington Monument showing city of Washington, D.C..1912 -
Frederick Douglass : a lecture on our national capital -
A Bill to Abolish Slavery in the District of Columbia, 1849 -
“Man-on-the-Street”, Washington, D.C, December 8, 1941 -
Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft, 1865 -
Gordon Parks' collection of images of Ella Watson, Government Charwoman, 1942 -
The Washington Nationals, 1913 -
United States Hotel, Pennsylvania Avenue, between 3d and 4 1/2 streets, one square above the rail road depot, Washington, D.C., Tyler & Birch, proprietors -
City of Washington, statistical maps 1880 -
Rock Creek & Potomac Parkway
The resources in this primary source set are intended for classroom use. If your use will be beyond a single classroom, please review the copyright and fair use guidelines.
Teacher’s Guide
To help your students analyze these primary sources, get a graphic organizer and guides: Analysis Tool and Guides
Although New York City and Philadelphia each served briefly as the capital of the United States, in 1790 Congress chose the District of Columbia as the permanent seat of government. The primary sources in this set document key moments in the state’s story, and provide opportunities for students to explore that rich history further.
Use the question sets and analysis tool to deepen student engagement and thinking about these compelling, imperfect objects. Select questions such as:
Or extend student learning by asking them to write a caption for the item, imagine what happened an hour before or after what the item portrays, or expand a textbook or other secondary account of history to include the item.
These primary sources can raise further questions about the time, place, or events from which they emerged, and can prompt students to further investigation of the state’s history.
