On this site you will find the political party platforms of all parties from 1840 to the current year. A great resource and an interesting way to do comparing and contrasting.

President Truman issued a statement upon his signing of the Housing Act of 1949 supporting the act and explaining its importance to the peacetime economy.

The original text of the "Military Journal, During The American Revolutionary War from 1776 to 1783" written by James Thacher on his observations of the events of the revolutionary period.

This is the text, audio, and video [40:52] of Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter's Drell Lecture on innovation and cybersecurity delivered on April 23, 2015, at Stanford University, in Palo Alto, California.

This site is the homepage of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

Brilliant look into life on the homefront during World War II. See radio spots rationing and controlling prices, wartime research, defending the homefront, and more. Many of the links are .pdf documents.

The stock market crash on October 29, 1929 -- known as Black Tuesday -- was the "worst economic collapse in the history of the modern industrial world." It spread from the United States to national economies across the globe. It ended a decade known for its high-spirited free-spending, called the Roaring 20s, and began almost 10 years of financial desperation that would touch nearly every citizen of the United States. The Great Depression caused bank closures and business failures and by its end, saw "more than 15 million Americans (one-quarter of the workforce)" unemployed. Herbert Hoover, president at the time, did not acknowledge the depth of the crisis and assumed that the American characteristics of individualism and self reliance would quickly bring the nation out of the disaster without a need for federal intervention. But, layoffs and financial desperation at the personal level were growing: "an empty pocket turned inside out was called a 'Hoover flag' [and] the decrepit shanty towns springing up around the country were called 'Hoovervilles'." Three years into the financial crisis, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, running on a platform of federal recovery programs called the "New Deal," easily took the presidential election of 1932.

Fordham University provides translation of a commentary by the Greek historian Ammianus Marcellinus that criticizes everything about the 4th century Roman life, from overeating to bad driving.

Read the minute-by-minute flight plan of Apollo 11. Links to other information about Apollo 11.

World War II ration memorabilia collection, 1942-1947.

The Office of Price Administration and Civilian Supply was established by Presidential Executive Order 8734 on April 11, 1941, in an effort to control inflation. The civilian supply function of the agency was transferred to the Office of Production Management in August of 1941 and the name was shortened to the Office of Price Administration (OPA). The Emergency Price Control Act (January 30, 1942) established the purposes of the agency as follows: to stabilize prices and rents and prevent unwarranted increases in them; to prevent profiteering, hoarding and speculation; to assure that defense appropriations were not dissipated by excessive prices; to protect those with fixed incomes from undue impairment of their living standards; to assist in securing adequate production; and to prevent a post-emergency collapse of values." The OPA fixed price ceilings on all commodities except farm products and controlled rents in defense areas. The first rationing program, for automobile tires, was initiated December 27, 1941. There were two types of rationing programs. The first was a certificate program, where an applicant had to meet eligibility standards and show need to a local ration board before receiving a certificate permitting purchase of the rationed item. This type of program was applied to ties, automobiles, typewriters, bicycles, rubber footwear and stoves. The second program was a coupon or stamp type for which all civilians were eligible. These programs were administered through local banks and covered foods, fuel oil, gasoline and shoes. Rationing continued throughout World War II and by the end of November 1945 only the sugar and rubber tire rationing programs remained. Tire rationing ceased on December 31, 1945. Sugar rationing continued until June 11, 1947. The Office of Price Administration was dissolved April 1, 1947.

Read all ten sections of Article I of the Constitution, which lay out the powers of the legislative branch of the federal government.

A copy of the original Articles of Confederation presented by Yale Law School. Includes Thomas Jefferson's written discussion on the Articles of Confederation plus early drafts.

The Our Documents group presents information on the Articles of Confederation, including its history, an enlarged image of the document, and a printer-friendly version of the text. Includes PDFs (require Adobe Reader).

This collection uses primary sources to explore the Atomic Bomb and the Nuclear Age it started. Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills and draw diverse material from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States. Each set includes an overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide. These sets were created and reviewed by the teachers on the DPLA's Education Advisory Committee.

This collection uses primary sources to compare American responses to Pearl Harbor and September 11. Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills and draw diverse material from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States. Each set includes an overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide. These sets were created and reviewed by the teachers on the DPLA's Education Advisory Committee.

In this interview with Margaret Laurence in 1979, she talks of her early influences and her beliefs about writing.

A scanned copy of the 1896 publication of A Cluster of Stories, a book of stories and poems and stories for children.

A scanned copy of the 1873 publication of A Friend in Need and Other Stories, a book of stories for children.

A scanned copy of the 1877 publication of A Funny Caller and Other Stories, a book of stories for children.

A scanned copy of the 1899 publication of Aesop's Fables, a book of fables for children.