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From George Washington's 1789 Inaugural Address, To Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Day of Infamy
speech, from the mark up of the Bill of Rights, to legislation about Civil Rights, from historic
milestone documents, to contemporary digital media, the records of Congress tell the history
of America's elected government. The Center for Legislative Archives is the
institution created to preserve and make available the permanent records of the United States
Senate and House of Representatives. A division of the National Archives located in Washington,
DC, the Center uses records in its custody to educate the public about the processes
and institutions of representative government and to provide resources that teach citizens
about the role of voting and representation in our national history and civic life today.
In our educational programs, the staff of the Center uses hands on work with facsimiles
of historic records to bring the work of Congress into the classroom.
Whether working with educators or students, the Center's staff promotes active learning
through problem-solving and discussion. We believe that wrestling with open-ended questions
about history and government fosters understanding and civic engagement.
Here is what teachers have said about teaching with our records.
As teachers we are always looking for what will bring kids in. And so if they have something
real and magical -- we talked a lot about this as a springboard -- to use as a springboard
for something else. As a dramatic piece, I know you were just
talking about how, you know, you have a pair of white gloves, and you pull the document
out -- it's just a reproduction of a document -- but just that dramatic piece, the students
are getting a taste of unveiling something old and fragile and valuable just because
it's old. And I think that having some of these primary
documents makes, what is this big fluffy thing that grownups talk about, it makes it real.
Instead of having it be a kind of a sideshow, where I say "Oh, by the way there are these
documents." I think I am really leading the lesson with the lesson with the documents
now. I am starting my entry into a topic from that direction as opposed to explaining what
everything what all I want to talk about then saying here are the documents that relates
to it. Their investigation into the documents starts to form a more complete circle and
I think a deeper understanding of the content. Speaker 1: Engaging through active exploration
is a key element of how the staff of the Center for Legislative Archives teaches with archival
records. Rather than serving as passive illustrations, the records of Congress are used to engage
students in important questions about history and civic life.
Amanda Palmer: My awareness of the use of specific -- of what used to be considered
old paper -- you know here's the Bill of Rights, going back to the Bill of Rights, and it,
you know, gave citizens of the United States x, y and z, but ok, look at all these other
things we can teach, all the broader concepts we can teach using this document.
Now I can see that I can take, I can build an activity from primary sources and I can
think this is incredible -- what we have been doing in this whole workshop -- saying this
document is so cool, how can I build a lesson around it?
Active learning with primary sources from the Center for Legislative Archives and the
National Archives will enrich learning in your class.
Visit us online at www.Archives.gov and on our tumblr blog: Congress in the Archives.
Engage your students in learning with us.