Historical Style
1. Compare clothing styles worn by different presidents and first ladies. Create a visual presentation. Then be in ... Vogue, Vogue, Vogue for the time period!
Abigail Adams Courtesy of The Library of Congress
Feather Fan circa 1805 - 1810
Fashion Web Sites
Antique Fashion Prints
The Costume Page - Links to Fashion Resources
The Feather Trade
Godey's Lady's Book - 19th Century Women's Magazine
National Gallery of Art - Costumes from the Index of American Design
Texas Fashion Collection - Evolution of Women's Style in the Twentieth Century
First Lady Sites
2. How have writing styles or words changed since the birth of our nation? Select two presidents to compare. Create a visual presentation. And rock on!
3. Have speeches changed from president to president or do they continue to say the same thing, but in different words? Select two presidents to compare. Create a visual presentation such as a chart to show the similarities and differences.
Look through the resources to find interesting changes. Inaugural speeches will have good examples of writing styles as well as what president's wanted the public to hear. Some of the sound recordings of speeches will also be useful in comparisons. The Portrait Gallery will give you a start on men's clothing while the display of inaugural gowns by first ladies will help with women. Did any adornments such as feathers create raise any issues? See the exhibit The Feather Trade at the National Museum of American History. Check other sites as well. It's all a matter of style.
Harding, Warren G. (Warren Gamaliel), 1865-1923 Courtesy of The Library of Congress
Presidential Sites
American Memory Library of Congress - search the entire collection using the keyword presidents Prosperity and Thrift: The Coolidge Era The Last Days of a President: Films of McKinley and the Pan-American Exposition, 1901 The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden Monticello, Home of Thomas Jefferson National Archives - Links to Presidential Libraries National Portrait Gallery Hall of PresidentsTheodore Roosevelt: His Life and Times on Film Presidents of the United States - Whitehouse
Speeches
Abraham Lincoln Online - Speeches, This Week in Lincoln History American Leaders Speak: Recordings from Worl War I and the 1920 Election The History Channel - Great Speeches Inaugural Addresses - Project Bartleby Inaugural Addresses, State of the Union, and Farewell Speeches PBS- Presidential Voices
1908 Election - Sound Recordings
In 1908 a series of speeches were recorded on wax cylinders for William Jennings Bryan and William Howard Taft and sold to the public. This was the first time that two candidtates for President recorded their positions on the current issues. Follow these links to learn more about these sound recordings and the 1908 election.
Example: William Jennings Bryan -Immortality
Example: William Howard Taft -The Rights of Labor