Jan 082024
 

Battle of New Orleans

Battle of New Orleans took place in 1815. Great Britain and the United States were still fighting in the War of 1812. The battle began around December 12, 1814. The British wanted to seize New Orleans and control the Mississippi River region. Of course, the Americans wanted to retain ownership of the city and the river. General Andrew Jackson’s American troops crushed the British. However, both sides later found out that a peace treaty had been signed two weeks prior to the battle. Andrew Jackson became a real hero! Older children can read copies of original documents at: Archives. Children can also view the America’s Library site and listen to a rendition of “Eighth of January” at: Battle of New Orleans. Here is an interesting note about history. This battle was so popular in the United States, and Andrew Jackson became so popular in the United States, that January 8th was actually a national holiday as important as July 4th until around 1845!

Jan 302024
 

Thomas Jefferson Building Aerial by Carol M. Highsmith

Library of Congress was burned in 1815 by the British during the War of 1812. The library was located in the Capitol Building. After the War of 1812 Thomas Jefferson helped reorganize the Library of Congress with a contribution of 6,500 books. The Library of Congress remained in the rebuilt Capitol Building until 1897 when the library building opened. The library now houses 144 million items. The first Library of Congress Building is the Thomas Jefferson Building. Other portions of the Library of Congress are housed in the John Adams Building and the James Madison Memorial Building. Children could investigate the Library of Congress website for children at: http://www.loc.gov/families/. The site is truly filled with many, many ideas. Remember to keep scrolling and scrolling!