On this day in 1851, Sojourner Truth delivered her "Ain't I a Woman" speech at the Women's Convention in Akron, Ohio.   It was briefly reported in two contemporary newspapers, and a transcript of the speech was published in the Anti-Slavery Bugle on June 21, 1853.

For more information about Sojourner Truth, try the following resources:

• Sojourner Truth: Online Resources (Library of Congress)

All of my posts about abolition can be found here.
All of my posts about women's rights can be found here. 

Today marks the anniversary of the first shots of the French & Indian War, the American name for the North American theater of the Seven Years' War between the colonial powers of Europe.  

For more information about the French & Indian War, try the following resources:

• A Guide to the French & Indian War (Library of Congress
• French & Indian War (BrainPOP)
• French & Indian War Interactive (North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources)
• The Forgotten War: The Struggle for North American (PBS)
• The War that Made America (PBS)

Today is Memorial Day in the United States. The holiday was first celebrated in 1868 when Union General John Logan called for a day on which to decorate the graves of Civil War soldiers. Originally known as Decoration Day, it was gradually expanded to honor the fallen soldiers of all wars and became official in 1971 when the Uniform Holidays Act set its official date as the last Monday in May.

To learn more about Memorial Day, try the following resources:

• The Great Unknowns (New York Times)
• History of Memorial Day (History Channel)

To learn more about the Homestead Act and westward expansion, try the following resources:​

• Homestead Act (Library of Congress Collection)
• How the Homestead Act Transformed America (Smithsonian Magazine)
• New Perspectives on the West (PBS)
• Westward Expansion (BrainPOP)
• Westward Expansion: Encounters at a Cultural Crossroads (Library of Congress)

All of my posts on topics related to the American West can be found here.

• Animated Guide: Volcanoes (BBC)
• Earth's Fiery Power (National Geographic)
• How Volcanoes Work (San Diego State University)
• Interactives: Volcanoes (Annenberg Media)
• Volcano (CBS News)
• Volcanoes Explained (National Geographic)
• Volcanoes Modules Page
• Volcanoes Webcams
• Volcanoes: Why They Erupt (The Guardian)
• Volcano World (Oregon State University)
• What Causes Volcanoes (CBBC)
• When Volcanoes Erupt (CNN)

​All of my posts about volcanoes can be found here.

Today marks the anniversary of the eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington state's Cascade Mountains. The eruption, which deposited ash in eleven states, caused more than $1 billion in damages and killed 57 people.

To learn more about Mt. St. Helens, try the following resources:

• Devastation and Recovery at Mt. St. Helens (NASA)
• Mt. St. Helens (CBS News)
• Mt. St. Helens, 30 Years Ago (The Big Picture)
• Mt. St. Helens, 30 Years Later (Wall Street Journal)
• Mt. St. Helens: Back from the Dead (NOVA)
• Mt. St. Helens: New Life, 30 Years Later (NPR)
• Mt. St. Helens Precursor Activity (USGS)
• Volcano Cams (USDA Forest Service)

All of my posts about volcanoes can be found here.