OPEN TODAY: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.

Tickets

Teaching Collection: Roots and Revolution—U.S. History Through Oak Trees (1776–1877)

On this page

This collection of primary sources reveals cycles of growth, conflict, and renewal as the country formed, expanded, and struggled with its ideals of equality and freedom from 1776 to 1877.

Named the National Tree of the United States by Congress in 2004, oak trees (right) can live hundreds of years and serve as living witnesses to history, such as the signing of the Declaration of Independence (left). Photos by The Huntington staff and Max Tepper. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Introduction 

Like the rings of an oak tree, early United States history reveals cycles of growth, conflict, and renewal as the country formed, expanded, and struggled with its ideals of equality and freedom from 1776 to 1877. 

The Declaration of Independence (1776) states that “all men are created equal” and possess fundamental rights, including “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” More than a statement announcing the 13 colonies’ separation from Great Britain, the declaration expressed the ideals of equality, freedom, and self-governance that would shape the nation’s identity. These principles influenced the development of democracy in the United States and inspired movements for freedom and self-government around the world. Yet from the nation’s founding, the United States continually struggled to determine who was included in the promise of equality and freedom and how those ideals should be applied.

As the nation expanded across the continent, acquiring land, freedom, and opportunity also meant the displacement and dispossession of diverse Indigenous peoples with deep connections to the land. At the same time, territorial expansion forced Northern and Southern states to reckon with whether slavery would be allowed to spread into new territories. These growing tensions led to the Civil War, a conflict that resulted in the destruction of both human and nonhuman life. Eventually, the Emancipation Proclamation and the Constitution’s 13th Amendment abolished slavery in 1865. Efforts to secure liberty and equal citizenship during Reconstruction led to the 14th and 15th Amendments, which expanded citizenship and voting rights for formerly enslaved people. 

Like the burn scars left by forest fires in the rings of an oak tree, the nation carried lasting reminders of inequality beyond the end of Reconstruction in 1877, including segregation and discrimination. Still, oak trees continue adding new rings, carrying marks of the past while continuing to grow, reminding us that history is not only a story of conflict, but one of endurance and renewal. The trees’ long lives encourage us to reflect on the past while continuing to build a future that truly lives up to the nation’s ideals of equality and freedom.

The primary sources in this collection record these events, inviting us to reflect on the past while considering the present and future.

Guiding Questions

  • How did definitions of freedom and equality change from 1776 to 1877, and how did different groups of people experience them?
  • How did the desire for land and resources drive westward expansion, and what major consequences did it have?
  • How can evidence from landscapes and living things—like oak trees—help us understand and interpret the past?

How To Use This Resource

This resource contains a collection of high-quality images of primary sources from 1776 to 1877. Together, they tell the story of how the United States formed through the lens of oak trees and land, helping students explore the past from a new perspective. Beginning with a 250-year-old cross-section of an oak tree, the collection invites students to think about the ideas of freedom, equality, and land. The story continues with westward expansion and its effects on Indigenous communities, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and the impact of the gold rush, the Civil War, and the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. A contemporary work helps tell the story by providing new perspectives on this time.

At the bottom of each primary source, you’ll find vocabulary words, project ideas, and prompts intended for students from fifth grade through high school that can also be adapted for other grade levels. Additional resources from reputable sources can help students learn more. Relevant California state standards in social science, art, and science, with additional collection-wide project ideas, are at the end.

Browse on Collections at The Huntington

Table of contents heading: Introduction

Cross-section of Pasadena oak tree (Engelmann oak)

1993. San Marino, California 

Cross-section of Pasadena oak tree (Engelmann oak), ca. 1740–93. Preserved, repaired, and finished by Andrew Mitchell in 1993. The Huntington, Botanical Study Collection. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Oaks serve as living records of the past. Named the National Tree of the United States by Congress in 2004, these long-lived keystone species—often living 200 to 300 years, with some individuals exceeding 1,000 years—once covered vast stretches of the United States. With approximately 90 native species, they support entire ecosystems, providing food and habitat for hundreds of species of birds, insects, fungi, and other organisms. They have also helped shape human life: Their acorns are a source of food, and their galls have been used for centuries to make iron gall ink, the ink used to sign the Declaration of Independence. 

This tree cross-section, or “cookie,” comes from an Engelmann oak (Quercus engelmannii), a type of oak tree native to California, that fell during a rainstorm in 1993 at The Huntington in San Marino, California. Its growth rings show that it was about 250 years old, making it old enough to have been alive when the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. 

Each ring marks one year of growth and reveals how the tree responded to its environment. Wider rings indicate years with more water, while narrower rings indicate years of drought. A visible scar is evidence that the tree survived a severe fire, thanks to its thick, wildfire-resistant bark.

This oak also grew during major changes to the land where it stood. When it first took root in the 1740s, it lived alongside Indigenous peoples known today as the Gabrielino-Tongva and the Kizh Nation. Over its lifetime, it witnessed Spanish colonization (1769–1821), the founding of the San Gabriel Mission by the Spanish Franciscan monks (1771), the shift to Mexican rule (1821), and California statehood (1850). After the tree fell, a craftsman at The Huntington preserved it as a slab, adding support to hold the different cracked segments together.

  • Keystone species: A plant or animal that supports the health of the ecosystem where it lives through its natural behaviors or attributes.
  • Oak gall: A rounded structure that grows on oak leaves and twigs in response to chemical injections from insects like wasps, which insert their eggs into the tree. A gall’s structure is rich in compounds called tannins, which help protect the insect larvae maturing inside them and provide a source of color for dyes and inks. 

Create a Tree-Ring Timeline

  • Look at the tree like a botanist.
    • Diagram the parts of the trunk, including the bark, xylem, phloem, and growth rings. How did these parts help the tree while it was alive?
    • How are oak trees that are native to California, like the tree this cross-section came from, adapted to survive California wildfires? Can you find fire scars in the rings? How did this tree respond to fire? 
    • Watch this video to learn how to read tree rings. What might a thick or thin ring tell us about the ecosystem during that year?
    • Tree rings can also provide clues about how human activities affect ecosystems. How might looking at tree rings support claims about the environmental impact of humans in that region?
  • Create a tree ring timeline that highlights events you find significant in the life of a tree.
    • History can’t be distilled into a single timeline or linear path; it has many different timelines and stories to tell. Create a tree-ring timeline that includes historical events that you find significant.
    • Use a photograph of a tree cross-section or draw your own. Make sure there are enough rings to stretch back to the first event you want to include. Write the event in the spaces between the rings, or draw a line and add a label.
    • Share why you chose the events in your timeline through a presentation, video recording, or essay.
  • Create a tree-ring timeline of your personal history.
    • Trace the history of yourself or your family through tree rings. What events helped shape who you are today? Include the same number of tree rings as your age in years—or more if you want to include a family history. You can include your own environmental indicators of resilience, such as thin or thick rings based on growth or fire scars.

“Stems,” n.d., web page. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. https://www.huntington.org/all-about-plants/stems

Cross-section of Pasadena oak tree (Engelmann oak), 1993. Cross-section of log crafted from Huntington Gardens Oak Preserved, repaired and finished by Andrew Mitchell, ca. 1993. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. https://www.huntington.org/collections/mus-64313

National Park Service. “Species Spotlight – Oaks,” September 2022, web page. https://www.nps.gov/articles/species-spotlight-oaks.htm

Nicole Cavender, “The Coast Live Oak,” Bloomberg Connects, n.d. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. https://guides.bloombergconnects.org/en-US/guide/huntingtonLibraryGardensAndArt/item/29253d00-c6d0-4ddf-bf2e-471b421b884d

The Huntington. “Even after a tree falls, it still has stories to tell,” May 14, 2026, Instagram video. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYVdVOxhf76

The Huntington. “How Do Oak Trees Adapt?” n.d., web page. https://www.huntington.org/botany-videos-edu/how-do-oak-trees-adapt-plant-adaptations

UC Master Gardeners of San Luis Obispo County. “Oak Galls,” n.d., web page. University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardeners-san-luis-obispo-county/oak-galls

USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. “On view in ‘This Land Is …’ at The Huntington,” 2026, web page. https://dornsife.usc.edu/la2026/pasadena-oak-tree

Video: What Tree Rings Reveal

What can tree rings tell us about time?

Even after a tree falls, it still has stories to tell. 🌲🪵 Our curator Sean Lahmeyer shows how this deodar cedar reveals its age through growth rings, and how each ring can illuminate different seasons of rainfall and environmental conditions.

Video: How Do Oak Trees Adapt?

Why can oak trees grow almost anywhere?

When it comes to adaptation, oak trees are champs. They have adapted to make the best of whatever water, weather, and soil is around them so they can grow almost anywhere. 

Audio: The Coast Live Oak

Why are oak trees so important?

Learn about a species of oak that’s native to California and why oaks are important in many ecosystems from The Huntington’s botanical director, Nicole Cavender.

Nicholas Scull map of the fork of the Delaware River

1735

Table of contents heading: Delaware River fork map

Nicholas Scull, Nicholas Scull map of the fork of the Delaware River, ca. 1735. Walking Purchase Collection, 1700–1962. Purchased for The Huntington from Donald A. Heald Rare Books and Fine Art by the Library Collectors’ Council, January 2020. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

In 1737, members of Pennsylvania’s colonial government stole more than 1 million acres of land from the Lenape (Delaware) people in a swindle known as the Walking Purchase. This map, drawn in about 1735 using iron gall ink, helps show how the loss unfolded. Created by surveyor Nicolas Scull, it outlines rivers and landscapes in Lenape territory. It includes notes on natural resources such as timber, soil, and water—features that made the land attractive to colonists who wanted it for themselves.

Leaders of the colony, including the sons of the founding governor of Pennsylvania, William Penn, coveted the land because of its worth and their debts. Their goal was to sell it and use the profits to repay creditors. They claimed that a 1686 treaty with the Lenape people—most likely fraudulent—had granted them as much land as a person could walk in a day and a half. 

When the arrangement was finally executed in 1737, Penn’s sons hired runners and cleared paths in advance to illegally maximize the territory they could seize.  
The Walking Purchase reflects a shift from earlier diplomacy with the Lenape to aggressive land seizure. It shows how maps and surveys could be used as tools of colonial expansion, leading to the displacement of Indigenous people from their homelands.

  • Surveyor: A person who examines land to measure, map, or describe it.

Research, Reflect, and Create Landscapes

  • Look closely at the map.
    • What key geological features are included?
    • What information about the land is included in the notes?
    • Why was this map made?
  • Research the Walking Purchase.
    • Who were the key parties on both sides of the negotiations? What did they want?
    • Examine the list of goods that were traded for another tract of land in Pennsylvania in the 1700s. Do you think this was a fair trade? Why or why not?
    • What happened to the Lenape after they were defrauded of their land?
    • More than 40 years later, in the Declaration of Independence, colonists expressed their desire for more westward expansion. How do the values in the Declaration support or contradict this ongoing hunger for land where Indigenous people lived?
  • Create your own map of a landscape that holds meaning to you.
    • Explore the YOU ARE HERE artwork, representing a map of Los Angeles (below). Compare it with the Nicolas Scull map of the fork of the Delaware River.
    • How is land portrayed differently in YOU ARE HERE? What values does the artist hold about land and the people, plants, and animals living there? What might she be trying to communicate about the communities that shape this region?
    • Create your own artwork of a landscape that holds meaning to you. Use Google Maps or visit the site to research geological features, plants, and animals. What communities have shaped this region? Create a drawing, painting, collage, or photobook based on your research.

Delaware Nation. “The History of Delaware Nation,” n.d., website. https://www.delawarenation-nsn.gov/history/

Hayburn, Tim. “Walking Purchase,” 2015, web page. The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia. https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/walking-purchase/

Joel Rose. “Walking Purchase,” n.d., web page. ExplorePAhistory.com. https://explorepahistory.com/story.php%3FstoryId=1-9-3&audioId=1-5-1C.html

Nicholas Scull. “Nicholas Scull map of the fork of the Delaware River,” ca. 1735, map. Walking Purchase Collection. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. https://www.huntington.org/collections/lib-msswalking-aspace-a3dabbd95556eed39729a6bb7e088752

Sandy Rodriguez. YOU ARE HERE – Tovaangar / El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula / Los Angeles, 2021, hand-processed watercolor and 23K gold on amate paper, 94 1/2 x 94 in. https://www.huntington.org/collections/mus-59508

Thomas Penn. “A List of the Goods which Sassoonan alias Allummapis Sachem of the Skuykill Indians received in consideration of the Lands on Skuyhill …,” August 7–September 7, 1732, manuscript. The Huntington. https://www.huntington.org/collections/lib-p15150coll7-56030

Declaration of Independence

1776

Table of contents heading: Declaration of Independence

Detail of the Declaration of Independence (recto and verso), broadside published in New York City by John Holt, July 1776. Annotations by John McKesson (ca. 1734–1798). | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Many people think of the Declaration of Independence as a single document. However, multiple versions were created in 1776 for different purposes and audiences. While the famous handwritten parchment copy was signed by representatives of the 13 colonies and is now preserved in the National Archives in Washington, D.C., printed copies were distributed throughout the colonies so that the declaration’s message could be widely shared.

The printed copy pictured above is unique because on the back it contains handwritten notes recording a key moment in the movement for independence. Written by John McKesson, secretary of New York’s Provincial Congress, the notes record the July 9, 1776, vote that made New York the 13th colony to support independence from Britain. McKesson listed the representatives by county, along with a vote tally showing that the resolution passed unanimously.

McKesson’s notes were written in iron gall ink, a common ink of the period made partially from oak galls. The ink would have been light when first written, then darkened as it was exposed to the air, turning purplish black. With age and additional light exposure, it has lightened to a warm brown color.

Among the complaints in the declaration was the restriction against colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains included in the Royal Proclamation of 1763. While this policy aimed in part to manage conflicts with Indigenous nations, it frustrated colonists seeking to expand westward. Seen in this context, the declaration shows an important tension: The push for freedom and opportunity for some was tied to displacement and dispossession for others.

Write Your Own Declaration

  • Look closely at the text. 
    • What do you notice about the paper? 
    • What do you notice about the printed text? What is familiar or unfamiliar? For example, some early U.S. documents used a character that looks like an “f” to represent the “long s” sound, like the “s” in words like “subject.”
    • What do you notice about the writing on the back? How does it compare to your own handwriting?
  • Read the first three sentences of the declaration closely. 
    • Who wrote this, and who was it written for?
    • Mark any words you don’t know.
    • Choose one sentence to write in words that make sense to you. In your own words, what did the author mean? 
    • What core values are shown in the text? Do you think they were acted on by the government during this period? Why or why not?
    • How do these values compare to your own values?
  • Write your own declaration that sets clear rights and boundaries. 
    • On your own: Choose the subject of your declaration. It can be yourself or a group of people. Choose the audience for this document: Is this for your school, your family, your community, or the country? List the rights you find “inalienable” (impossible to take away or give up) for your subject. Include any expectations or boundaries for how you or they would like to be treated.
    • As a class: Contribute to a single declaration about how you and your classmates want to be treated at school. Conduct a vote to pass the resolution.

Holt, John. “White-Plains, July 9, 1776. In Convention of the Representatives of the State of New-York. …,” 1776, manuscript. The Huntington. https://www.huntington.org/collections/lib-p15150coll3-6954

Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler and Catherine Nicholson “The Declaration of Independence and the Hand of Time,” Prologue, fall 2016, vol. 48, no. 3. https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2016/fall/declaration

National Archives. “Declaration of Independence: A Transcription,” n.d., web page. America’s Founding Documents. https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript

Olga Tsapina. “Declaration of Independence,” Bloomberg Connects, n.d. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. https://guides.bloombergconnects.org/en-US/guide/huntingtonLibraryGardensAndArt/item/4e6b24b2-1a35-4681-9f4e-e48c5e75a969

Olga Tsapina. “Proclaiming Independence,” July 2024, Verso. The Huntington. https://www.huntington.org/watch-read-listen/verso/proclaiming-independence

The Huntington. “No, that’s not a typo in the Declaration of Independence,” July 3, 2026, Instagram video. https://www.instagram.com/thehuntingtonlibrary/reel/DaVhmk2DGIr/

USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. “On view in ‘This Land Is …’ at The Huntington,” 2026, web page. https://dornsife.usc.edu/la2026/declaration-of-independence

Video: The "Long S" in the Declaration of Independence

What is the "long s"?

No, that’s not a typo in the Declaration of Independence. 📜🪶 It’s a “long s,” an archaic form of the lowercase letter “s” used from the late 8th century to the early 19th century. Take a closer look at The Huntington’s 1776 copy of the Declaration of Independence and learn how to interpret the “long s” with curator Vanessa Wilkie.

Audio: An Annotated Declaration of Independence

What do the handwritten notes mean?

Learn more about this copy of the Declaration of Independence from Olga Tsapina, The Huntington’s American history curator.

The “gnarled oak” of California…

Apr. 6, 1850

Table of contents heading: Gnarled oak sketch

Joseph Goldsborough Bruff, The “gnarled oak” of California, 1850, pencil drawing, 14.5 x 24.5 cm. Purchased from A. S. W. Rosenbach, 1919. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

In 1848, news of gold in California sparked a major westward migration known as the gold rush. Many people—including Joseph Goldsborough Bruff, who made this sketch—saw it as a chance for instant wealth. While this dream of “striking it rich” may have been possible for some, many others were excluded from the same opportunities. Unequal laws and racial discrimination limited access for non-white miners, and Indigenous communities already living on the land faced displacement and forced changes to their way of life. The gold rush echoes themes seen during the Walking Purchase (1737), such as settler expansion and Indigenous dispossession. In California, United States expansion added another layer to a long history of Indigenous land loss that began under Spanish colonization. 

This drawing, The “gnarled oak” of California, shows a mature oak in the Sacramento Valley. The artist, Joseph Goldsborough Bruff, recorded scenes like this in detailed journals during his travels in search of gold. The sketch reminds us of the hopes of many people during the gold rush but also foreshadows the gold rush’s lasting environmental impact. Hydraulic mining dramatically reshaped the landscape by washing away entire hillsides and leaving behind layers of sediment. Mercury, a toxic chemical element, was used in the mining process, polluting soil and waterways. These changes damaged habitats, including oak habitats, and surrounding ecosystems for generations. 

In this shifting landscape, oaks remained important as both ecological anchors and cultural and physical markers. In some cases, oaks like the one depicted here were used to mark the rancho territory lines, quietly witnessing disputes over land and ownership during the Mexican rule of this area in the early 1800s. The twisting, leafless branches of the oak tree in this drawing reflect both resilience and change during a time when California’s environment and communities were rapidly transforming. 

  • Dispossession: The act of evicting people or taking their belongings away legally.
  • Hydraulic mining: A method of mining that blasts rock with pressurized water to loosen and reveal mineral deposits.

Seek, See, and Sketch

  • Find a tree in your community and look at it closely for a couple of minutes. 
    • Where do your eyes go first? What do you see in that spot?
    • What are the tree’s unique features?
    • What do you notice about the trunk and its bark? What about its leaves? 
    • How old do you think this oak is? 
    • What are some things this tree might have witnessed in its lifetime on the land you inhabit?
    • Describe the landscape around the tree. How does the tree fit into this environment? 
  • Draw the tree, incorporating as many details as you can observe. 
  • Compare your drawing to The “gnarled oak” of California. How is it similar or different?

Alexandria Herr. “Mercury in Our Waters: The 10,000-Year Legacy of California’s Gold Rush,” web page, September 2020. PBS SoCal. https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/earth-focus/mercury-in-our-waters-the-10-000-year-legacy-of-californias-gold-rush

Joseph Goldsborough Bruff, The “gnarled oak” of California, 1850, pencil drawing, 14.5 x 24.5 cm. Purchased from A. S. W. Rosenbach, 1919. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. https://www.huntington.org/collections/lib-p15150coll7-5129

Nathan Masters. “These Boundary Trees Are Remnants of California’s Lost Mexican-Era Ranchos,” web page, July 2017. PBS SoCal. https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/lost-la/these-boundary-trees-are-remnants-of-californias-lost-mexican-era-ranchos

National Park Service. “Applegate-Lassen Trail,” web page, July 2021. https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalhistoriclandmarks/applegate-lassen-trail.htm

U.S. Congress resolution to amend constitution, 13th Amendment

Dec. 5, 1864 

Table of contents heading: 13th Amendment

U.S. Congress resolution to amend constitution, 13th Amendment, 1864 December 5. Abraham Lincoln collection, 1813–1911 (bulk 1840-1865). | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

The word “amendment” has both botanical and political meanings. In both cases, an amendment brings about transformation. In ecology, an amendment is the addition of beneficial materials, such as compost, to the soil to support plant growth. In government, an amendment is a change or addition made to a law or official document. The notion that amendments are transformative is clear in the Reconstruction Amendments (13th, 14th, and 15th), which reshaped the definition of freedom in the United States after the Civil War.   

President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, which declared that “all persons held as slaves within any State, or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.”

The Emancipation Proclamation was not enough to abolish slavery permanently. Lincoln knew that a constitutional amendment was necessary to ensure lasting freedom. He supported passage of the 13th Amendment, which permanently abolished slavery. Written in iron gall ink, the amendment states:

“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

Congress passed the 13th Amendment on Jan. 31, 1865, with 119 congressmen voting “aye,” 56 voting “nay,” and eight abstaining from voting. The president’s signature was unnecessary, but Lincoln signed some souvenir copies, such as this one. Despite the amendment being passed in January, it was not ratified by the states until Dec. 6, 1865.

Lincoln did not live to see its ratification, but his leadership in its passing was instrumental. The 13th Amendment redefined the meaning of freedom in a nation long divided over whom it applied to, abolishing legal slavery while leaving unresolved the deep and enduring inequalities that continue to shape our country. 

The Reconstruction Amendments continued with ratification of the 14th Amendment in July 1868. This amendment grants citizenship and equal protection for anyone born in the United States or naturalized, including formerly enslaved individuals. The final Reconstruction Amendment, the 15th Amendment, was ratified in February 1870 and prohibited denying citizens the right to vote on the basis of race. Together, these federal actions transformed the legal and constitutional foundation of the United States and expanded the meaning of freedom and citizenship in American democracy.

  • Amendment: In ecology, the addition of beneficial materials, such as compost, to the soil to support plant growth. In government, a change or addition made to a law or official document.
  • Naturalization: The process of becoming a citizen of a country in which a person was not born.
  • Reconstruction: A historical period from 1865 to 1877 during which all U.S. states came together again after Southern states seceded during the Civil War. 

Amend the Future

  • Look closely at the 13th Amendment. 
    • What catches your eye first? 
    • Which words or phrases are you able to read? 
    • What challenges do you encounter when reading this primary source? 
  • Read the typed transcript of the 13th Amendment. 
    • Which words or phrases stand out to you now? 
    • Which words seem particularly important? Why? 
  • Think about why the 13th Amendment was necessary if the Declaration of Independence states that “all men are created equal.”
    • What does this amendment suggest about the gap between American ideals and American reality? 
    • How does this amendment expand or redefine freedom?
  • Compare and contrast the opening paragraph of the Declaration of Independence with the 13th Amendment. 
    • What words or phrases appear in both primary sources? 
    • What ideas are represented in both primary sources? 
    • Where in the text do these documents acknowledge real problems or conditions in America during that time? Where does the text describe ideals that promote broader principles of freedom, equality, or rights?
  • Craft a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution. Use the structure of the 13th Amendment as a foundation. Ground your argument in research and historical context to build a clear and compelling rationale. Use these questions to help you brainstorm:
    • What issue facing Americans today deserves constitutional attention? Why?
    • What rights, responsibilities, or protections should be strengthened? Why?
    • Who might benefit from your amendment? Why? 
    • Who might oppose your amendment? Why?
    • How does your amendment build on principles featured in the Declaration of Independence?
  • Present your proposed amendment to the class and engage in a democratic vote to determine its approval.
    • If your amendment passes, what impact do you think it will have on different communities?
    • If your amendment did not pass, why do you think that is? 

“U.S. Congress resolution to amend constitution, 13th Amendment,” 1864, manuscript. Abraham Lincoln Collection. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. https://www.huntington.org/collections/lib-p16003coll21-5572

Diana W. Thompson. “Lincoln’s Signature Accomplishments,” Jan. 30, 2015, Verso. https://www.huntington.org/watch-read-listen/verso/lincolns-signature-accomplishments

Library of Congress. “13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Primary Documents in American History,” n.d., web page. https://guides.loc.gov/13th-amendment

National Archives. “13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery (1865),” May 2022, web page. Milestone Documents. https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/13th-amendment

National Archives. “14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Primary Documents in American History,” n.d., web page. Milestone Documents. https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/14th-amendment

National Archives. “15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Voting Rights (1870),” n.d., web page. Milestone Documents. https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/15th-amendment

National Archives. “The Emancipation Proclamation,” n.d., web page. Online Exhibits. https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured-documents/emancipation-proclamation

Monument honoring the 90th Pennsylvania Infantry, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 1st Corps

ca. 1885 

Table of contents heading: Civil War monument

William H. Tipton, Monument honoring the 90th Pennsylvania Infantry, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 1st Corps, ca. 1885, gelatin silver print, 30.5. x 17.8 cm (12 x 7 in.). Lindsey M. Gould, a Civil War veteran, acquired the photographs in the 1880s as a keepsake of his war experience. Herbert William Singleton Collection of Civil War Photographs (ca. 1861–1890s). | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

In April 1861, long-standing tensions over slavery led to the outbreak of the American Civil War and the fracturing of the nation. Eleven Southern states seceded to form the Confederacy, while the remaining states fought to preserve the Union. The war lasted four years, caused the deaths of at least 620,000 people, and resulted in the emancipation of roughly 4 million enslaved people.

One of the war’s most important battles was the Battle of Gettysburg, fought from July 1 to July 3, 1863. On the final day of the battle, a failed attack known as Pickett’s Charge, led by Confederate General Robert E. Lee, resulted in heavy Confederate losses and forced a retreat, ending their invasion of the North. Today, the battlefield is marked by many monuments honoring those who fought and died there.

Dedicated Sept. 3, 1888, this monument honors soldiers of the 90th Pennsylvania Infantry who fought at Gettysburg. Carved from granite, the monument is shaped like a damaged oak tree. It reflects how real trees on the battlefield served as living witnesses and survivors. The tree’s trunk is split by a cannonball that represents the destruction of war. Other details, like a bird’s nest and climbing vines, symbolize hope, renewal, and the possibility of new life after loss. Gettysburg marked a turning point in the nation’s struggle over who had the right to freedom. Like the scarred oak it resembles, this monument symbolizes the wounds of the past shaped by slavery and the possibility of renewal.

  • American Civil War: War from 1861 to 1865 between Northern and Southern U.S. states caused by the secession of Southern slaveholding states. 
  • Confederate: Related to the Confederate States of America, a group of 11 Southern U.S. states that seceded from the United States during the Civil War. 
  • Secede: To leave a group or organization.
  • Union: The U.S. states that remained part of the United States during the Civil War.
  • Look closely at the image of the monument.
    • What stands out to you?
    • Find the text that is written on the bronze shield attached to the monument. What happened to the 90th Pennsylvanian Infantry on the afternoon of July 1, 1863? What is the purpose of this monument?
    • Why do you think the artist chose to include the tree, birds, and vine in the monument? What do they represent?
    • What other monuments have you seen? How does this one compare? Which style of monument do you prefer and why?
  • Create a monument to mark 250 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. 
    • What people, places, or events would you like to honor, preserve, or get people to think about? 
    • How might your monument represent your own point of view on the subject?
    • Create a model or draw your monument.

“Monument honoring the 90th Pennsylvania Infantry, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 1st Corps,” ca. 1885, photograph. Herbert William Singleton Collection of Civil War Photographs. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. https://www.huntington.org/collections/lib-p16003coll6-681

Gary W. Gallagher. “The American Civil War,” n.d., web page. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/essays/american-civil-war

Gettysburg Foundation. “Monument Minute: 90th Pennsylvania Infantry,” May 2025, video. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IPOYAigESPQ

History.com. “Battle of Gettysburg,” October 2009, web page. https://www.history.com/articles/battle-of-gettysburg

‘YOU ARE HERE’ by Sandy Rodriguez 

2021

Table of contents heading: 'YOU ARE HERE' map

Sandy Rodriguez, YOU ARE HERE / Tovaangar / El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula / Los Angeles, 2021, hand-processed watercolor and 23K gold on amate paper, 94 1/2 x 94 in.

This artwork by Los Angeles–based Chicana artist and researcher Sandy Rodriguez, a contemporary living artist, centers the communities who have lived on the land where Los Angeles stands and who continue to call it home. Her work emphasizes community and resilience while reflecting on the layered history embedded in the landscape. Her map, YOU ARE HERE, is multilingual, incorporating text in Tongva (the language of the Indigenous peoples known today as the Gabrielino-Tongva), Spanish, and English. It speaks to the past, the present, and her hope for the future. Rodriguez refers to historical documents and maps, while conducting site-based research and collaborating with contemporary historians, scholars, and Indigenous leaders, including the late Tongva elder Julia Bogany. 

In this work, Rodriguez engages with the interwoven histories of Los Angeles by illustrating the land, language, flora, and fauna, all beneath a unifying rainbow. Among the native plants depicted, an oak tree serves as a landmark for the Santa Monica Mountains. It is represented as a sacred tree surrounded by the four cardinal directions (north, south, east, and west).

In addition to featuring California native plants in her artworks, Rodriguez works with hand-processed materials sourced from the local landscape. She collects different natural materials such as cochineal, marigolds, and acorns from coast live oak trees. 

By creating her own pigments, she seeks to recover Indigenous knowledge and meaning and engage with traditional artistic practice that remains alive and vibrant today.  

“I want visitors to feel the presence of the communities who shape this region—the lived stories that unsettle official accounts, affirm resilience, and bring layered truths to the surface,” Rodriguez said.

  • Tongva: Of or related to the Gabrielino-Tongva Nation, the Indigenous Native American tribe that hails from Los Angeles County and the islands of Santa Catalina, San Nicholas, San Clemente, and Santa Barbara.

Make a Memory Map

  • Look closely at YOU ARE HERE by Sandy Rodriguez. 
    • How is it like other maps? How is it different? 
    • What do you notice about the details the artist included? 
    • How does this map tell a story about land or place? 
  • Think about a place that is special to you. 
    • What makes that place meaningful to you? 
    • Brainstorm or make a list of key features, including things you can see, smell, hear, and do in this place. 
  • Create a memory map to tell a story about that place. Start with a central element (such as the oak in YOU ARE HERE). Then use lines or arrows to branch out with images, text, or symbols that represent the place. Try to incorporate sensory, personal, and environmental details. How do these details help tell your story about this place? 

Be a Plant Detective

  • Look closely at YOU ARE HERE by Sandy Rodriguez. 
    • How many different plants can you find?
    • Do you recognize any of the plants? If so, what do you know about them?
    • What details do you notice about their location on the map, or how they are illustrated? 
  • Pick one of the plants from the artwork that you are curious about (such as an oak tree, Joshua tree, prickly pear cactus, or another you notice). 
  • Research the plant you selected. 
    • Where does this plant grow?
    • What kind of environment does it live in?
    • How has it adapted to survive there? 
    • What are its key features (such as leaves, roots, or flowers)?
    • How do people or communities use or connect to this plant (as food, medicine, art, or culture)? 
    • What surprised you about your plant?
  • Present your findings as a science sketch where you combine writing and drawings. 
  • Reflect on how artists and scientists are similar and different in how they observe the world.

“How Plants Color Your World,” January 28, 2026, video. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. https://www.huntington.org/botany-videos-edu/how-plants-color-your-world-plants-and-people

Gabrielino/Tongva Nation. “Gabrielino/Tongva Nation: The First Angelenos,” n.d., website. https://gabrielinotongva.org/

Sandy Rodriguez. YOU ARE HERE – Tovaangar / El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula / Los Angeles, 2021, hand-processed watercolor and 23K gold on amate paper, 94 1/2 x 94 in. https://www.huntington.org/collections/mus-59508

The Huntington. “YOU ARE HERE: A Multilingual Map of the Greater Los Angeles Area,” December 2021, video. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z4elzJ2pQE&t=1s

Video: Artist Sandy Rodriguez Dives into 'YOU ARE HERE'

Who has called—and continues to call—the area home?

Join artist Sandy Rodriguez as she discusses the meaning and making of YOU ARE HERE, her multilingual map of the greater Los Angeles area, which represents the topography, language, flora, fauna, and land stewardship in the region over time, and illustrates the movement and histories of peoples who have called—and continue to call—the area home.

Collection-Wide Project Ideas and Prompts

  • Think about events in history that you have experienced or witnessed.
  • Create a list of them. Why are these important? What did you experience or witness? Were you an observer, participant, or both? 
  • Compile your list of events to create a timeline or zine that shows what historical events you have witnessed in your life. 
  • Think about what the United States will be like in the next 250 years. What questions do you have about the future of the country? Use the prompts below as a starting point. 
    • How will the country change? How might people live differently?
    • How could climate change reshape the land, weather, and daily life?
    • How might future generations value oak trees compared to people today?
  • Imagine what the future of the country might be like.  
  • Write about your thoughts, create a work of art, or design a model to showcase your prediction for the United States in 250 years.
  • Select a primary source from the Teaching Collection as inspiration for a short scene, dance, or movement sequence.
  • Think about what story you might tell with this primary source. 
    • What is the focus of your scene or movement?
    • What details from the primary source are you using to guide your movement?
    • How will you show emotion, action, and meaning? 
    • How does your scene or movement help explain the importance of the primary source?
  • Create your movement story. Use your body to bring the primary source to life. 
  • Perform your short scene, dance, or movement sequence. Focus on clear expression, purposeful movement, and showing the importance of the primary source. 
  • Print and cut out images of the primary sources or add them to a blank slide deck. 
  • Look for connections and map out how the primary sources connect to each other.
  • Which primary source caused or influenced another event or idea?
  • Which primary sources show oak trees or natural themes?
  • Which primary sources include similar themes (such as freedom or equality)? 
  • Draw lines or arrows and add notes between primary sources to show their relationships.
  • Add more primary sources to expand the map and explain why and how they connect to the other primary sources. 
Table of contents heading: Collection-Wide Project Ideas and Prompts

Standards 

  • 5.3 Students describe the cooperation and conflict that existed among the American Indians and between the Indian nations and the new settlers. 
  • 5.5 Students explain the causes of the American Revolution.
  • 5.6 Students understand the course and consequences of the American Revolution. 
  • 8.1 Students understand the major events preceding the founding of the nation and relate their significance to the development of American constitutional democracy.
  • 8.4 Students analyze the aspirations and ideals of the people of the new nation.
  • 8.6 Students analyze the divergent paths of the American people from 1800 to the mid-1800s and the challenges they faced, with emphasis on the Northeast.
  • 8.8 Students analyze the divergent paths of the American people in the West from 1800 to the mid-1800s and the challenges they faced.
  • 8.9 Students analyze the early and steady attempts to abolish slavery and to realize the ideals of the Declaration of Independence.
  • 8.10 Students analyze the multiple causes, key events, and complex consequences of the Civil War.
  • 11.1 Students analyze the significant events in the founding of the nation and its attempts to realize the philosophy of government described in the Declaration of Independence.
  • 12.1 Students explain the fundamental principles and moral values of American democracy as expressed in the U.S. Constitution and other essential documents of American democracy.
  • 12.3 Students evaluate and take and defend positions on what the fundamental values and principles of civil society are (i.e., the autonomous sphere of voluntary personal, social, and economic relations that are not part of government), their interdependence, and the meaning and importance of those values and principles for a free society.
  • 3-LS4-3. Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
  • 3-LS4-4. Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change.
  • 4-ESS2-2. Analyze and interpret data from maps to describe patterns of Earth’s features.
  • MS-LS2-1. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.
  • Creating - Anchor Standard 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work  
  • Responding – Anchor Standard 7: Perceive and analyze artistic work  
  • Connecting – Anchor Standard 11: Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding 

Writing – Research to Build and Present Knowledge

  • W.3.7 / W.4.7 Conduct short research projects.
  • W.3.8 / W.4.8 Recall and gather information from sources.
  • WHST.9-10.7 / WHST.11-12.7 Conduct short research projects.
  • WHST.9-10.8 / WHST.11-12.8 Recall and gather information from sources.
Table of contents heading: Standards

Contributors and Reviewers

Kristin Brisbois McNutt, Ph.D., is the educator programs specialist at The Huntington.

Sarah Thomas is the senior manager of school programs and partnerships at The Huntington.

Armando Pulido is assistant curator for special projects at The Huntington.

Dora Dalton is a freelance writer and editor. 

Josh Garrett-Davis, Ph.D., is the H. Russell Smith Foundation Curator of Western American History

Linde B. Lehtinen, Ph.D., is the Philip D. Nathanson Senior Curator of Photography.

Victoria Gonzalez is the digital learning specialist at The Huntington.