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What’s going on?

• The British royal family has been in the headlines on both sides of the Atlantic since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, on September 8. 

• Just yesterday, Buckingham Palace set the date for the coronation of the new king, Charles III, for May 6, 2023—the first such celebration in 70 years. 

Why teach it? 

• Moments of transition like this one are incredible opportunities to teach historical context because of the ways they echo back through history. 

• Even though the death of one monarch and the coronation of a new one are unprecedented occurrences in most of our lives—ones that feel specific to our time and place—a quick look back in the archives reminds us that this has happened many times before. 

Why does it matter? 

• Looking at those past occurrences, the ones that rhyme with the present moment but are born of entirely different contexts, teaches students to see both continuity and change in history. 

Where are the sources? 

• The Library of Congress has a project called Chronicling America that offers digitized newspapers going all the way back to 1777. 

• To find the sources below, I searched for headlines about the deaths (or abdications) of monarchs by name, going back to the founding of the United States: Elizabeth II, George VI, Edward VIII, George V, Edward VII, Victoria, William IV, George IV, George III. 

How should I teach these sources? 

• You’ve got a lot of good options, and it depends on what skills you’d like to emphasize and for which students. 

• Maybe some students need work comparing and contrasting. Try giving those students two sets of front pages and a Venn Diagram to look for similarities and differences between the two royal transitions. 

• Other students might need work contextualizing historical events into a broader history. For those students, try giving them several sources and have them build a timeline, filling in other major historical events that you’ve studied previously. 

What are the sources? 

• Landler, M. (2022, September 9). QUEEN AND SPIRIT OF BRITAIN: Elizabeth II, Whose 7-Decade Reign Linked Generations, Dies at 96. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/issue/todayspaper/2022/09/09/todays-new-york-times 

• Death of King George Shocks World. (1952, February 6). The Daily Record. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88063132/1952-02-06/ed-1/seq-1/

• KING ABDICATES: Duke of York New Ruler. (1936, December 10). The Waterbury Democrat. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82014085/1936-12-10/ed-1/seq-1/ 

• KING GEORGE V ENG. IS DEAD. (1936, January 20). The Nome Daily Nugget. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87062014/1936-01-20/ed-1/seq-1/ 

• King Edward Sinks to Final Sleep Without Again Being Conscious. (1910, May 7). Rock Island Argus. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn92053934/1910-05-07/ed-1/seq-1/ 

• Queen Victoria Dead. (1901, January 26). Passaic City Record, 6. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85035722/1901-01-26/ed-1/seq-6/ 

• Editorial Summary. (1837, August 2). Vermont Telegraph, 179. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83025661/1837-08-02/ed-1/seq-3/

• Note: I struggled to find American newspapers that directly reported on the death of George III in January of 1820. I found references to his death later, however. Sometimes gaps in the historical record can be teaching opportunities as well. 

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