As we look forward to the upcoming 250th anniversary of our nation in 2026, we’re looking back at the 175th anniversary celebration in 1951. For more information on July 4 and the National Archives, visit our website. On July 4, 1951, the United States celebrated its demisemiseptcentennial—the 175th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration … Continue reading July 4, 1951: Celebrating America’s Demisemiseptcentennial
On June 21, 2024, the exhibition Road to Revolution opened in the National Archives Building. The series features National Archives records that tell the story from colonial resistance to American independence and the diverse experiences of the nation’s founding generation. Today's post from Mary Ryan on the Lee Resolution is an update of her 2002 … Continue reading Lee Resolution: Declaring the Thirteen Colonies Free
On June 19, 1934, the National Archives was created as an independent agency. But just 15 years later, on June 30, 1949, Congress passed legislation moving the National Archives to the newly created General Services Administration (GSA) and renamed it the National Archives and Records Service (NARS). Today we’re looking at the events that led … Continue reading How the National Archives Became NARS
June 19th, or “Juneteenth,” is the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. Today’s post, looking at the history of the federal holiday, comes from Saba Samy, an intern at the National Archives in Washington, DC. President Lincoln on the Battlefield, Maryland, Antietam, 1862. (National Archives Identifier 533297) On September … Continue reading Juneteenth: The First Commemoration of Abolition
On Friday, June 7, 2024, the National Archives is raising the woof with our next #ArchivesHashtagParty—#ArchivesPets! Join us on social media to see some paw-some images and artifacts of pets in our collection and collections in repositories around the world. Designed by renowned architect John Russell Pope, the National Archives Building is the most elaborately … Continue reading #ArchivesPets on the National Archives Building
We’re taking a look at past staff and their many contributions to the National Archives throughout history. Today’s staff spotlight is in memory of Richard McCulley, who served was Historian at the Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives in Washington, DC. (L-R) Carl Ashley, David McMillen, Marc Rothenberg, and Richard McCulley at the … Continue reading Historic Staff Spotlight: Richard McCulley, Historian of the Records of Congress
Today’s post was developed from a former exhibit titled ”Allegheny Arsenal Explosion and the Creation of Public Memory.” The exhibit was initially displayed at the National Archives at Philadelphia and was then featured online as a digital exhibit. In collaboration with the National Archives Web Division, the National Archives at Philadelphia has reformatted the content … Continue reading The Allegheny Arsenal Explosion and the Creation of Public Memory
May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month! Today’s post looking at the history of AANHPI immigration comes from Saba Samy, an intern at the National Archives in Washington, DC. Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) history and immigration in the United States stretches as far back as the … Continue reading AAPI Exclusion and the Case of Wong Kim Ark
70 years ago the Supreme Court issued its Brown v. the Board of Education ruling. Today’s post has been adapted from a piece by Daniel Holt, who served as the Director of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene from 1990 to 2008 and was a member of the Brown v. Board … Continue reading The Legacy of Brown v. Board of Education
Thirty years ago on May 12, 1994, the National Archives at College Park, MD, popularly known as "Archives II," was dedicated. The 1.8-million-square-foot state-of-the-art facility, located just outside of Washington, DC, provides much-needed space for historically significant holdings of the National Archives. The National Archives at College Park, MD. (NARA photo by Jeff Reed) When … Continue reading Archives II turns 30
