The 19th Amendment on display at the National Archives

The 19th Amendment is on display from March 1 to March 8 at the National Archives Building in honor of the 100th anniversary of the 1913 woman's suffrage parade in Washington, DC. We will also be screening the 2004 film "Iron-Jawed Angels" at noon on March 2. Today's guest post is from curator Bruce Bustard. … Continue reading The 19th Amendment on display at the National Archives

Eisenhower and (Tank) Driver’s Ed

Today’s post comes from Christopher Abraham at the Eisenhower Presidential Library. He answers a question each week on Facebook. This week’s Ask an Archivist query comes from Pennsylvania. "Did Eisenhower teach Patton how to drive a tank at Camp Colt in Gettysburg?" Anonymous Captain George S. Patton knew how to drive a tank by the … Continue reading Eisenhower and (Tank) Driver’s Ed

Facial Hair Friday: Portrait of the Artist with a Mustache

This self portrait, with carefully groomed mustache in the center, is a glamorous photo of a hardworking, groundbreaking photographer. James Stephen "Steve" Wright was from a working-class family in Washington, DC. By the 1940s he was head of photographic operations for the Federal Works Agency. But like many young black men at the time, he … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday: Portrait of the Artist with a Mustache

“I am a little country boy eight years old.”

Today's guest post is from Sherri DeCoursey, who used the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library to find a special piece of history for her father. For as long as I can remember, a photo of FDR and a letter have hung side-by-side in the den of Mom and Dad’s home.  The yellowed letter, written by … Continue reading “I am a little country boy eight years old.”

George Washington Writes in the Margins

Today's blog post comes from Susan K. Donius, Director of the Office of Presidential Libraries at the National Archives. This post originally appeared on the White House blog. Last month, President Obama began his second Inaugural Address by saying, “Each time we gather to inaugurate a President we bear witness to the enduring strength of … Continue reading George Washington Writes in the Margins

90 letters in 90 days: The courtship of Lady Bird and LBJ

“I do believe before the day was over he did ask me to marry him and I thought he was just out of his mind.” Claudia Alta "Lady Bird” Taylor Two teenagers in love might exchange hundreds of texts on their phones. But during their two-and-a-half month courtship, Lyndon Baines Johnson and Claudia Alta “Lady … Continue reading 90 letters in 90 days: The courtship of Lady Bird and LBJ

Application Denied!

Today's blog post was written by Sam Rushay, a supervisory archivist at the Truman Presidential Library. In the late summer of 1945, Frances Sarah Curtis of Mt. Rainier, MD, applied for a White House pass. Curtis, a Treasury Department employee in the Bureau of Public Debt (BPD), had worked in the White House File Room … Continue reading Application Denied!

Honoring the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement”

Today's post comes to us from Michael Hussey, education and exhibition specialist at the National Archives.(He's also a speaker at tonight's program!) Rosa Parks was born on February 4, 1913. In honor of her centennial, "Public Law 106-26, An Act to authorize the President to award a gold medal on behalf of the Congress to … Continue reading Honoring the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement”