Featured Document: Senate Revisions to the Proposed Bill of Rights

Continuing our celebration of the 225th Anniversary of the First Congress, the National Archives is displaying a draft of the Bill of Rights from August 12 to September 11, 2014, in the East Rotunda Gallery. During the 1787–1788 Constitutional ratification process, opponents criticized the Constitution because it lacked a bill of rights. They argued that … Continue reading Featured Document: Senate Revisions to the Proposed Bill of Rights

“I have never been a quitter . . .”

Today’s post comes from Emma Rothberg, intern in the National Archives History Office in Washington, DC. August 8 marks the 40th anniversary of President Richard M. Nixon's resignation.  Early on the morning of June 17, 1972, five men broke into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, DC. The aftermath brought the first … Continue reading “I have never been a quitter . . .”

Harry Truman and The Bomb

Today’s post is from Lee Lacy, an Assistant Professor at the U.S. Army Command & General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.  When Harry S. Truman was told on April 12, 1945, by Eleanor Roosevelt that her husband, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, was dead, Truman reacted true to form. He asked if there was anything he … Continue reading Harry Truman and The Bomb

Loan to Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax

Today’s post comes from James Zeender, Senior Registrar.  Last week, the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax opened the exhibition "Prize and Prejudice: Nova Scotia's War of 1812."   It is a companion to the War of 1812 exhibit organized by the Canadian War Museum.  "Prize and Prejudice" features two letters on loan from … Continue reading Loan to Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax

The Origins of Senatorial Courtesy

Today’s post comes from Christine Blackerby, an Outreach Specialist at the Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives in Washington, DC. The Center for Legislative Archives is marking the 225th anniversary of the First Congress by sharing documents on Tumblr and Twitter; use #Congress225 to see all the postings. Two hundred and twenty-five years ago, on August 3, … Continue reading The Origins of Senatorial Courtesy