A glimpse into the Civil War experience of Company F

Today's blog post comes from Mary Burtzloff, archivist at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library. The black leather-bound journal had water stains and mold around the edges. It looked a bit icky, but the contents of the Civil War journal fascinated me. One hundred and fifty years after our nation’s bloodiest conflict, we are  reminded … Continue reading A glimpse into the Civil War experience of Company F

2013 Regional Residency Fellowship: Request for Proposals

The National Archives, with the generous support of the Foundation for the National Archives, announces the 2013 Regional Residency Fellowship Program’s Request for Proposals. The Residency Fellowship Program gives researchers the opportunity to conduct original research using records held at National Archives locations in Boston, MA; Denver, CO; Fort Worth, TX; Riverside, CA; San Francisco, … Continue reading 2013 Regional Residency Fellowship: Request for Proposals

Getting Ike into the Loop

Today's post comes from Christopher Abraham at the Eisenhower Presidential Library. “I am a newspaper reporter and I would like to know if anything unusual happened during either of President Eisenhower’s inaugural ceremonies.” —Anonymous   Have you ever seen a U.S. President lassoed by a cowboy? It likely qualifies as “unusual!” General Eisenhower related this … Continue reading Getting Ike into the Loop

All You Need to Know About Inaugurations

George Washington As the first President, Washington set many inaugural precedents, but his inaugurations were also very different in ways that would not be repeated. The oath of office is usually administered the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court during the ceremony. The first President had not yet appointed any Supreme Court Justices, and so … Continue reading All You Need to Know About Inaugurations

See 13 Inaugurations in Four Days at the National Archives

On Monday, January 21, President Obama will be sworn in for a second term. It will be the 57th Presidential Inauguration. Beginning at 11:30 a.m., the President’s swearing-in ceremony will be shown live in the William G. McGowan Theater at the National Archives. If you are in Washington, DC, don't miss this chance to see … Continue reading See 13 Inaugurations in Four Days at the National Archives

Washington’s first Inaugural Address now on display

"My station is new; and, if I may use the expression, I walk on untrodden ground." --George Washington in a letter, January 9, 1790 Today's post comes to us from Michael Hussey, education and exhibition specialist at the National Archives. In  honor of the 2013 Inauguration, the first and last page of Washington's first Inauguration … Continue reading Washington’s first Inaugural Address now on display

LBJ Library opens new exhibits after multi-million dollar renovation

In honor of Lady Bird Johnson's 100th birthday on December 22, 2012, the Lyndon B. Johnson Library unveiled a newly redesigned space to give visitors a new look at the 36th president. The library houses 45 million pages of historical documents, 650,000 photos, one million feet of film, 2,000 oral histories, and 5,000 hours of recordings from … Continue reading LBJ Library opens new exhibits after multi-million dollar renovation

The Check is in the Mail: The Hunt for Abraham Lincoln’s Congressional Pay Records

Today's blog post comes from David J. Gerleman, assistant editor of The Papers of Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln’s two-year stint as a Illinois Whig congressman is one of the lesser-known periods of his eventful life. Had he remained in obscurity, it might have remained the crowning achievement of a fizzled frontier political career. Having been … Continue reading The Check is in the Mail: The Hunt for Abraham Lincoln’s Congressional Pay Records

Emancipation Proclamation: The 13th Amendment

Today’s blog post comes from National Archives social media intern Anna Fitzpatrick. The news of the Emancipation Proclamation was greeted with joy, even though it did not free all the slaves. Because of the limitations of the proclamation, and because it depended on a Union military victory, President Lincoln recognized that the Emancipation Proclamation would … Continue reading Emancipation Proclamation: The 13th Amendment

Emancipation Proclamation: January 1, 1863

Today’s blog post comes from National Archives social media intern Anna Fitzpatrick. On the first day of the new year in 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect, declaring freedom for slaves in parts of the Confederacy that had not yet come under Union control. Historian John Hope Franklin described the day: [It] was a … Continue reading Emancipation Proclamation: January 1, 1863