In celebration of National Dog Day, today’s post comes from Meagan Frenzer, graduate research intern for the National Archives History Office in Washington, DC. The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum maintains documents of critical participants within the FDR administration. This list includes prominent figures such as Frances Perkins, Harry L. Hopkins, Henry Morgenthau, … Continue reading The First Dog, Fala Roosevelt
Citizen Archivists! You can transcribe this document as part of our #SunshineWeek Transcription Challenge! The black-bordered letter sent to President Martin Van Buren relayed the official news that the king of the United Kingdom, His Majesty William IV, had died on June 20, 1837. The new monarch was the late king’s niece, 18-year-old Victoria. Writing … Continue reading Your Good Friend, Victoria R
Today’s post comes from Miriam Kleiman of the National Archives Public Affairs Staff. I’ve worked at the National Archives for many years and have always been content with our 13 Presidential libraries (Hoover through Bush 43). Sure, I’ve thought wistfully about a Washington, Adams, or Lincoln Library. But only recently did I long for a … Continue reading Was Harding’s mistress a spy? The National Archives knows and tells.
Happy Women's History Month! Today's blog post comes from Kristina Jarosik, education specialist at the National Archives at Chicago. Recently, two powerful women in the Silicon Valley, (Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook and author of Lean In: Women Work and the Will to Lead and Marissa Meyer, CEO of Yahoo) provided the media and the public the … Continue reading They “Leaned In” and took action in federal courts
Today's blog post comes from Corinne Porter, curator at the National Archives Building in Washington, DC. November 22, 2013, marks the 50th anniversary of the death of President John F. Kennedy. On that day in 1963, the news of President Kennedy’s tragic death shocked the world and plunged the United States into mourning. Although five … Continue reading “The whole world mourns his passing”
Today’s Constitution Day guest post was written by Jim Zeender, senior registrar in exhibits at the National Archives in Washington, DC. The Constitution of the United States turned 226 this year and continues to be the oldest and longest-serving written constitution in the world. It consists of exactly 4,543 words and has been amended only … Continue reading Taking the Constitution for a Test Drive
Our new Featured Document--Oliver Perry's letter to the Secretary of the Navy--will be on display from September 10 to 19, 2014, at the National Archives in Washington, DC. Today's blog post was written by former student employee Meghan O'Connor. Early in the War of 1812, the Americans lost control of Detroit and Lake Erie to … Continue reading “A Signal Victory”: The Battle of Lake Erie
Today's blog post in honor of Memorial Day comes from Michael Pierce, preservation technician at the National Archives at Saint Louis. It’s called “the Forgotten War.” But like any conflict, the Korean War is always remembered by the men and women who fought in it, and by their families. The Preservation Lab at St. Louis … Continue reading It’s why I do what I do
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.”
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
