Strange-but-true stories on the Civil War
Today’s post comes from John P. Blair with the National Archives History Office. Ever since President Gerald Ford recognized Black History Month during the Bicentennial of the United States in 1976, each February brings forth a celebration of the history and accomplishments of notable African Americans. However, there are hundreds of thousands of other African … Continue reading His was “Service Honest and Faithful, Character Excellent”
On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation (what some of us here at the Archives call the “EP”)—in the middle of the U.S. Civil War. In it, he declared all slaves within the states that were currently in rebellion to be free. Although it did not abolish slavery altogether, the document … Continue reading The “EP” at the National Archives
Today’s post comes from Austin McManus with the National Archives History Office. To commemorate Black History Month, we celebrate the story of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, the first African American unit of the U.S. Army. These brave men served honorably during U.S. Civil War, the bloodiest conflict in American history. President Abraham Lincoln issued the … Continue reading Black History Month: the 54th Massachusetts
Today's post comes from Jim Zeender, Senior Registrar in the National Archives Exhibits Program in Washington, DC. In early September I had the pleasure of taking a train to Williamsburg, Virginia. I have taken trains to Philadelphia, New York, and New Haven numerous times. Overseas, I have been on trains in England, France, Austria and Switzerland. … Continue reading A Trip to Williamsburg
The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) officially opens on September 24, 2016, on the National Mall. It is the 19th and newest Smithsonian Institution museum and is devoted to documenting African American life, history, and culture. The museum was established by a December 16, 2003, act of Congress, but efforts to create … Continue reading On Exhibit: An Act to establish the NMAAHC
Today's post comes from Jim Zeender, Registrar on the National Archives Exhibits Staff. On June 1, my colleagues Alexis Hill, Warren Halsey, and I culminated about nine months of work with a visit to the Lincoln Cottage on the grounds of the Old Soldiers Home. Terry Boone and Bill Nenichka had participated in previous trips. A … Continue reading The 1986 Immigration Act and My Lifetime Relationship with the Lincoln Cottage
Today’s post comes from Christine Blackerby, Outreach Specialist in the Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives in Washington, DC. Could a person who had sworn an oath to the Confederacy later loyally serve the United States? One hundred and fifty years ago, the U.S. Senate wrestled with this question for the first time. When states … Continue reading What is Loyalty?: David Patterson’s Oath of Office
Join one of the “Amending America” exhibit curators Christine Blackerby for a Facebook Live video on the Huffington Post Politics page. On July 9, 1868, the Fourteenth amendment to the U.S. Constitution became law. It is arguably the most important of the 27 amendments. The amendment originated after the Civil War when Congress attempted to pass … Continue reading Amending America: the 14th Amendment
On December 6, 1865, with Georgia’s ratification of the 13th Amendment, slavery throughout the United States became illegal. Just a few years earlier, in 1861, Ohio Representative Thomas Corwin proposed—and both Houses of Congress passed—a constitutional amendment that would have done the exact opposite. Corwin’s amendment read, "No amendment shall be made to the Constitution which … Continue reading On Exhibit: Abolishing Slavery
To commemorate Memorial Day, the National Archives has released a short video about the importance of the holiday. Timed for the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s death and the upcoming sesquicentennial of the 1866 founding of the Grand Army of the Republic (the fraternal organization of Union Civil War veterans), the National Archives created … Continue reading National Archives commemorates Memorial Day with video
