Strange-but-true stories about America’s Presidents from the National Archives and Presidential Libraries.
January 20 is Inauguration Day. Visit the National Archives website for more information on Presidential elections and inaugurations. At noon on January 20, 2021, President-elect Joe Biden will recite the oath of office in accordance with Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the … Continue reading A Promise to Faithfully Execute the Office: Presidential Inaugurations
As we put 2020 into the past, we’re taking a look back on the most popular posts published this year. Thank you to the National Archives staff who helped us share our love of history. 10. The fourth installment of a series about unratified constitutional amendments, Unratified Amendments: Regulating Child Labor, explored an amendment proposed … Continue reading Top 10 of 2020
The White House is full of holiday traditions from parties and decorations to the lighting of the National Christmas Tree and Menorah. Today we’re looking back on winter holidays for each President in our Presidential Library system. The National Christmas Tree is illuminated on the Ellipse in Washington DC, 12/9/2010. (National Archives Identifier 176553384) Before … Continue reading Winter at the White House
When you vote in November, you won’t be casting your ballot directly for the Republican nominee or the Democratic nominee or any other candidate who wants to be President. Instead, you will be voting for the people who will actually “elect” the next President. They are called “electors,” and their names are often on the … Continue reading The National Archives and the Electoral College
The Electoral College is outlined in Article II, Section 1, of the U.S. Constitution. It is the formal body that elects the President and Vice President of the United States. Back in 1787, when the delegates to the Constitutional Convention were trying to figure out how the President should be chosen, some wanted the Congress … Continue reading Amending the Electoral College: The 12th Amendment
As we get ready to go to the polls on November 3, we're looking back one of the more controversial elections—the 1824 Presidential election. Today’s post comes from Michael J. Hancock, an archives technician at the National Archives at College Park, MD. John Quincy Adams was elected President on February 9, 1825, when the House … Continue reading The 1824 Presidential Election and the “Corrupt Bargain”
Today's post comes from Alice Kamps, a curator at the National Archives in Washington, DC. It would not be Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s last act of insubordination. Decades later, his recalcitrance cost him his career. But this time there would be no discernible consequences, at least not for him. Against direct orders from the President, MacArthur … Continue reading The 1932 Bonus Army: Black and White Americans Unite in March on Washington
Today's post comes from Tammy Williams, Archivist and Social Media Coordinator at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum. These days, everyone seems to be struggling with their hair. Hair salon closures due to the coronavirus pandemic have men with shaggy hair, or just shaving it all off, and women contemplating at-home trims. But … Continue reading “I never wanted to do anything as badly in my life:” Bess Truman Bobs Her Hair
April 12 marks the 75th anniversary of the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Today’s post comes from Michael J. Hancock, archives technician at the National Archives at College Park, MD. “We have always held to the hope, the belief, the conviction, that there is a better life, a better world, beyond the horizon.” —Franklin … Continue reading The Death of a President
Every February we celebrate Presidents Day (the Federal holiday is really George Washington’s Birthday, but I’ll never win that battle). So, today’s Facial Hair Friday is all about the first President with facial hair: John Quincy Adams. John Quincy Adams, undated. (National Archives Identifier 528668) John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday: the First President Not Clean-shaven
