Strange-but-true stories about America’s Presidents from the National Archives and Presidential Libraries.
Today’s post comes from Andrew Grafton in the National Archives History Office. A man deeply devoted to preserving United States history, President Franklin D. Roosevelt made contributions to the National Archives that have proven invaluable. Not only did he sign the law creating the National Archives, appoint the first Archivist of the United States, and … Continue reading New Web Exhibit on FDR and the Presidential Library System
Today’s post comes from Andrew Grafton in the National Archives History Office. This June the National Archives will join Americans across the United States and abroad in celebrating National Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, which honors the important contributions that LGBTQ+ Americans have made to United States history and culture. Pride Month traces … Continue reading National Archives Celebrates Pride Month
Today's post comes from Hailey Philbin in the National Archives History Office. The 20th Amendment is often referred to as the Lame Duck Amendment. It was passed by Congress on March 2, 1932, and ratified on January 23, 1933. The amendment changed the date of the Presidential inauguration from March 4 to January 20. It … Continue reading The Not-So-Lame Amendment
Today’s post is from Jim Worsham, editor of Prologue magazine, the quarterly of the National Archives. Was Dwight D. Eisenhower—the architect of the allied victory over the Nazis in World War II and our President during the peaceful 1950s—a secret New Dealer? Eisenhower, elected President as a Republican in 1952, brought in with him a Republican-controlled Congress. … Continue reading Was Ike a secret New Dealer?
The Refugee Act of 1980 is now on temporary display in the West Gallery of the National Archives Building. At the end of the Vietnam War, hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese and Cambodians fled political chaos and physical danger in their homelands. Between 1975 and 1979, some 300,000 of these refugees were admitted to the … Continue reading On Display: The Refugee Act of 1980
Today’s post comes from Eric Rhodes, an intern in the National Archives History Office in Washington, DC. Assassins’ bullets have claimed the lives of four United States Presidents, and several other Presidents survived attempts on their lives. It is not widely known, but Harry Truman was the target of such a conspiracy. Thirteen years before … Continue reading The Plot to Kill President Truman
We’re wrapping up our American Archives Month series of blog posts about the Presidential libraries. The records created by Presidents while in office will become part of the National Archives and eventually will be used by researchers. Here’s how it happens! Today’s post comes from Emily Niekrasz, an intern in the National Archives History Office … Continue reading The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library: Managing the Materials of a Modern Eight-Year Presidency
October is American Archives Month! We're celebrating the work of archivists and the importance of archives with a series of blog posts about the Presidential libraries. The records created by Presidents while in office will become part of the National Archives, and eventually will be used by researchers. Here's how it happens! Today’s post comes … Continue reading Ernest Hemingway and the JFK Library
Today’s post comes from Emily Niekrasz, an intern in the National Archives History Office in Washington, DC. President Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson at the LBJ Library, March 15, 1971. (LBJ Presidential Library, National Archives) At the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library dedication on May 22, 1971, President Johnson proclaimed, “We have papers … Continue reading Lady Bird Johnson: The Mastermind Behind the LBJ Presidential Library
October is American Archives Month! We're celebrating the work of archivists and the importance of archives with a series of blog posts about the Presidential libraries. The records created by Presidents while in office will become part of the National Archives, and eventually will be used by researchers. Here's how it happens! Herbert Hoover opened … Continue reading Hoover Library: Honoring Iowa’s only President
