This is the third installment of a series about unratified constitutional amendments. Today we’re looking at an amendment proposed during the lead-up to the U.S. Civil War that would have protected the institution of slavery. When the second session of the 36th Congress convened in late 1860, the issue of slavery had grown increasingly divisive, … Continue reading Unratified Amendments: Protection of Slavery
Today's post comes from Dena Lombardo, intern in the Office of Public and Media Communications. Red may be the color of passion, but for archivists, “tying the knot” means that later they will be “cutting the red tape.” Archivists come across red tape, faded to various shades, while working with the records. (Photo by Alan Walker, … Continue reading Seeing Red on Valentine’s Day
Marjorie S. Joyner’s patent is on display as the National Archives Museum’s Featured Document celebrating National Women's Inventors Month through March 18. Today's post comes from Jen Johnson, a curator at the National Archives at Kansas City. Born in 1896 in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, Marjorie Stewart and her family moved to Ohio, then … Continue reading Marjorie S. Joyner: More than an Inventor
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
The 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, but this landmark event was neither the beginning nor the end of the story for women and their struggle for the right to vote. Join us in 2020 as we commemorate this centennial year with 12 stories from our holdings for you to save, print, or share. February’s … Continue reading 19th Amendment at 100: Mary Church Terrell
This is the second installment of a series about unratified constitutional amendments. Today we’re looking at an amendment proposed during the lead-up to the War of 1812 that sought to bar U.S. citizens from accepting titles of nobility. The U.S. Constitution has a Titles of Nobility clause that prohibits the federal government from granting titles … Continue reading Unratified Amendments: Titles of Nobility
To date, the U.S. Constitution has 27 amendments. The first 10 are known as the Bill of Rights, then the rest generally protect and expand individual rights or outline how government works. Congress, however, has actually proposed 33 constitutional amendments to the states. The Bill of Rights as proposed to the states containing 12 amendments, … Continue reading Unratified Amendments
In January 1941, the National Archives accepted a copy of the award-winning—and controversial—film Gone with the Wind. Senator Walter F. George of Georgia and Loews Eastern Division Manager Carter Barron presented the donation to the first Archivist of the United States, R.D.W. Connor, in his office. Archivist of the United States R. D. W. Connor … Continue reading Gone with the Wind
The 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, but this landmark event was neither the beginning nor the end of the story for women and their struggle for the right to vote. Join us in 2020 as we commemorate this centennial year with 12 stories from our holdings for you to save, print, or share. January’s … Continue reading 19th Amendment at 100: Women Are First to Protest White House
It’s the first Facial Hair Friday of 2020—Happy New Year! Today we’re highlighting the old man with a long, white beard: Father Time. Father Time is, as the name suggests, the personification of time. In the context of New Year’s he represents the outgoing year. He is often portrayed as an old, bearded man wearing … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday: Father Time
