Betty Ford Danced To Her Own Beat

We're wrapping up Women's History Month. Today’s post comes from Anayeli Nunez at the National Archives History Office. In 1987, Congress declared March National Women’s History Month. Today we use this month to honor women, from the suffragists of the 19th Amendment to today’s proud supporters of the #MeToo movement.  It's also a fitting time to look … Continue reading Betty Ford Danced To Her Own Beat

Change at their fingertips: Women’s petitions to Congress

March is Women's History Month. Today’s post comes from Melanie M. Griffin from the National Archives Education and Public Programs Office. Often when one thinks of the freedoms embedded in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, one doesn't immediately think of the right to petition. A petition is a plea from an individual or a … Continue reading Change at their fingertips: Women’s petitions to Congress

Eugenie Anderson’s Historic Firsts

Today’s post comes from John P. Blair with the National Archives History Office. A portrait of Eugenie Anderson, ca. 1956. (Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives) The observance of Women’s History Month prompts us to explore the lives and experiences of some of the many female trailblazers in our nation’s history. One … Continue reading Eugenie Anderson’s Historic Firsts

Annie Oakley: A Woman to be Reckoned With

March is Women’s History Month! Today’s post comes from Madie Ward in the National Archives History Office. Among the billions of documents in the National Archives, Archivist of the United States David Ferriero has a favorite: the 1898 letter from Annie Oakley to President William McKinley offering 50 American lady sharpshooters in the Spanish-American War. … Continue reading Annie Oakley: A Woman to be Reckoned With

Morgantown Ordnance Works Panoramas, 1940-1942

Today’s post comes from Nicholas Novine, a processing intern at the National Archives at Philadelphia. We are pleased to announce that a series of 91 panoramas documenting industrial developments of the Morgantown Ordnance Works at Morgantown, West Virginia have been digitized and are available through our online catalog. Staff at the National Archives at Philadelphia … Continue reading Morgantown Ordnance Works Panoramas, 1940-1942

Andrew Johnson: Path to Impeachment

Today’s post comes from Tom Eisinger, an archivist in the Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives in Washington, DC. It is part one of a two-part series on the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson. Politics were unsettled during the 1864 Presidential election. The incumbent, Abraham Lincoln, was opposed by the “Radical Republicans” in … Continue reading Andrew Johnson: Path to Impeachment

His was “Service Honest and Faithful, Character Excellent”

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”

The Lost Gift Stones of the Washington Monument

February 19, 2018, is the Federal holiday celebrated as George Washington's Birthday. Today's post comes from John Lockwood, a long-time federal employee who has written numerous articles, many for the National Archives. Some time back, I was busy working on an article about how in 1854 Pope Pius IX donated a gift stone to be … Continue reading The Lost Gift Stones of the Washington Monument

Are You Watching the XXIII Winter Olympics?

Today’s post comes from Madie Ward in the National Archives History Office. The XXIII Winter Olympics are here! They are being held in PyeongChang, Republic of Korea, from February 9 to 25. With a total of 102 medal events, this year’s Olympics is the first to surpass 100. The games feature fifteen disciplines: alpine skiing, … Continue reading Are You Watching the XXIII Winter Olympics?

The “EP” at the National Archives

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