Work can be stressful, especially when you’re the Commander in Chief. Each President has sought a place to relax from the rigors of the White House. George Washington escaped to Mount Vernon, and for the next two weeks the Obama family is vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard. This summer, we invite you to explore Presidential vacations! … Continue reading Talk #POTUSvacation with us on Twitter!
Today’s post comes from Meagan Frenzer, graduate research intern for the National Archives History Office in Washington, DC. Signed into law on August 12, 1955, the Presidential Libraries Act of 1955 (PLA) established a system to preserve and make accessible Presidential records through the creation of privately erected and Federally maintained libraries. The precedent for the … Continue reading The 60th Anniversary of the Presidential Libraries Act of 1955
Need a vacation? This summer, go on a vacation with 13 of our Presidents! You can choose your own adventure on Instagram and chat with us on Twitter on August 19 using #POTUSvacation. Vacations are an integral part of Presidential history, a way for Presidents to relax and recharge outside of Washington. Many of … Continue reading Take a break with Presidential vacations!
Danica Rice is an archives technician at the National Archives at Seattle, is partially Deaf, and considers herself a member of the Deaf culture and community. During our celebration of the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), it’s worth reflecting on an event two years earlier that served as a … Continue reading Before the ADA, there was Deaf President Now
Some might say the best part of sleeping over at the National Archives is snoozing the night away beneath the Constitution, but we know the best part is having the Archivist of the United States make you pancakes for breakfast! Three times a year, kids and their parents can stay overnight at the National Archives. … Continue reading The Archivist’s Favorite Pancakes
Today’s post comes from Alex Nieuwsma, an intern in the National Archives History Office in Washington, DC. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a milestone in American history. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed it on August 6, 1965, marking the culmination of decades of efforts toward African American equality. The 15th Amendment, passed in 1870, … Continue reading On Exhibit: Voting Rights Act of 1965
Between 1961 and 1964, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) held a voting registration campaign in Selma, Alabama, a town known to suppress African American voting. When their efforts were stymied by local enforcement officials, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), led by Martin Luther King, Jr., pushed Selma into the national spotlight. On March … Continue reading On Exhibit: Bloody Sunday
Today’s post comes from Rebecca Brenner, an intern in the National Archives History Office in Washington, D.C. July marks the 25th anniversary of the historic moment when President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA prohibits employers, the government, and transportation, among other agencies and institutions, from discriminating against … Continue reading Towards Freedom and Equality: The Americans With Disabilities Act
Today’s post comes from Rebecca Brenner, an intern in the History Office at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. In 1938 the von Trapp family singers were in danger. Baron von Trapp, a heroic Austrian sea captain in World War I, declined a commission to serve in the naval forces of the Third Reich. His … Continue reading Frances Perkins aided the von Trapp Family Singers
This post comes to us from Communications intern Lia Collen. Staff from the National Archives (NARA) at St. Louis participated in the annual National Genealogical Society’s (NGS) Family History Conference in St. Charles, MO, from May 13–16. More than 2,200 professional genealogists attended the conference. Access Coordinator Bryan McGraw and archivists Theresa Fitzgerald, Daria Labinsky, … Continue reading Staff from St. Louis are “unofficial rock stars” at National Genealogical Society conference
