Today’s Constitution Day guest post was written by Jim Zeender, senior registrar in exhibits at the National Archives in Washington, DC. The Constitution of the United States turned 226 this year and continues to be the oldest and longest-serving written constitution in the world. It consists of exactly 4,543 words and has been amended only … Continue reading Taking the Constitution for a Test Drive
The Constitution hasn’t changed much since it was adopted in 1787. However, it has been tweaked by 27 amendments—some were ratified in a few months, another took more than two centuries. The ink on the Constitution had barely dried in 1787 when people discovered what it did not say. It did not spell out adequately, … Continue reading Amending the Constitution: 100 Days to 200 Years
Constitution Day is September 17. We've got events, programs, and activities at National Archives locations across the United States. Pundits, candidates, and party activists like to cite the Constitution of the United States as the moral and legal backing for whatever they’re proposing. Or they say that something an opponent proposes is unconstitutional. But the … Continue reading Eight myths about the Constitution
Our new Featured Document--Oliver Perry's letter to the Secretary of the Navy--will be on display from September 10 to 19, 2014, at the National Archives in Washington, DC. Today's blog post was written by former student employee Meghan O'Connor. Early in the War of 1812, the Americans lost control of Detroit and Lake Erie to … Continue reading “A Signal Victory”: The Battle of Lake Erie
Today's blog post comes from Bruce Bustard, curator at the National Archives in Washington, DC. “Exercise your right to vote! This time, help shape the new exhibition space at the National Archives.” David S. Ferriero, Archivist of the United States The National Archives invites you to choose an original document for our new exhibition. America’s … Continue reading The people are voting. And the winner is . . . up to you!
Today’s blog post comes from Katrina Wood, a summer intern with the Public Affairs Office. As I took a self-guided tour of Embassy Row in Washington, DC, and paused at the statue of Winston Churchill at the British Embassy on Massachusetts Avenue, I thought of all the diplomats and representatives who have made homes in … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday: Sir Frederick Bruce
This post comes to us from summer intern Hannah Fenster. When Edith Lee-Payne stepped into the lobby of the National Archives last week, she came from a morning full of press interviews and national monument visits. But the whirlwind of her recent rise to fame slowed when she entered the Rotunda to view a photograph … Continue reading Edith Lee-Payne: Accidental civil rights icon
[Today's post comes from Rod Ross, an archivist in the Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives. While researchers come to Rod every day to learn from his knowledge of congressional records, he recently had to consult an Archives colleague for an unusual task outside the office.] Sometime in 2014—because Arlington National Cemetery has … Continue reading Death Takes No Holiday: Full Military Honors at Arlington in 2014
Today's blog post comes from Hannah Fenster, summer intern with the Public Affairs Office. Ever wonder why your photographs of the 1970s are slowly changing color? Hint: They don’t want makeovers or need more fuchsia in their lives. More likely, their aging appearances come from the original film type and from years of storage at … Continue reading Documerica: Seeing the Seventies More Clearly
Today's post comes from Kimberlee Ried, public programs specialist at the National Archives in Kansas City, MO. After war was declared by Congress in April 1917, non-naturalized "enemy aliens" were required to register with the Department of Justice as a national security measure. A Presidential Proclamation of November 16, 1917, meant that "all natives, citizens, … Continue reading Enemy Aliens in Kansas City
