We're wrapping up African American History Month. Visit the National Archives website for more information on our resources related to African American History. Today’s post comes from James Worsham, editor in the Communications and Marketing Division of the National Archives. Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in modern major league baseball, would have been 100 … Continue reading Jackie Robinson’s 100th
Today's post is by Miriam Kleiman, public relations specialist at the National Archives. Jack Kerouac—American counterculture hero, king of the Beats, and author of On the Road—was a Navy military recruit who failed boot camp. Navy doctors found Kerouac delusional, grandiose, and promiscuous, and questioned his strange writing obsession. I learned this in 2005, right … Continue reading Hit the Road, Jack!
January 31, 1865, was a busy day for the war-torn United States. The House of Representatives passed a constitutional amendment to abolish slavery. Meanwhile, Robert E. Lee was named general-in-chief of the Confederate armies. On January 31, 1919—50 years to the day after slavery was abolished—Jackie Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia. On April 10, 1947—82 years after the … Continue reading Baseball and the 13th Amendment
