Citizen Archivists! You can transcribe this document as part of our #SunshineWeek Transcription Challenge! The black-bordered letter sent to President Martin Van Buren relayed the official news that the king of the United Kingdom, His Majesty William IV, had died on June 20, 1837. The new monarch was the late king’s niece, 18-year-old Victoria. Writing … Continue reading Your Good Friend, Victoria R
Today’s post comes from Miriam Kleiman of the National Archives Public Affairs Staff. I’ve worked at the National Archives for many years and have always been content with our 13 Presidential libraries (Hoover through Bush 43). Sure, I’ve thought wistfully about a Washington, Adams, or Lincoln Library. But only recently did I long for a … Continue reading Was Harding’s mistress a spy? The National Archives knows and tells.
Today’s blog post comes from curator Alice Kamps. This featured document will be on display from May 9 to May 21. On May 9, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation declaring the second Sunday in May a holiday for the "public expression of love and reverence for the mothers of our country." To commemorate … Continue reading Now on display: A letter from a mother
Today's blog post comes from Corinne Porter, curator at the National Archives Building in Washington, DC. November 22, 2013, marks the 50th anniversary of the death of President John F. Kennedy. On that day in 1963, the news of President Kennedy’s tragic death shocked the world and plunged the United States into mourning. Although five … Continue reading “The whole world mourns his passing”
Today's guest post is from Sherri DeCoursey, who used the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library to find a special piece of history for her father. For as long as I can remember, a photo of FDR and a letter have hung side-by-side in the den of Mom and Dad’s home. The yellowed letter, written by … Continue reading “I am a little country boy eight years old.”
Today’s blog post comes from National Archives social media intern Anna Fitzpatrick. On January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation brought freedom to the slaves in the Confederacy. By the war's end, the U.S. Colored Troops Bureau had recruited hundreds of thousands of black soldiers, who fought for both their own and others' freedom. The Emancipation … Continue reading Emancipation Proclamation: A Letter Home
Today’s blog post comes from National Archives social media intern Anna Fitzpatrick. During the Civil War, the government moved slowly but steadily from an affirmation of the Constitutional protection of slavery to its complete abolition with the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment. This change was in part forced on the Federal government by the … Continue reading Emancipation Proclamation: My Dear Wife
This post is part of a series, written by Jim Zeender, devoted to letters written by the Founding Fathers in their own words and often in their own hand. Jim is a senior registrar in Exhibits. On July 14, 1789, the U.S. Ambassador to France, Thomas Jefferson, was a witness to the events of a … Continue reading In their own words: Thomas Jefferson and the Storming of the Bastille
Today's post comes from Gregory Marose, an intern in the National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications. America is a celebrity-crazed nation, a place where movie stars, musicians, and even politicians are relentlessly pursued by the paparazzi. But you may be surprised to learn that our national fascination with fame predates Hollywood and the modern … Continue reading Inside the Vaults: George Washington and the Paparazzi
Are these the most famous sideburns in music history? They might be the most famous sideburns in the National Archives. If you are a fan of Elvis, you've seen the photograph: Nixon and Elvis shaking hands in the White House. This is the most-requested image in our holdings. The quirky story behind the meeting of the King … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday: Elvis has NOT left the building
