Celebrate July 4th with the National Archives in DC, nationwide, and online!

Join the National Archives in celebrating the 239th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence with special events in Washington, DC, at Presidential Libraries nationwide, and online! You can see the full press release online here. https://youtu.be/heCz6TWxGvI Celebrate July 4th at the National Archives in Washington, DC The National Archives in Washington, DC, will celebrate … Continue reading Celebrate July 4th with the National Archives in DC, nationwide, and online!

It’s time to #AskAnArchivist

We're excited to participate in #AskAnArchivist on October 30! Archivists from our locations across the nation are ready to answer your questions on Twitter tomorrow. We have archivists that concentrate on the history of the National Archives, work with audiovisual materials, declassify documents, textual reference, Presidential materials and more. This is your chance to find … Continue reading It’s time to #AskAnArchivist

Tweet Up at the National Archives

On March 20, join us for a sneak peek at our new exhibit, "Making Their Mark: Stories Through Signatures" before it opens to the public. Many of the documents have never been on display before. A limited number of lucky folks will get a tour at 1:30 p.m. from curator Jennifer Johnson and a special opportunity … Continue reading Tweet Up at the National Archives

Spielberg Film Festival: Saving Private Ryan

Steven Spielberg is being honored by the Foundation for the National Archives for his film legacy, which has brought history to life on the big screen. The National Archives is celebrating the award with a film festival, and Saving Private Ryan is the first film to be screened. Join us tonight, Friday, November 15. For … Continue reading Spielberg Film Festival: Saving Private Ryan

Constitution 225: And the winner is….

In honor of the 225th anniversary of the Constitution, we challenged citizens on Twitter to take the Preamble of the Constitution and distill its meaning into a twitter-sized bite. The Archivist of the United States chose the winner on the Constitution Day. Congratulations to Jean Huets, who will receive a pocket-sized Constitution from the Foundation … Continue reading Constitution 225: And the winner is….

Constitution 225: Tweet the Preamble

Five people worked together as the Committee of Style to polish and refine the 52-word Preamble, a paragraph that provided the reasons and purposes behind the creation of the Constitution. In fact, one of the greatest phrases of the Constitution comes from the Preamble: "We the People." Could any other wording express the emotions and … Continue reading Constitution 225: Tweet the Preamble

Join us for Social Media Week DC!

Our business may be the past, but here at the Archives, we use today's social media tools to bring history to you. Join us for Social Media Week DC with some exciting events. All events will take place in the William G. McGowan Theater in Archives I in Washington, DC. Thursday, February 16 Want to … Continue reading Join us for Social Media Week DC!

Potatriots: Our winner!

It's finally time to announce the randonly chosen winner of our Potatriots contest! But first, a big thank you to the visitors who participated in our Potatriots activity--and a big thank-you to our staff and interns who put out those potatos, pipe cleaners, and historic backgrounds every day. We had lots of fun posting our Potatriots online … Continue reading Potatriots: Our winner!

Before there was broadband, there was a beard

Long before the push to make high-speed Internet available across America, Samuel Morse was tap-tap-tapping information across America. By 1838, his telegraph machine was using a dot-and-dash system to send messages of up to 10 words a minute. He even convinced Congress to come to up with $30,000 to help him wire America. Morse was … Continue reading Before there was broadband, there was a beard