The National Archives opened our newest exhibition, Remembering Vietnam: Twelve Critical Episodes in the Vietnam War on November 10, 2017. The exhibit examines 12 critical episodes in the Vietnam War to provide a framework for understanding the decisions that led to war, events and consequences of the war, and its legacy. This 3,000-square-foot exhibit uses … Continue reading Remembering Vietnam
Washington, DC is home to some of the most fantastic museums in the world. Museums where visitors see one of a kind objects, are transported around the world through expositions, and participate in unique programming. The National Archives is one of those museums. Here, visitors contemplate our democracy while examining the signed Constitution of the … Continue reading Sleepover at the National Archives
On October 19, 2017 the FOIA Advisory Committee will meet in the William G. McGowan Theater. The three subcommittees will each present their ideas to the full Committee and the public for how to improve the administration of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and improve FOIA processes. As I blogged about last June, the … Continue reading An Update on the FOIA Advisory Committee
The purpose of the U.S. Open Government National Action Plan is to advance transparency, accountability, citizen participation, and technological innovation across government. Now, thanks to an effort supported by the General Services Administration, you have until October 2, 2017 - just a few more days - to share your ideas to advance open government and … Continue reading Help Advance Open Government
The National Declassification Center's newest special project release concerns U.S. and Panamanian foreign relations: The Panama Canal: Riots, Treaties, Elections, and a Little Military Madness, 1959 - 1973. 2015 marked the 100th anniversary of the official celebration of the completed construction of the Panama Canal by the United States. Although the Canal was officially opened … Continue reading The Panama Canal: Riots, Treaties, Elections, and a Little Military Madness
As part of the celebrations for Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, 30 new citizens from 22 nations were sworn in last week as new U.S. citizens in front of the Constitution in the Rotunda of the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC. The new citizens are from Benin, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Canada, Colombia, Cote D'Ivoire, El … Continue reading Naturalization Ceremony
October 31, 2017 will mark the end of the Social Networks and Archival Context (SNAC) pilot phase; an endeavor funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Since receiving the grant in August 2015, SNAC has moved forward in its goal of establishing a sustainable, community-driven and -supported cooperative for sharing descriptive archival … Continue reading NARA serves as the lead federal agency for SNAC (Social Networks and Archival Context)
Only two parchment manuscripts of the Declaration of Independence dating back to the 18th century are known in the world. One is held by the National Archives and displayed to the public in the National Archives Rotunda in Washington, DC. The other was recently discovered in Chichester, England, by two Harvard University historians, who recently … Continue reading Discovering the “Sussex Declaration”
The National Archives is proud to partner with Slate to co-host the #TinyDeclaration contest on Twitter. Slate originated the contest in 2010. This year, we are inviting the public (that means you!) to try to capture the essence of the Declaration of Independence in 140 characters or less, and tweet it out, using the hashtag: … Continue reading Tweet the Declaration of Independence
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of President John F. Kennedy. In commemoration of this centennial, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum will be hosting a series of events and activities throughout the year. JFK 100: Milestones & Mementos is the newest exhibition at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library … Continue reading JFK 100 Centennial Celebration
