238 years ago, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. And John Adams envisioned future celebrations of the event. In a letter to his wife, he wrote: “It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It out to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, … Continue reading Happy Fourth of July!
Arlette Farge, Director of Research in Modern History at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris, has written a wonderful little book about doing research in archives. “Contact with the archives begins with simple tasks, one of which is handling the documents. Combing through the archives—a beautifully evocative term—requires a host of tasks, … Continue reading The Allure of the Archives
Today marks the 70th Anniversary of the D-Day invasion. To commemorate this anniversary, this month’s patent is Andrew Higgins’s landing boat. It is dated February 15, 1944, less than four months before D-Day. LCVPs--or Higgins boats, as they are now commonly known --transported troops from the 1st Infantry onto Omaha Beach. They could each carry … Continue reading Patent of the Month: Higgins boats
This month we celebrate the one year anniversary of the launch of Founders Online – a tool for seamless searching across the papers of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Alexander Hamilton. In the past year, the site has received over 400,000 visits. An example of the power of the … Continue reading One Year of Founders Online
Who says civics is dead? Click on the video and watch these 5th graders in action! And then read their petition. Enough said! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nlf7PoRVTRg
Today we share our new Open Government Plan. In the four years since we published our first plan, we have demonstrated our contribution to strengthening the principles of open government. We have implemented more than 90 actions to improve transparency, participation, and collaboration. In our new plan we focus our efforts to engage the public … Continue reading Innovate To Make Access Happen
The photograph was taken at Soldier Field, Chicago, in July of 1967. The Navy’s Recruit Training Command at Great Lakes provided the manpower to create The Living Flag. In the upper right corner of the blue field, wearing a blue plastic bag over whitehat, stands recruit David S. Ferriero! Remembering boot camp on this Memorial Day weekend. … Continue reading Happy Memorial Day!
It gives me great joy to be able to share the treasures of the National Archives with kids and their families. In January, we held the first-ever National Archives Sleepover in the Rotunda. It was a great way to create a meaningful experience for families, while giving us the opportunity to explain the important role … Continue reading Sleepover at the National Archives
Despite the challenges of the past year--sequestration, the government shutdown, and other obstacles we have had to face-- the staff of the National Archives has consistently risen to the occasion and has done some extraordinary work. Staff receive awards at the 2014 Archivist's Awards Ceremony at the National Archives in College Park For me, … Continue reading Public Service Recognition Week and the Archivist’s Awards
During World War II, the South Side of Chicago was home to one of the largest war plants in the country, used by Dodge-Chrysler to build bomber plane engines. After the war, Preston Tucker leased two of the buildings to build his “Torpedo” car. This site is now the home of the National Archives at … Continue reading Patent of the Month: Tucker “Torpedo” Patent Drawing, 06/14/1949
