This is a Bata Cubana, or Cuban Rumba dress, donated to the Smithsonian by Celia Cruz, the great Cuban salsa singer in 1997. An adaptation of the traditional Cuban rumba dress, it was made in the United States by Cuban-born designer José Arteaga. The Bata Cubana has its roots in the 19th century

Americans reluctantly entered Europe's "Great War" and tipped the balance to Allied victory. The United States emerged from the war a significant, but reluctant, world power. Students will learn about American involvement in World War I and how American industrial and military might bro

Coveting what remained of the Indian lands in the Southeast and lower South, the United States forced tribes to cede their "rights of occupancy" and give up their ancestral homelands. Students will learn about the Creek Indian War and the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, and the policies that led t

Students will learn about the Continental Congress, the Constitutional Convention, and the election of our first president, George Washington in this section of the online exhibition, The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden. Students will also explore President Washington's role in es

Students will learn how leaders of the Howard University law school and the Legal Defense Fund of the NAACP prepared to fight segregation in the nation's public schools. An Organized Legal Campaign is the third section of the online exhibition entitled

In this online reference page, students can learn how public transportation shaped the development of Chicago. This resource is included in the online exhibition entitled America on the Move, which focuses on transportation in US history.