“Lena Richard was an African American chef who built a culinary empire in New Orleans during the Jim Crow era. She reshaped public understanding of New Orleans’ cuisine by showcasing and celebrating the black roots of Creole cooking in a time when pervasive racial stereotypes surrounded the food

“Celebrating the 300th anniversary of its founding this year, New Orleans is a city whose culture and cuisine have captivated the American imagination for generations. Given the way authors and travel writers have described the city as a place steeped in French and Spanish traditions, it is not al

Introduce students to using oral histories as primary sources with these interviews with jazz musicians recorded by the Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities. The resource includes a guide for teachers and links to oral histories, and

In this lesson, students will learn about the Jim Crow era in American history through an oral history interview with jazz legend John Levy. The resource set includes photographs and newspaper clippings in addition to the oral history excerpts, a teacher guide, and a student worksheet. 

This kit of guided listening activities and streaming music offers an engaging way of introducing students to jazz. It traces Louis Armstrong's career as a musician, from influences in African rhythms and New Orleans marches through performances in the 1960's and 70's. It could also be used as an

Born in New Orleans in 1901, jazz musician Louis Armstrong (d. 1971)was known for his distinctive trumpet-playing and vocal style. He often improvised jazz riffs using his voice rather than his instrument, “scatting” notes and melodies rather than singing actual words. Armstrong transformed t

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast of the United States. In her wake, a team of curators from the museum set out to collect objects that captured the history of the moment and what it meant to the country. In this episode of the History Explorer podc

Blue wool uniform coat, gold-colored buttons on jacket front and sleeves. Epaulettes and gold trim at neck and cuffs. This coat adheres to the 1813 uniform regulations; single-breasted, of dark blue wool, four buttons placed lengthwise on the sleeves and skirts. A gold star is embr

Students will learn how commerce on the Great Lakes, canals and rivers played an important role in the development of the country in this section of On the Water: Stories from Maritime America, an online exhibition. The country's vast system of rivers and lakes has helped

This interactive collection search contains objects that are featured in the exhibition On the Water: Stories from Maritime America. Representing a broad sweep of American maritime history, these objects were collected over more than a century and reflect broad patterns of technological,