“The attacks of September 11, 2001, shocked the nation. Nearly 3,000 people were killed and thousands more injured after Islamic extremists hijacked planes and flew them into the World Trade Center buildings and the Pentagon; a fourth plane, bound for D.C., was brought down by intervening passenge

“Every election season in the United States revolves around a set of issues—health care, foreign affairs, the economy. In 1868, at the height of the Reconstruction, the pressing issue was Black male suffrage. When voters went to the polls that November, they were asked to decide if and how their

This ongoing collection of posts from the National Museum of American History's blog "O Say Can You See?" share stories and objects about The Nation We Build Together.

James Smithson might be surprised to learn about some of the objects in the collections at the institution he established. The Englishman bequeathed his fortune to found "at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an Establishment for the increase & diffusion of knowledge a

For nearly a decade, the museum has used theater as a means of enlivening the visitor experience and engaging the public in dialogue on challenging topics in history. Thousands of visitors have joined a mock civil rights training session, debated the use of violence with John Brown, or met Louise

Civil rights legend Robert Moses, Marshall Ganz, activist and professor at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, students, and others participated in a panel discussion about Freedom Summer, the 1964 youth-led effort to end the political disenfranchisement and educational inequa

Produced by the Library of Virginia, this comprehensive website provides a cornucopia of great resources on Virginia history that are applicable for classes from every state.  Attractive and easy to use, this site features blog posts, maps, art works, historical documents, and a range of oth

In this post, readers join a New York architect in 1968 as he explores the usefulness of the Empire State Building and its potential for the future.  Including a portion of the architect’s testimony to the Y Supreme Court, this blog asks readers to consider the non-monetary value of a stru

Paper Engineering: Fold, Pull, Pop & Turn, an exhibition developed by the Smithsonian Libraries, presents more than 50 examples of action-packed constructions and inspired works of art spanning 500 years. The related Web site includes a blog, exhibition brochure, and video

This blog, published by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program, includes reviews of book written by or about Asian Pacific Americans. The books range from children's picture books to adult fiction and nonfiction to manga, and the reviewer makes special note of whether the book is presente