#MyFellowCitizens asks students to think critically about what good citizenship means to them. The learning begins with the guiding question: What does it mean to be a good citizen? Students investigate this question by looking at the Naturalization O

The glass ballot jar became a symbol of democratic self-government. This 1884 glass ballot jar is typical of the transparent devices used to secure paper ballots.

Though a key requirement of citizenship is learning English, many guides are still available in the native languages of new immigrants. The Foreign Language Information Service provided translations of these guides in thirteen European languages.

Immokalee Statue of Liberty, by Kat Rodriguez, 2000 The statue’s original pedestal (not shown) features a simple message borrowed from African American poet Langston Hughes: “I, too, am America.” This Lady Liberty holds

Following independence, citizens of the new nation sought to forge their own identity and create a unique history. They established holidays such as the Fourth of July and later Thanksgiving Day and chronicled the story of America from the landing at Plymouth Rock through the Founding Fathers and

“Old enough to fight, old enough to vote” was the rallying cry for lowering the voting age from twenty-one to eighteen. A first attempt during World War II, when the draft age was lowered to eighteen, was unsuccessful but during the war in Vietnam the issue gained momentum again, led by young

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

Giving in America is a permanent exhibit that looks at the historical role of philanthropy in shaping the United States. The exhibit showcases four major themes of American philanthropy centered on the questions of “Who Gives?” “Why Do We Give?” “What Do We Give?” and �

Made during the Harvard University student anti-war protest and sit-in of the administration building, 1968–1969.

This 1960s organizing pamphlet from the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) asks, “Where is Democracy?” Behind this question was a demand for equal representation for all who have felt excluded or marginalized by the electoral process and political institutions.