From doo-wop and country blues, to polka and hip-hop, Tejano music is made by borderland musicians forced to understand the value of cultural exchange. Performing a fusion of cumbia, pop, and contemporary Tejano music, Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (1971-1995) was a young star whose rise and hard-won

This Barbie doll is costumed and accessorized as a representation of The Virgin of Caridad del Cobre, Patron Saint of Cuba. The doll wears the ornate blue and gold robe characteristic of the Virgin in other depictions in religious cards, carvings, and statues. The figure has a crown and is holdin

This website, from the New York Times, allows students to read the texts of every American president’s inauguration speech.  The site creators clarify each address by highlighting words that appear the most often in each president’s speech.  The site also includes related multimedia

Students will learn about the virtually simultaneous introduction of English, French, and Spanish culture to this vast area and tells the stories of Native and European societies through 1700. Downloadable PDFs are included to relate the themes addressed in the exhibition to standards of learning

Virginia Lee Mead wore this salmon-pink silk satin dress when she was a young woman living in New York City's Chinatown, where her father, Lee B. Lok, a first-generation immigrant, ran a general store. The full-length dress is a traditional style that younger second-generation Chinese women wore

Kermit, a hand and rod puppet created in 1955 by Jim Henson, belongs to America's beloved puppet troupe, The Muppets. Kermit has served as master of ceremonies, comic, and crusader for tolerance in Henson's many creative endeavors. His most memorable role was as the leading Muppet character on

Hattie Carnegie, one of a few female entrepreneurs in the early to mid-20th century, was born Henrietta Kanengeiser in Vienna, Austria, in 1886. She came to the United States in 1892. Her first job was as a messenger, sometime milliner, and model in Macy's department store. She decided to change

Carnival celebrations featuring performers dressed as devils are found in Puerto Rico and the rest Latin America. The presence of these characters during Carnival is understood by many as an ancient reference to the contest between good and evil. The devilish mask pictured here was made for the

This website focuses on the last handwritten copy of the Gettysburg Address, a manuscript that usually resides out of the public eye in the Lincoln Bedroom of the White house. Also included to help students further explore this important document are a printable version of the manuscript, transcr

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