The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s tackled many problems facing African-Americans at the time. This collection offers a brief video introduction into the March on Washington in 1963, which brought national attention to many of these issues, and asks students to analyze a photograph

Explore the Consumer Era in the United States through objects, stories, and videos.

Abraham Lincoln is typically portrayed as a gaunt, bearded man, both thoughtful and troubled. The story that goes along with this image is as familiar to Americans as any children’s fable. He was born in a log cabin. He became the 16th president. He freed the slaves and saved the Union. He was

Although we might think of fax machines as a relatively recent (if somewhat dated) technology, this episode uncovers the surprising history of the wireless fax machine. Host Tory Altman speaks with Hal Wallace, associate curator of the museum's electricity collection, about this 1930s device that

One of the most enduring national brand characters to appear in the early days of advertising is everyone's favorite sartorially gifted legume, Mr. Peanut. In this episode, host Tory Altman joins Kathleen Franz, professor at American University, to talk about the history of "spokes-characters" in

The history of patenting higher-level organisms began in the mid-1980s with a little guy called OncoMouse. In this episode, host Tory Altman joins Mallory Warner of the Museum's Division of Medicine and Science to talk about the first animal patented in the United States, and some of the ethical

In this series of three short videos, civil rights activist and former Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee staffer Larry Rubin speaks about his experiences in Mississippi during 1964 Freedom Summer and at the March on Washington in 1963. He shares the affect of the disappearances of Michael

  Our Founding Fragments video series gets up close and personal with historical treasures in the collection of the National Museum of American History. This is our fifth episode in the series, and in it our host Tory joins curator Dr. Margaret S

This short video is a great lesson opener on the 1950s and 60s and post-WW2 America. "Ken Kesey's Acid Test Signboard" is the third episode in the NMAH webseries "Founding Fragments." Join host Tory Altman for a behind-the-scenes look at some of our most intriguing and little-known objects.  

A short video, this one is great as a lesson opener! "Freemason's Snuff Box" is the second episode in the NMAH webseries "Founding Fragments." Join host Tory Altman for a behind-the-scenes look at some of our most intriguing and little-known objects.  Hear personal interviews with curators a