In this post, a Museum staff member answers a question posed by Museum visitors: Why do we celebrate Memorial Day?” A commemoration with a long history, this blog explores the roots and intentions of this spring holiday.  Written by Project Assistant Ryan Lintelman,

In this post, readers explore an extraordinary figure in a new way.  A 1950 comic book about Jackie Robinson’s early career reveals little of the hardships he faced, but focuses on the talent and integrity of on the baseball’s greats. Written by Archivist Cathy Keen, th

Explore the role of squash in early American history, beyond its common use as fall decor. As a natively grown vegetable cultivated by the Wampanoag Indians, squash holds a special place in American history. There are dozens of squash varieties, ranging in shape, size, and color. Squash have

In this post, students will learn about the work at the Museum to collect both professional and amateur photographer's images of the September 11 tragedy, as well as the stories told by the photographers. More than 2000 images and several cameras were collected for the Smithsonian from 25 ph

In this post, readers will discover some of the early history of bullet-proof vests and how Americans during the Civil War tried to protect themselves and their loved ones with this relatively new invention.  Written by Civil War scholar Sarah Weicksel, this post i

In this post, readers will explore the writings of an assistant surgeon in the 150th Pennsylvania infantry during the Civil War, M.A. Henderson.  Although Henderson did not see much action and describes little of his medical duties, his diary is a resource for understanding the Ci

In this post, students will explore Louisa May Alcott's service as a nurse during the Civil War. While Alcott is perhaps best known as the author of the 19th-century classic Little Women, she also served as a Union nurse in Washington, D.C. at Georgetown’s Union Hotel Hospita

In this blog post, students will learn some of the ways in which Americans learned about Mexico from some examples in the Archives Center's collections. In the years prior to World War II, most Americans had limited first-hand experience of Mexico. Mexico primarily was known as a place for Americ

In this post, students will learn the story of Mary Pickersgill, the woman who created the Star-Spangled Banner. Mary Pickersgill learned the art of flagmaking from her mother, Rebecca Young, who made a living during the Revolution sewing flags, blankets, and uniforms for George Washing

In this post, readers will find hope even in the darkest of circumstances.  The story of Paul and May Ishimoto finding love in an Arkansas internment camp is one of perseverance, sacrifice, and artifacts.  Written by Cedric Yeh, Deputy Chair and Associate Curator for the Division of Arm