In this post, students will read a short biography of Samuel Morse, inventor of the telegraph. Even in his day, he was a controversial figure, but today he is remembered for his creativity—an artist who became interested in a novel technology and helped lay the foundation for a revolution in co

In this post, students will learn about Alice Paul, a suffragist who was jailed while working to get the vote for women. During her graduate studies in England, Paul became exposed to the confrontational tactics of the English "suffragettes," and when she returned to the United States she adapted

In this post, students will learn about the Greensboro Four, college freshmen who sat down at the whites-only Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina and asked to be served. Students will also learn why that lunch counter is currently on exhibit at the Museum. This post is

In this post, students will learn about Frederick Douglass as more than an orator and activist. Though Douglass' persona was poised, dignified, and proper, he was also a fighter and an agitator. Written by Chris Wilson, Director of Daily Programs and the Program in African American Culture, this

In this post, students will learn about Almera Anderson Romney, a California teacher, and her efforts to correct the inequity of the substandard condition of most aspects of the school. As a teacher and principal, she introduced innovative educational strategies, recruited a top-notch a

In this post, students will read about the Scurlock Studio, a photographic business operated by an African American family in Washington, D.C., from 1911 to 1994. The Scurlocks maintained a long business relationship with Howard University as its official photographers. In the

In this post, students will learn about the work the Museum is doing to preserve the history from September 11, 2001. Students will hear an insider's perspective on the decision-making process, and discover what it's like to sort and collect important objects that will help tell the story for gen

In this post, students will learn about the concept of eco-cities (cities designed to be in balance with nature) and their impact on the sustainability movement. Written by Art Molella, Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Director of the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, thi

In this post, students will learn about the thousands of American women who volunteered in World War I through their uniforms. Most of the women's uniforms in the Museum's collections from WWI belong to civilian relief and welfare organizations, like the Salvation Army, not to the armed forc

This post helps teachers understand how to both memorialize September 11 and contextualize the history of the day through five essential questions. Targeted toward secondary students, the questions can help teachers and students compare aspects of September 11 to other events in American his