U.S. History

NaNa dune, named after the Beach Lady

Beach Lady

MaVynee Betsch wants to memorialize a haven for African-Americans in the time of Jim Crow

Capitol Discovery

Senate staffers come across a historic treasure in a dusty storage room

Helen Thomas' press passes

On the Legacy of Helen Thomas

The White House correspondent's career as a journalist spanned ten presidencies and was marked by an unwavering dedication to the truth

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Torn Asunder

Enslaved Africans endured the largest forced migration in history

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Winter of Discontent

Even as he endured the hardships of Valley Forge, George Washington faced another challenge: critics who questioned his fitness to lead

Vancouver firemen turning out for a fire alarm

April Anniversaries

Momentous or merely memorable

Sculptor Alexander Calder's hand-drawn map to his home looks like one of his mobiles.

Particulars of Context

There's art in the history at the Archives of American Art

Autographed baseballs National Museum of American History

Power Balls

Out of the park: signed balls soar into the stratosphere

The Louisiana Purchase nearly doubled the size of the United States and the cost of about four cents an acre was a breathtaking bargain.

How the Louisiana Purchase Changed the World

When Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France, he altered the shape of a nation and the course of history

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Mr. Lincoln's Washington

The house where the conspirators hatched their heinous plot now serves sushi, and the yard where they were hanged is a tennis court

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Sweet Sorrow

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Whose Rock Is It Anyway?

An Indian tribe wins the first round in a long fight with rock climbers

Daniel Libeskind

Daniel Libeskind: Architect at Ground Zero

From his Jewish Museum in Berlin to his proposal for the World Trade Center site, Daniel Libeskind designs buildings that reach out to history and humanity

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Where the Wild Things Are

President Theodore Roosevelt started what would become the world's most successful experiment in conservation

Slave hire badges. National Museum of American History

Copper Neck Tags Evoke the Experience of American Slaves Hired Out as Part-Time Laborers

From the mid-18th century to the end of the Civil War, owners marketed the labor and skills of their slaves

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The Calm Before Desert Storm

Two months before the Gulf War began in 1991, President George H. W. Bush greeted U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia

On the morning of July 11, 1804, a shot rang out. Aaron Burr's bullet struck Hamilton in the right side, tearing through his liver.

Hamilton Takes Command

In 1775, the 20-year-old Alexander Hamilton took up arms to fight the British

The Smithsonian Castle

Fanciful and Sublime

In 1855 (the year of this daguerreotype), rocking horses symbolized middle-class affluence. Today, hand-carved horses are largely for the wealthy.

Happy Trails

As freshly carved toys or treasured heirlooms, well-bred rocking horses ride high in the affections of kids and collectors alike

George Washington, shown here in an 1853 lithograph, oversees his slaves at Mount Vernon.

Founding Fathers and Slaveholders

To what degree do the attitudes of Washington and Jefferson toward slavery diminish their achievements?

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