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National Museum of American History

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What Five Objects Can Tell Us About the Life of Filipino Americans in the Early 20th Century

Large trunks discovered in a basement offer a window into the lives and struggles of early Filipino migrants

Three cards where visitors left handwritten messages invoking girl power. One card reads: “you think we're not good enough but we're just to [sic] good for you, girl power.”

What Does 'Girl Power' Really Mean?

We asked our visitors to talk back about what it means to be a girl

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Understanding Hyperinflation, From Revolutionary France to Zimbabwe

The development of paper money is key to understanding hyperinflation throughout history

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Bringing the Forgotten History of Black Firefighting to Life

Volunteer firefighters represented a potent swirl of masculinity, self-sacrifice, and republican virtue. But Philadelphia had no Black companies.

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The Workers' Turkey

Like many homes across America, in my home Thanksgiving meant turkey. Lots of turkeys. And employers gave out these big birds as work incentives, to ensure that their working-class employees wouldn't go without this crown jewel on their table.

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Essential or Expendable? How the UFW Fights for Farmworkers

Agricultural labor is often overlooked, but it is critical to understand its history, especially as COVID-19 shines a light on unchecked abuse and exploitation

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Ten Objects That Will Help You Understand Latinx History

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, we’ve put together a top 10 list of the museum’s most exciting Latinx history objects.

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