In celebration of the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States, we’re focusing on key events in the history of independence. Today’s post looks at the early months of the Second Continental Congress. Before the First Continental Congress adjourned in October 1774, its members agreed to reconvene in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775. By the … Continue reading The Second Continental Congress Convenes

In celebration of the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States, the National Archives is highlighting key events in our nation’s journey to independence. This edition explores the first battles of the American Revolutionary War: Lexington and Concord. Today’s post comes from Tracy Baker, an intern in the National Archives Office of the Executive Secretariat. … Continue reading Lexington and Concord: 22 Hours and a Shot Heard Around the World

Today’s post is from Tammy K. Williams, archivist & social media manager at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum. Presidential transitions happen on a regular schedule after an election, but they can happen suddenly as well. The first unexpected Presidential transition happened when William Henry Harrison died on April 4, 1841, after being … Continue reading Presidential Transitions – Roosevelt to Truman

On April 1, 2025, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) turns 40. Visit the National Archives History Office website for more information on the history of our agency. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed legislation establishing the National Archives on June 19, 1934. For its first 15 years, the National Archives operated as an independent … Continue reading NARA Turns 40

In celebration of the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we’re focusing on key events in the history of our nation’s independence. This edition provides deeper insight into Patrick Henry and his famous proclamation: “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death.” Today’s post comes from Tracy Baker, an intern in the National Archives Office … Continue reading Liberty or Death: Patrick Henry’s Bold Proclamation

Today’s post comes from Matthew Green, an archivist at the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library in College Park, Maryland. The Library’s records are closed to researchers until January 2026 but today we are previewing some of the records in the Library’s collection. Established in 2021, the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library currently administers records from … Continue reading A Preview of Our 15th Presidential Library

As we look ahead to the nation’s 250th birthday, we’re looking back on the events celebrating our 200th. Today’s post, for Women’s History Month, looks back on a major exhibit at the National Archives during the bicentennial era. To coincide with International Women’s Year and the Bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence, the National Archives … Continue reading Celebrating American Women During the Bicentennial

For Black History Month we’re taking a closer look at mathematician, statistician, astronomer, surveyor, and farmer Benjamin Banneker. Benjamin Banneker was born on November 9, 1731, in Baltimore County, Maryland. He lived on his family’s 100-acre farm near present-day Ellicott City his entire life. While many mythologies have developed surrounding Banneker and his accomplishments since his … Continue reading The Extraordinary Benjamin Banneker

To commemorate Black History Month, a special featured document display on Freedmen’s Bureau Marriage Records will be in the East Rotunda Gallery of the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, from February 4–March 3, 2025. As the Civil War neared its end, Congress established the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands inside the War … Continue reading On Exhibit: Freedmen’s Bureau Marriage Records

On February 17, 2025, we’ll be celebrating “Washington’s Birthday,” which is the official title of the federally recognized holiday. Visit the National Archives website to learn more about our records related to George Washington—and other U.S. Presidents. This post was originally published in 2015. George Washington led the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, presided … Continue reading Washington’s Birthday: the Federal Holiday

Join us for our next #ArchivesHashtagParty, #ArchivesLandscape, taking place on Friday, February 7, 2025, on Instagram and X. Today we’re sharing an update to Vincent Bartholomew’s 2019 post on perhaps one of the greatest landscape photographers of all time: Ansel Adams. A keen landscape photographer, Ansel Adams is best known for his black-and-white photographs of … Continue reading #ArchivesLandscape: Ansel Adams

Today’s post comes from Andrew Salyer, an archives technician at the National Archives at Philadelphia. The holdings of the National Archives tell stories. And not just stories about the United States, but also about the greater world stage. Case files created during the period of the Chinese Exclusion Act testify to this global scale. The … Continue reading Romance of the Two Calendars: A Note on Dating Conventions