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American History on Instagram

  • Today in 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt is inaugurated to his fourth term. 'I want to talk for a few minutes with the people of the United States about banking.' So began on March 12, 1933, the first of about thirty informal 'Fireside Chat' addresses that President Franklin D. Roosevelt would deliver over the radio. His ability to communicate over this new medium directly and personally, addressing each listener as a respected friend, gave FDR a powerful tool to shape public opinion. President Roosevelt was always rather amused that the name 'Fireside Chat' was used to describe all the radio chats he would give during the course of his administration. He used to joke about the Washington weather, saying that it really wasn't proper for a fireside chat. On the night of the first 'Fireside Chat,' the microphones were set up in the Lincoln Study. All subsequent chats were held in the Diplomatic Reception Room on the ground floor of the White House. This first night of the Fireside Chat launched a new era of the Presidency whereby the power of mass communications would be used to engage and reassure the American people. The museum acquired this RCA Type 50-A microphone with the National Broadcasting Company logos on the top and sides in 1996. For many years it had been saved by Carleton Smith, who both set up the microphone for NBC and introduced the radio broadcasts. #PresidentialHistory #AmericanHistory #PoliticalHistory #Broadcasting #Technology
  • Sidney Poitier was a groundbreaking, eminently talented actor, filmmaker, and activist who defiantly fought for opportunities in a still-segregated Hollywood, becoming the first Black man to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. Poitier earned acclaim for his performances in a string of successful films through the 1950s and 60s, winning the Oscar for Lilies of the Field (1963). In films like The Defiant Ones (1958), A Patch of Blue (1965), Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967), and In the Heat of the Night (1967), Poitier’s stirring performances prompted national conversations about race and representation. At the height of his popularity in the late 1960s, Poitier was one of Hollywood’s biggest box office draws but also typecast as idealized characters increasingly criticized as tokenistic amidst the era’s surging battle for civil rights. Poitier continued to fight for equality as an actor, director, and civil rights activist in to the 21st century, earning the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Kennedy Center Honor, and an honorary Academy Award for his 'remarkable accomplishments as an artist and as a human being.' 📷: Sidney Poitier, Academy Awards, 1960s. Copyright Leigh Wiener #SidneyPoitier #Hollywood #MovieHistory #1960s #EntertainmentHistory #AmericanHistory
  • In the wake of the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, an expanded security perimeter and seven-foot-high fence surrounded the Capitol Building, with checkpoints for the screening of personnel and visitors. Thousands of military and law enforcement officials—including some 9,500 members of the National Guard—were deployed to secure Washington, D.C. As residents of Capitol Hill, Pat and Kassie Savoy and their son two-year-old son, Noah, experienced this deployment firsthand. Wishing to extend warm hospitality to all the new guests, Noah loaded up a neighbor’s wagon with the help of his parents to hand out snacks and sodas to the soldiers and law enforcement. Assisted by several neighbors, he and his parents ventured out for almost every night over the course of three months to the security perimeter, donating over 2,500 snack bags to the Capitol defenders as small tokens of appreciation and gratitude. Between greetings and conversations about home and in return for his kindness, the soldiers gifted Noah and other local children assorted insignia from their uniforms. The insignia pictured here, which the family donated on Noah’s behalf, offer a fascinating snapshot of some of the National Guard presence at the Capitol, which include units from Texas, Vermont, Illinois, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Utah. Also among the donated items are patches for United States Forces–Afghanistan and for Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve commands. Left to Right, top to bottom: 71st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade (TX); 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (VT); 108th Sustainment Brigade (IL); 149th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (KY); 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (SC); 300th Military Intelligence Brigade (UT); United States Forces – Afghanistan; and Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve.
  • In this children’s souvenir of a visit to Santa Claus, a towering building groans with an abundance of toys, like a classical horn-of-plenty spilling its goods upon the land. Evergreen trees trim the store’s exterior, and Santa beckons under a ceremonial archway. By 1920, the nation’s largest retailers had erected imposing flagship stores in New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago. Once the flurry of building was over, department stores continued to compete with each other through lavish display. This was especially true at holiday time, when display managers and their artists constructed imaginative Santa lands, toy towns, and elaborate window scenes. These efforts were expensive, but the results—a gift to the public—created an emotional bond between store and shopper. 📷: Santa’s Own Story Book, William L. Bird Holidays on Display Collections, Archives Center #Christmas #Holidays #History #AmericanHistory #SantaClaus #Santa #Toys

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Our Mission

Empowering people to create a just and compassionate future by exploring, preserving, and sharing the complexity of our past.

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Exhibitions on a range of topics offer firsthand experiences with treasures of American history.

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We collect artifacts of all kinds—from gowns to locomotives—to preserve an enduring record of our past for the American people.

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The museum is open Friday–Tuesday, 10:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m. All visitors ages two and older are required to wear a face covering. Follow the link to plan your visit.

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Our website offers many ways to explore history, including online exhibitions, museum tours, educator resources, activities for kids, and our online collections.

Smithsonian Continues Collecting Artifacts From Jan. 6 Capitol Attack

The museum has announced it is continuing collecting efforts to document the day and its larger impact on American democracy.

Benjamin Franklin’s Pioneering Electrical Work Influenced Today’s Technology

1620 Display at National Museum of American History Asks “Where Do We Begin?”

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From Our Blog

Eight insignia patches decorated with symbols, including elk, moons, swords, and stars.

Of service and thanks: Collecting after January 6

On January 7, I spent several hours surveying the National Mall, collecting abandoned objects that I hoped would one day offer some insight into the political turmoil that had shaken the nation’s capital. Though important, the array of material that I collected from the National Mall reflected, at best, only one part of a larger story.
U.S. map. One large arrow beginning in Jamestown, Virginia cuts through the U.S. South, labeled “God’s Curse Slavery.” Another arrow, starting in Plymouth, Massachusetts, cuts through the U.S. North, labeled “God’s Blessing Liberty.”

Does Thanksgiving have room for both thankfulness and mourning?

Is there room in Americans’ Thanksgiving celebrations for both thankfulness and mourning? That challenging question arose as my colleagues and I took a new look at encounters in the 1600s between English Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people in eastern Massachusetts.
Gordo comic strip. Uncle Mio (wearing a suit and carrying a box of chocolates bouquet of flowers) talks to his nephew, who explains the qualities of different types of flowers. Behind the two figures appear precise, scientific diagrams of flowers.

Gus Arriola and Gordo, agents of Mexican culture

According to Gus Arriola, creator of the comic strip Gordo, “my main goal was to maintain a positive awareness of Mexico through all the years, every day, without being political. When I started [in 1941], words like 'burrito' were unknown in the United States."
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