Frances Perkins Champion of Workers Rights Past Exhibit … “I came to Washington to work for God, FDR, and the millions of forgotten, plain common workingmen.”  —Frances Perkins Chances are you benefit from the legacy of Frances Perkins, one of U.S. history’s most consequential figures. As Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945, she was a main architect of the New Deal, securing retirement, disability, and unemployment benefits still in effect today. Her life’s mission, however, was set decades before. “The …

Harvey Milk Writes to the President Past Exhibit … Human Rights at the Ballot Box In 1978, Californians voted on Proposition 6, which would have banned gay men and lesbians from teaching or otherwise being employed by California school districts. The initiative sponsored by State Senator John Briggs was opposed by a number of leading politicians, including former Governor Ronald Reagan and former President Gerald Ford. The Briggs Initiative was ultimately defeated at the polls in November 1978. Harvey …

Live from the Moon Past Exhibit … Watch telecast footage of the 1968 Apollo 8 Mission, the first manned spacecraft to reach the Moon and safely return. This multimedia presentation features photos of the Moon's surface taken from the spacecraft and an audio recording of the astronauts’ description of the lunar surface. Apollo 8: Live from the Moon - December 24, …

Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm Unbought and Unbossed Past Exhibit … "First black woman congressman" In 1969, Shirley Chisholm became the first African American woman to serve in Congress, or, as she preferred, the "first black woman congressman." She was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus in 1971 and the Congressional Women's Caucus in 1977. Chisholm was also the first woman and the first African American to seek the Democratic Presidential nomination in 1972. During her seven …

Jimmy Carter 39th President of the United States Current Exhibit … President Carter waves from the steps of Air Force One, May 17, 1977. Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum View in the National Archives Catalog President Carter waves from the steps of Air Force One, May 17, 1977. Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum View in the National Archives Catalog The National Archives honors President Jimmy Carter's memory with records from one of his greatest accomplishments as President—the …

50th Anniversary of Apollo XI Moon Landing Past Exhibit … On July 20, 1969, astronaut Neil Armstrong made one small step that forever changed history. In commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo XI moon landing, view National Archives records that detail the carefully choreographed sequence of steps—from lift-off to splash-down—that resulted in the mission’s “giant leap for mankind." Apollo 11 Mission image - Astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin walks near the Lunar Module, July 20, 1969. National …

Thanksgiving Historical Perspectives Past Exhibit … A Harvest Celebration During the autumn of 1621, at least 90 Wampanoag joined 52 English people at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts, to mark a successful harvest. It is remembered today as the “First Thanksgiving,” although no one back then used that term. In fact, much of the so-called First Thanksgiving story was created decades and centuries later. As a result, many assumptions about the festival at Plymouth and its connection to Thanksgiving …

All American The Power of Sports Past Exhibit … All American: The Power of Sports The power of sports has many applications. Sports unite people, teach values, and inspire hope and pride. In the United States, sports have powered efforts to bring citizens together, shape them, and project a vision of what it means to be American. But sports convey power to athletes too—power to break social barriers and protest injustice. All American explores the power of sports both to embody our national ideals and …

Vicecapades 150th Anniversary of the 1873 Comstock Act Past Exhibit … An Act for the Suppression of, trade in, and circulation of obscene literature and articles of immoral use known as the Comstock Act Anthony Comstock (1844–1915), a self-appointed guardian of public morality, successfully lobbied Congress for stricter obscenity laws and secured an appointment as a special agent to the United States Postal Service with broad powers to police the mails. The law did not define obscenity—Comstock did. In …

Celebrating Anna May Wong Past Exhibit … “I want to be an actress, not a freak.” Anna May Wong Film legend Anna May Wong’s talent could not be contained by the racist casting of early Hollywood movies. Born Wong Liu Tsong in Los Angeles in 1905, Wong ditched school to sneak onto film sets. She appeared in her first film at age 14 and quickly became a star. Although frustrated by the Asian stereotypes she was forced to play, she appeared in over 60 films and became the first Chinese American international …