One of the original functions of the Department of State was oversight of the territories. In 1873, an act of Congress (17 Stat. 484) transferred that function to the Secretary of the Interior. In 1900, however, territorial responsibility was once again thrust on the Department of State after the United States conquered and seized Puerto … Continue reading The Department of State and Oversight of Puerto Rico, 1900-1909
Category: Cultural and Ethnic Heritage
Including, but not limited to, Asian Pacific American, Jewish American, LGBTQ, and other minority groups.
Football Related Records in the National Register of Historic Places
Six-Man Football Team #43, Nov 1938 (NAID 57274602) Super Bowl LVI will be played this weekend (Go Team!). The month of February is traditionally when the National Football League (NFL) Championship is played, along with the Pro Bowl, which marks the end of the NFL season. There are a number of football-related records in the … Continue reading Football Related Records in the National Register of Historic Places
The Story of the 1950 Census P8 Indian Reservation Schedule
Special thanks to Claire Kluskens, Archivist and Subject Matter Expert for Census Records, and Rose Buchanan, Archivist at the National Archives in Washington, DC. “Now Mrs. Begay, I want to ask you about the names of the people in your family. Is your husband known by any other name than Richard Begay? Sometimes he is … Continue reading The Story of the 1950 Census P8 Indian Reservation Schedule
Text Message Top 5 of 2021
Please enjoy this countdown of our most popular blog posts of 2021. Thank you for continuing to read the Text Message and we hope you join us for more stories, insights, and highlights from the textual records of the National Archives in 2022! #5 "Lucy, I'm Home!"... from the Army Armed Forces Newsmap, vol 1, … Continue reading Text Message Top 5 of 2021
Desmond Tutu, October 1931-December 2021
Archbishop Desmond Tutu greets Vice President Al Gore, May 10, 1994 (NAID 24717040) Bishop Desmond Tutu died on December 26, 2021. He was best known for his human rights and nonviolence activities while the Anglican bishop of Johannesburg and then the archbishop of Cape Town, the first Black person to hold either position. Tutu was a hero of … Continue reading Desmond Tutu, October 1931-December 2021
Meet Black Bull: A Story of Blackfeet Genealogy
Today’s post is by Cody White, Archivist at the National Archives at Denver and Subject Matter Expert for Native American Related Records. The Blackfeet Agency superintendent arrived at the well-maintained spread in the Heart Butte District—“probably the nicest home on Little Badger,” as another official traveling with him noted—to make the rounds of the reservation … Continue reading Meet Black Bull: A Story of Blackfeet Genealogy
“Outsiders” in the United States Army during the American War for Independence
Today’s post is by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland. Throughout the U.S. Army’s history there have been political and social issues surrounding the recruitment and utilization of “outsiders,” people who were not like the majority of white and native-born soldiers with whom they served. This post takes … Continue reading “Outsiders” in the United States Army during the American War for Independence
There’s No Business Like Show Business: Hollywood Comes to the Wind River Indian Reservation, 1922–1925
Today’s post is by Cody White, Archivist at the National Archives at Denver and Subject Matter Expert for Native American Related Records. It is the early 1870s, on the expansive western plains. Starvation is gripping an unspecified tribe. The once plentiful bison, those that their elders assured them could never be wiped out, were in … Continue reading There’s No Business Like Show Business: Hollywood Comes to the Wind River Indian Reservation, 1922–1925
The Past is the Present in the Asian American/Pacific Islander Records Aggregation Project
Today’s post is by Leah Booth and John Marden, Archives Technicians at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. As part of the Asian American/Pacific Islander Records Aggregation Project at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) we are working to assess our holdings of records and materials relevant to the Asian American and Pacific … Continue reading The Past is the Present in the Asian American/Pacific Islander Records Aggregation Project
More than a “Single Issue Community”: The Congressional Hispanic Conference
Today's post was written by Lynn Nashorn, textual processing and accessioning archivist at the National Archives at College Park. Serving as the Republican counterpart to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Conference (CHC) emerged following a rift within the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus was formed in 1976 as a bipartisan organization … Continue reading More than a “Single Issue Community”: The Congressional Hispanic Conference