Today's post is by Lee Preston, a National Archives volunteer. During the Cold War, I was drafted into the U.S. Army and in 1955-56 stationed in Verdun, France. Verdun is the principal city of the Meuse River valley, a historic corridor of aggressive contact between French and German interests. The Verdun area had been fortified … Continue reading Lessons from Verdun
Happy 50th, Peace Corps!
Today's post is written by Erin Townsend, an archivist based out of Archives II who helps coordinate our digitization projects. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Peace Corps. Numerous events and activities have already taken place to commemorate this milestone, including programs at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, 50th Anniversary World … Continue reading Happy 50th, Peace Corps!
The 1968 Riots in Washington, DC
By M. Marie Maxwell Recent events in London, of riots being reported in various parts of the metropolitan area, reminded me of a series in the Archives I holdings documenting a similar event in the American capital in 1968. Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, upon hearing of the civil rights … Continue reading The 1968 Riots in Washington, DC
The U.S. Marshal Service and The Supreme Court
This post was written by Katie Beaver, a student intern working with civilian records. It is a follow-up to A few good lawmen. The American South was a particularly tumultuous area after the Civil War and during the occupation of the U.S. Army. Slaves became freedmen and gained the rights of citizenship per the Constitution. … Continue reading The U.S. Marshal Service and The Supreme Court
Deputy Marshal v. Deputy Marshal
This post was written by Katy Berube, a student intern working in civilian processing. It is a follow-up to the post A few good lawmen. As guns unloaded into British subject and cattle investor, John H. Tunstall, in the dusty, remote hills of the New Mexico Territory on February 18, 1878, the grab for power … Continue reading Deputy Marshal v. Deputy Marshal
The War of 1812: Beyond Battle Reports and Correspondence
By T. Juliette Arai File: J-38(7)-1813 (Johnson letter, pg. 1), NARA Microfilm Pub #M221, Roll #54 In a previous blog (Music at the National Archives) I wrote about those rare instances when archivists and researchers come across a document that stands out because it is so different from what is usually found within our holdings. … Continue reading The War of 1812: Beyond Battle Reports and Correspondence
A few good lawmen
Today's post is written by Denise Henderson. A few months ago, I was asked to locate a record about Pat Garrett, the famous sheriff who killed Billy the Kid in 1881 when cowboys and cattle thieves made the West wild and dangerous and a place in serious need of law enforcement. Understanding the index to, … Continue reading A few good lawmen
Old Glory and the Representation of U.S. Territories
Our guest blogger today is Allison Walsh, an Archives Technician at Archives I who works with Navy / Maritime records. She is proud to display the Stars and Stripes every Flag Day, which also happens to be her birthday. Finding the file number nearby, I carefully pulled the trifolded papers open. A handwritten letter dating from … Continue reading Old Glory and the Representation of U.S. Territories
Wikimedia and the new collaborative digital archives
For today's post we are thrilled to open our blog space to NARA's Wikipedian-in-Residence, Dominic McDevitt-Parks. Everyone knows about Wikipedia (though there is certainly a lot of room for clarification of how it works in practice and why it is valuable for public history), so for this first post, I want to spotlight Wikisource, a … Continue reading Wikimedia and the new collaborative digital archives
One Small Step
Today's post is written by Alfie Paul, a processing archivist at Archives II. On July 20, 1969 the world watched as the first human beings landed on the moon. That day 42 years ago was the culmination of a race to the moon that President John F. Kennedy began in 1961 saying he believed “that … Continue reading One Small Step