Ideals and Images
Ideals and Images invites students to share their own understandings of and perspectives on core American concepts, through a playful and thought provoking dialogue-based game. The learning begins with the guiding questions: Do Americans have shared ideals? What do
Artifacts, Primary Sources
This allegorical print displays hopes for reconciliation through the federal program of Reconstruction. The nation and government are symbolized by an enormous canopy-like structure, upon which is emblazoned with a map of the United States. An eagle holding a crest and American flag sits atop the ma
Blog Post: "10 Free Hours!" Marketing and the World Wide Web in the 1990s
"Getting free stuff in the mail can be exciting, especially if the stuff that's free is new and novel. On the other hand, it can be frustrating to have unsolicited stuff pouring into your mailbox. From the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, households across the United States received promotional dis
Spark!Lab Instructables - Reinvent the Shopping Cart
Spark!Lab is a hands -on invention studio in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Spark!Lab activities communicate that invention is a process, rather than a single "Aha!" moment; provide visitors with opportunities to explore the invention process and their own inventiveness;
Olympic Gymnastics Leotard, worn by Dominique Dawes
Leotard worn by gymnast Dominique Dawes (b. 1976) at the 1996 Summer Olympic games, held in Atlanta, Georgia. At the games she won gold as part of the first place U.S. team. The Maryland native also took home an individual bronze for her performance in the floor exercise, becoming the first African
Arithmetic School, a Toy by Playskool
In the early 1960s, the Chicago firm of Playskool introduced this educational toy for children three to six years old, seeking to give them an early familiarity with numbers. It has two rows of relatively large rotating wooden rectangular blocks, each with a row of square rotating wooden blocks belo
American Enterprise: Globalization and Food
Spend time exploring Globalization and Food, two topics from the Global Era.
American Enterprise: Finance and Discount Retail
Take a closer look at the Global Era topics of Finance and Discount Retail.
American Enterprise: Networks and Earnings
Dig deeper into the Global Era topics of Networks and Earnings.
Blog Post: Abolition and modern slavery: Q&A with Professor John Stauffer
In this post, Chris Wilson, the Museum's director of the Program in African American Culture, sits down with Professor John Stauffer of Harvard University to open a discussion on both historical and modern abolition efforts. An interview with Professor Stauffer, Professor of English and of