• Blogs
• Bookmark/Share
• Contact Us

Search

December 2012
Washington, DC, Area Events

Program Highlights

• 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation
  The original document is on display for a limited time. The commemoration will include extended viewing hours, inspirational music, a dramatic reading of the Emancipation Proclamation, and family activities and entertainment for all ages. (December 30, 2012 to January 1, 2013)
• Lady Bird Johnson Tribute
  On the 100th anniversary of the birth of Lady Bird Johnson, a panel will discuss achievements and contributions of this former First Lady (December 6); a screening of A Life: The Story of Lady Bird Johnson (December 11).
• Genealogy of First Lady Michelle Obama with Rachel Swarns
  Author Rachel L. Swarns shows how Mrs. Obama’s family was touched by every major shift in our nation’s history. (December 13).
• Cuban Missile Crisis
  See a special screening of Thirteen Days, based on the book The Kennedy Tapes:  Inside the White House During the Cuban Missile Crisis (December 8).
• Noontime Lectures
  Learn about Prigg v. Pennsylvania, the landmark Supreme Court case in 1842 (December 10); the critical period before the final Emancipation Proclamation in Lincoln’s Hundred Days (December 14); and former slave, abolitionist, and Union spy Abraham Galloway in The Fire of Freedom (December 19).
• Know Your Records
  Take an Introduction to Genealogy workshop (December 5).

Wednesday, December 5, at 11 a.m.
Room G-25, Research Center (Penn. Ave. Entrance)
Introduction to Genealogy
Constance Potter, archivist, will discuss Federal records of interest to beginning genealogists.

Thursday, December 6, at 7 p.m.
William G. McGowan Theater
Tribute to Lady Bird Johnson
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Lady Bird Johnson, a panel will discuss her achievements and contributions. Audio recordings of the Lady Bird Johnson Oral History Project will be played. Mark Updegrove, director of the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library, moderates a panel including the Johnsons’ daughter Lynda Johnson Robb; political analyst Cokie Roberts; former White House Social Secretary Bess Abell; and Michael L. Gillette, author of Lady Bird Johnson, An Oral History. Presented in partnership with the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and the National Archives Presidential Materials Division. A book signing will follow the program.

Saturday, December 8, at noon
William G. McGowan Theater
Thirteen Days
In conjunction with the exhibit “To The Brink: JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis,” we will screen Thirteen Days. The film is based on the book The Kennedy Tapes: Inside the White House During the Cuban Missile Crisis by Ernest May and Philip Zelikow, and stars Bruce Greenwood as President John F. Kennedy, Steven Culp as Attorney General Robert Kennedy, and Kevin Costner as Special Assistant Kenneth O’Donnell. Directed by Roger Donaldson. (2000; 145 minutes)

Monday, December 10, at noon
William G. McGowan Theater
Prigg v. Pennsylvania: Slavery, the Supreme Court, and the Ambivalent Constitution
Margaret Morgan’s parents were slaves of John Ashmore, a Maryland mill owner. He never laid claim to Margaret, who married a free black man and moved to Pennsylvania. After his death, his widow sent Edward Prigg to Pennsylvania to claim Margaret as a runaway. Both Margaret and her children were forcibly sent back to Maryland in violation of Pennsylvania law, setting the stage for a Supreme Court case in 1842. History professor H. Robert Baker discusses his book Prigg v. Pennsylvania and the results of this landmark case. This program is presented in partnership with the National Archives Afro-American History Society. A book signing will follow the program.

Tuesday, December 11, at noon
William G. McGowan Theater
A Life: The Story of Lady Bird Johnson
Written, directed, and narrated by Charles Guggenheim, A Life celebrates Lady Bird Johnson’s fascinating story, from her youth in a remote town in Texas to her marriage to one of the most powerful and complex men in American politics, and her emergence as a leader in her own right. (1992; 57 minutes)

Thursday, December 13, at 7 p.m.
William G. McGowan Theater
American Tapestry: The Story of the Black, White, and Multiracial Ancestors of Michelle Obama
Reaching back to the Revolutionary War and moving up through the present, author Rachel L. Swarns presents an illustrated lecture that shows how Mrs. Obama’s family was touched by every major shift in our nation’s history. Michele Norris of NPR will join Swarns. A book signing will follow the program.

Friday, December 14, at noon
William G. McGowan Theater
Lincoln’s Hundred Days: The Emancipation Proclamation and the War for the Union
Professor and author Louis P. Masur tells the full story of the critical period between September 22, 1862, when Lincoln issued his preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, and January 1, 1863, when he signed the final altered decree. During those hundred days, Lincoln struggled to lead a nation through a war as he debated with foes and worked to meet the expectations of millions of enslaved peoples. A book signing will follow the program.

Wednesday, December 19, at noon
William G. McGowan Theater
The Fire of Freedom: Abraham Galloway and the Slaves’ Civil War
Abraham Galloway was an abolitionist and Union spy who rose out of bondage to become one of the most significant black leaders in the South during the Civil War. Historian David Cecelski discusses the life of Galloway, who led a delegation of black southerners to the White House to meet with President Lincoln to demand the full rights of citizenship. This program is presented in partnership with the National Archives Afro-American History Society. A book signing will follow the program.

Sunday, December 30–Tuesday, January 1
Rotunda
150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation
The National Archives will commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation with a special display of the original document in the East Rotunda Gallery. The commemoration will include extended viewing hours, inspirational music, a dramatic reading of the Emancipation Proclamation, and family activities and entertainment for all ages.

Exhibitions

Permanent Exhibits

Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom

• Declaration of Independence
• Constitution
• Bill of Rights

“The Charters of Freedom: Our Nation’s Founding Documents” takes a fresh look at the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Using historical documents from the holdings of the National Archives, we answer two key questions about the Charters: “How did they happen?” and “Why are they important?” This Rotunda exhibit also touches on the roles played by women and slaves in the Revolutionary War. Don’t miss the remarkable story of Elizabeth Burgin’s heroic role in a successful plot to free soldiers from British prison ships.

“The Public Vaults” invites visitors into virtual stack areas to discover historic documents, films, maps, and photographs from the National Archives. In interactive displays, visitors may hear Presidents discuss some of the country’s greatest challenges, step into the boots of soldiers on the front lines, or follow an investigation of the sinking of the Titanic. A special display celebrates the lives of First Ladies Patricia Nixon and Lady Bird Johnson.

A rare print on parchment of the Declaration of Independence—made from the original copperplate engraved by William J. Stone in 1823—is on display for a limited time. Courtesy of David M. Rubenstein.

This year’s featured adventurer in “Polar Exploration” is Marie Peary Stafford, the daughter of explorer Robert E. Peary, who was born and spent the first months of her life in Greenland.

Magna Carta Display
Visitors can closely examine the 1297 Magna Carta, generate a translation from the original Latin, and discover the connections between Magna Carta and American history. Courtesy of David M. Rubenstein. West Rotunda Gallery.

Special Exhibitions in Washington, DC

“To the Brink—JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis”
Secretly recorded White House tapes form the centerpiece of this exhibit which marks the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis. With generous support from AT&T and special recognition to the Lawrence F. O’Brien Family. Through February 4, 2013, in the Lawrence F. O'Brien Gallery.

Vice Presidential Gift Display: Sapphire and Diamond Jewelry Set
The exchange of gifts is a centuries-old tradition. Come see a contemporary example: a beautiful sapphire and diamond jewelry set given to former Vice President Dick Cheney’s wife, Lynne Cheney, by the King of Saudi Arabia. December 5–27, 2012, East Rotunda Gallery.

Rare Opportunity to See the Original Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation will be on display in honor of the 150th anniversary. December 30, 2012–January 1, 2013, East Rotunda Gallery

Special Exhibit in College Park, Maryland

Auditorium Lobby at the National Archives Research Center:

"The Long View" features digitally produced facsimiles of historic panoramic photographs from the Still Picture holdings.

The exhibit not only showcases the wide variety of panoramic techniques, but also includes National Archives records such as cartographic maps and patent drawings that relate to the photographs. Thirty-four panoramas and other records are on display and span the period from 1864 to 1997.
See more panoramas online.

Online Exhibits

Dozens of exhibits can be experienced online. Visit Now!

“What’s Cooking, Uncle Sam?”
Unearth the stories and personalities behind the increasingly complex programs and legislation that affect what we eat. Learn about the Government’s extraordinary efforts, successes, and failures to change our eating habits. Find out why the Government wanted us to “Eat the Carp,” “Share the Meat,” and “Know Our Onions.” There are over 100 original records in the exhibit—including folk songs, war posters, educational films, and even seed packets. From Revolutionary War rations to Cold War cultural exchanges, discover the multiple ways that food has occupied the hearts and minds of Americans and their Government.
Online exhibit

Discovering the Civil War
Unlock secrets, solve mysteries, and uncover unexpected events in this most extensive display ever assembled from the incomparable Civil War holdings of the National Archives.
Online exhibit

Eyewitness:  American Originals from the National Archives
Drawing on rarely displayed documents, audio recordings, and film footage culled from the extensive holdings of the National Archives and its Presidential libraries, "Eyewitness" features first-person accounts of watershed moments in history. Online exhibit

Top of Page