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In Slavery’s Shadow: George Floyd and American Legacies

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John Lewis and Good Trouble

Creating Icons: How We Remember Woman Suffrage

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Our museum is temporarily closed to support the effort to contain the spread of COVID-19. Read a message from our director, and check our website and social media for updates.

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Our Mission

Empowering people to create a just and compassionate future by exploring, preserving, and sharing the complexity of our past.

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Exhibitions on a range of topics offer firsthand experiences with treasures of American history.

Collections

We collect artifacts of all kinds—from gowns to locomotives—to preserve an enduring record of our past for the American people.

News and Events

New Statements from Smithsonian Leaders

See a statement from Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch responding to recent incidents of violence against black people. Museum Director Anthea M. Hartig also released a statement, In Slavery’s Shadow: George Floyd and American Legacies.

Contemporary Collecting at Lafayette Square

The museum is working with others at the Smithsonian to document, collect, and preserve the expressions of protest and hope from Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C.

My Wish For U.S.

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, share your hopes and dreams for the nation's future.

Explore Learning Resources

Our website offers many ways to explore history, including online exhibitions, museum tours, educator resources, activities for kids, and our online collections.

STATEMENT: National Museum of American History Implements Collecting Strategy in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic

The museum has formed a Rapid Response Collecting Task Force to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lemelson Center Spark!Lab Launches Virtual Invention Experience

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From Our Blog

How do you get an elephant into a museum? If you’re the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, the technical answer is “through the loading dock!” But then why would the museum want to bring in an elephant in the first place? Well, our elephant is famous. And he isn’t a real elephant. Our elephant is Dumbo the Flying Elephant and he comes from Disneyland!

25 Years Later: The Legacy of the El Monte sweatshop raid

On August 2, 1995, a large task force raided an apartment complex in El Monte, California. What they found was one of the most horrendous U.S. sweatshops in modern times. That raid changed lives and changed history.

How young, undocumented organizers fought to bring DACA into existence

For the past 20 years, undocumented immigrants have faced unrelenting challenges to secure a legal right to stay in the only country most of them have known. Taking action, undocumented organizers catapulted themselves into the center of one of the nation’s fiercest debates to form a powerful political voice.

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Director's Message

On the blog
John Lewis and Good Trouble

Creating Icons: How We Remember Woman Suffrage

Explore History Online