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American History on Instagram

  • Today is Giving Tuesday, a day when millions of people give in a movement devoted to encouraging generosity to change the world. A long history of generosity has helped to better lives across the country and the world. In one such example, generations of African Americans have donated and raised money to advance their pursuit of freedom and equality in many different causes. Education has been one key cause. This diorama pays tribute to the Black men and women who raised vital funds for Fisk University starting in the 1870s. The school was established in 1865, not long after the end of the Civil War, in response to African Americans’ desire to pursue the educations denied during slavery. Unequal access to funding for Black schools created a financial crisis that threatened the school’s future. In 1871, a group of Fisk students launched a musical tour to raise money for their school. The Fisk Jubilee Singers toured the United States and Europe, and brought Black spirituals to new audiences — and saved an institution devoted to Black learning in the process. The Philanthropy Initiative is made possible by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and David M. Rubenstein, with additional support by the Fidelity Charitable Trustees' Initiative, a grantmaking program of Fidelity Charitable. #GivingTuesday, #GivingTuesday2021, #philanthropy, #becauseofherstory Diorama of Fisk University Jubilee Singers, 1990s, Gift of Diedra J. Bell and Dr. Stephney J. Keyser
  • Planning to pack your Thanksgiving leftovers in Tupperware? If you do, you’ll be packing them in a piece of American history! Earl Tupper invented Tupperware in the late 1940s, transforming a waste product of the oil refining process into flexible, translucent plastic containers with an airtight seal to keep leftovers fresh. But how could he get Americans to trust—and buy—his invention? Brownie Wise had the answer: parties. Wise didn’t create the home party sales model, but she pioneered it for Tupperware. Tupperware parties transformed the company’s reputation and helped drive sales. The parties did more than sell the plastic containers—they offered women (and men) an opportunity to start their own businesses. #Tupperware #TupperwareParty #FoodHistory #BusinessHistory #WomensHistory #AmericanHistory #SmithsonianFood #VintageHome #ObjectProject #Thanksgiving #BecauseOfHerStory
  • Mashed potatoes? Maybe green beans? We can picture this coming fresh out of the oven and eagerly awaiting to find out which delicious #Thanksgiving staple was inside. This 1960s CorningWare casserole dish probably looks familiar—did your family have one? Did you know that CorningWare’s Pyroceram was originally developed for military applications during World War II? Even after the war, it proved to be an effective material for bakeware. Why? The glass-ceramic, non-porous material was capable of withstanding sudden temperature changes; it was also resistant to stains and odors. Then and now, cooks appreciated that the same dish could be used for cooking, freezing, and serving food. This casserole dish was donated to the museum by Mrs. Anne L. Bernat, who received a set of CorningWare dishes as a wedding present in 1967. At the time of the donation in 2011, she was still using them. #AmericanHistory #History #FoodHistory #MilitaryHistory #SmithsonianFood #Corningware #Thanksgiving #VintageKitchen #VintageDish
  • Wampanoag and other Native American communities began marking Thanksgiving as a National Day of Mourning in 1970, to dispel myths that misrepresented their history. The banner refers to the arrest of 25 participants in the 1997 commemoration—arrests courts later deemed wrongful. Our newest exhibition, 'Upending 1620: Where Do We Begin?,' re-examines the familiar story of the English Pilgrims’ arrival in Wampanoag Country more than 400 years ago. On our blog, one of the exhibition's curators explores how untangling history from myth—and learning about the experiences of the Wampanoag and other Native Americans—could give renewed meaning to a national holiday. You can view the blog here: https://s.si.edu/3cCB4uf 📷: Banner, Day of Mourning, Plymouth, Massachusetts, 1998 Gift of United American Indians of New England (UAINE) #NativeAmericanHistoryMonth #NativeAmericanHistory #AmericanHistory

Follow @amhistorymuseum on Instagram.

Our Mission

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

Exhibitions

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

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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

Visit the Museum

The museum is open Friday–Tuesday, 10:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m. All visitors ages two and older are required to wear a face covering. Follow the link to plan your visit.

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.

1620 Display at National Museum of American History Asks “Where Do We Begin?”

A new exhibit challenges preconceptions of the Mayflower landing and offers a nuanced account of the Wampanoag people who encountered the Pilgrims.

Benjamin Franklin’s Pioneering Electrical Work Influenced Today’s Technology

National Museum of American History Commemorates 20th Anniversary of Acquisition of Julia Child’s Kitchen With Virtual Events

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From Our Blog

U.S. map. One large arrow beginning in Jamestown, Virginia cuts through the U.S. South, labeled “God’s Curse Slavery.” Another arrow, starting in Plymouth, Massachusetts, cuts through the U.S. North, labeled “God’s Blessing Liberty.”

Does Thanksgiving have room for both thankfulness and mourning?

Is there room in Americans’ Thanksgiving celebrations for both thankfulness and mourning? That challenging question arose as my colleagues and I took a new look at encounters in the 1600s between English Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people in eastern Massachusetts.
Gordo comic strip. Uncle Mio (wearing a suit and carrying a box of chocolates bouquet of flowers) talks to his nephew, who explains the qualities of different types of flowers. Behind the two figures appear precise, scientific diagrams of flowers.

Gus Arriola and Gordo, agents of Mexican culture

According to Gus Arriola, creator of the comic strip Gordo, “my main goal was to maintain a positive awareness of Mexico through all the years, every day, without being political. When I started [in 1941], words like 'burrito' were unknown in the United States."
Martha Raye in conversation with members of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Raye and the soldiers sit outside on benches.

“Maggie of the Boondocks”: Martha Raye and a lifetime of service to the U.S. Armed Forces

Entertainer Martha Raye's life changed forever when she joined the fledgling United Service Organizations (USO) during World War II. The experience gave Raye a lifelong calling of entertaining and serving the nation’s service personnel in the field.
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