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The Flag that Inspired the
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American Democracy

A Great Leap of Faith

Many Voices, One Nation

How did we become US?

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Where museum visitors become inventors

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Smithsonian's National Museum of American History

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Screenshot of website for exhibition, "Thomas Jefferson's Bible"

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Young visitors looking at museum objects

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A child experimenting with a historic laundry device

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This Day In History

December 13, 2003

Ousted leader Saddam Hussein, represented in this deck by the ace of spades, is captured by U.S. forces.

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Our Mission

We help people understand the past in order to make sense of the present and shape a more humane future.

Exhibitions

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

Enjoy our latest theater program "Shout!" and be immersed in the sounds of the Carolina and Georgia Lowcountry. In other programs, join a sit-in at the Woolworth lunch counter or meet a 1917 suffragist. Follow the link for scheduled showtimes.

Films in the Warner Bros. Theater

Enjoy a variety of daily short films and special features, including a holiday film series in December. Check the Theater page for showtimes.

Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History Receives Save America’s Treasures Grant

The museum has received a grant from the National Park Service for conserving early sound recordings from Alexander Graham Bell’s Washington, D.C., Volta Laboratory.

Warren Winiarski Receives James Smithson Bicentennial Medal

“Elephants and Us: Considering Extinction” Opens at the Smithsonian

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From Our Blog

Codex costume and staff, as worn by Felicia Day in The Guild

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The Star-Spangled Banner

American Democracy

Many Voices, One Nation

Draper Spark!Lab