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The museum is open Fridays through Tuesdays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free timed-entry passes are required. Review our latest visitor safety guidelines.

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

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

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

Museum Reopens to the Public

Learn about our new visitor guidelines, including free timed-entry passes for all visitors.

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.

“Girlhood (It’s Complicated)” Opens at National Museum of American History

Our new exhibition, opening Oct. 9, showcases how girls have been on the frontlines of change and how they have made an impact on all aspects of American life.

Essential and expendable: The rise of agricultural labor and the United Farm Workers

Until the successes of the United Farm Workers (UFW) in the 1960s, agriculture was one of the last industries to hold out on unionization due to social and legal obstacles. Workers and organizers faced uneven legal protection; isolation; prejudice; reliance on imported, exploitable workers; and opposition from state and federal officials who either represented agribusiness or were themselves major agricultural landowners.

The artistry behind a baseball bat

In baseball, it all comes down to the batter. Will they be the hero, or be faulted for the team’s loss? Will they hit a home run or strike out? We think about the person behind the plate, but do we consider the artistry behind the bat itself?

The monument that created Columbus

In October 1792, the United States of America was still a new country, not even a decade old, fresh from a complete government overhaul just four years earlier. With only one federal election by that point, and one president, it was a nation long on ambition, but short on history.

Five things to listen for during a presidential debate

Presidential debates first became part of the campaign landscape when John Kennedy and Richard Nixon sat across from each other in 1960. It took a few years for them to become standardized, but now debates are one of the most anticipated events of every campaign.

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Creating Icons: How We Remember Woman Suffrage

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“Girlhood (It’s Complicated)” Opens at National Museum of American History

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Statement on Efforts to Collect Objects at Lafayette Square

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Essential and expendable: The rise of agricultural labor and the United Farm Workers

The artistry behind a baseball bat

The monument that created Columbus

Five things to listen for during a presidential debate

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We're Open!

Girlhood(It's complicated)

Creating Icons: How We Remember Woman Suffrage

Explore History Online

Smithsonian’s History Explorer

Collections

Online Resources

At the Museum

Online Resources

Visit the Museum

Stay Connected

At the Museum

At Home

Games & Activities

American History on Instagram

News and Events

From Our Blog

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Girlhood
(It's complicated)