Home | National Museum of American History

Entertainment Nation / Nación del Espectáculo

Now on view in our Culture Wing

Discovery and Revelation

Religion, Science, and Making Sense of Things
On view through April 30

American Democracy

A Great Leap of Faith

¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States

A new exhibition from the National Museum of the American Latino

Smithsonian’s History Explorer

Online resources for teachers

Smithsonian's National Museum of American History

An assortment of museum objects in a drawer

Collections

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

Online Resources

At the Museum

Online Resources

Young visitors looking at museum objects

Visit the Museum

Stay Connected

A child experimenting with a historic laundry device

At the Museum

At Home

Games & Activities

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.

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

Visit the Museum

We're open every day from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is free and no tickets are required.

Smithsonian Jazz: Jazzed About Art

Kick off Jazz Appreciation Month with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra as they offer a program filled with rhythm, texture, and color, showcasing the work of prominent 20th–century visual artists. April 1, 7 p.m. Tickets required.

Jazz Appreciation Month

JAM with us in April! Visit the museum's Jazz site to download a poster and check out many jazz-related resources.

Smithsonian Adds Collections From Lillian Vernon, Kitchen Table Entrepreneur

The donation to the museum during Women's History Month highlights Vernon's business acumen and achievement.

Linda Alvarado, Julie Flynn and Teuila Hanson Join Museum Board

Catholic University Architecture Students and Smithsonian Partner on Rebuilding Iconic Geodesic Dome Structure Inside the National Museum of American History

See full events calendar
See more news items

From Our Blog

Woodblock of four coffins. The black coffins appear side by side, and they are each decorated with a skull and crossbones. Each includes the unique individuals of a Bostonian killed during the Boston Massacre; one also includes a sickle and an hourglass.

Comparing coffins, remembering the Boston Massacre

On March 5, 1770, a group of British soldiers open fired into a group of Boston citizens, killing five. Since 1770, Americans’ understanding of the massacre has been shaped by the images created by engraver Paul Revere.

A colorful square sticker with various messages, including “Be Kind” and “Stay 6 Feet Behind.”

Artistic inspiration in the face of a pandemic

As part of the museum’s initiative to document COVID-19, the Graphic Arts Collection acquired a group of artistic works that were produced in reaction to the pandemic and intertwined events. These works were produced by printers and printmakers living across the United States.

Cards with visitor messages, which range from "Like most girls in my generation, I babysat as soon as I turned 10" to "Only babysitting. I hated it."

What does babysitting mean to girls? It's complicated.

The Talk Back section of Girlhood provides a forum for visitors to share candid reactions and personal stories. One common theme that emerged was babysitting. Many girls’ first experiences of work involve caring for younger children.

Jill Biden’s ensemble from the 2021 inauguration's swearing-in ceremony. The ensemble’s dress, and coat are ocean blue. The tweed dress’s neckline is decorated with Swarovski pearls and crystals.

New dresses, new traditions: Jill Biden’s inaugural ensembles go on view

Today first lady Jill Biden came to our museum to present her inaugural ensembles to the national collection and see them placed on exhibition. The addition of these dresses to the national collection is part of an ongoing tradition—one that millions of people experience every year in our exhibition The First Ladies.

Donate Button

Entertainment Nation / Nación del Espectáculo

Discovery and Revelation

American Democracy

¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States