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In Slavery’s Shadow: George Floyd and American Legacies

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John Lewis and Good Trouble

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Contemporary Collecting at Lafayette Square

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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.

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

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

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.

Empty stadiums resonate with history

After months of uncertainty, Major League Baseball will begin a shortened season at Nationals Park in a stadium empty of spectators. This is not the first time baseball has been played to an empty stadium.

John Lewis and Good Trouble

For John Lewis, activism for social change was a communal activity. He believed that people coming together to create a society that they wanted to live in. Creating that community required persistence, optimism, and the willingness to make what he called "good trouble, necessary trouble."

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Director's Message

On the blog
John Lewis and Good Trouble

Museum Statement

Explore History Online