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...
"Where Two Waters Come Together": The Confluence of Black and Indigenous History at Bdote
Minnesota doesn’t typically come to mind when you think about slavery and the Civil War. It’s also not a place that’s figured into the...
The impact of the Transcontinental Railroad on Native Americans
The Transcontinental Railroad was completed 150 years ago, in 1869. In 1800s America, some saw the railroad as a symbol of modernity and...

Blog Posts in "Agricultural History"

A woman delivers a presentation in front of a large group of seated people. The stage is filled with various electrical appliances, as well as a large banner with the text, "Electricity, your helper, convenient, safe, economical," as well as as a smaller poster titled "Electric Cooking ABCs."
Refrigerators and women’s empowerment: The “peaceful revolution” of rural electrification
Louisan Mamer, known as the First Lady of the REA, spearheaded the expansion of women’s roles in business and leadership through her work...
Jessica Govea
How one girl helped build a Latinx civil rights movement
As a little girl, Jessica Govea had become accustomed to rising early and making her way to the fields with her family. During the cotton...
Boycott Grapes button
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...
The hidden tractor
The National Museum of American History has a staggering 1.8 million objects in the collections. It isn’t possible for one person to know...
The top of a green wine bottle.
Grape gluts and Mother Clones: Prohibition and American wine
Congress passed the National Prohibition Act in January 1919, and a year later, Americans were barred from making, transporting, selling,...
A woman with styled hair leans out a window.
The case of Luisa Moreno
In my first week as a curator at the National Museum of American History, I made a list of women I wished were present in the museum's...
A red tractor
These tractors show 150 years of farming history
2018 is the Year of the Tractor at the museum. Curator Peter Liebhold explored gems of the museum's tractor collection and what they can...
On the left there is a box with bright green and red packaging. On the right there are two vials with the same red and green packaging as the box.
Healthy hogs for a healthy nation
Antibodies are always looking out for us, and this week we're taking a closer look at them. This is the fourth post in our Antibodies Week...
Against a blank white background, a white corduroy jacket with with an insignia on the left breast and stitching on the right
Coming of age: Young women and the FFA
High school can be a challenging time for teens. Much as they do today, young men and women throughout the 20th century wrestled with...
Photograph of wooden box. The box has a wooden handle in the middle and a space for tools. Inside, there are two tools.
Deep family roots: Mexican American stories from California vineyards
I am standing in the kitchen of Amelia Ceja, owner of Ceja Vineyards, and watching her stir a big bubbling pot of caldo, or chicken...
During the "Innovative Lives" event, curator Peter Liebhold (left) interviewed scientists Mary-Dell Chilton (center) and Robert Fraley (right).
Pioneers of agriculture reflect on the genetically-engineered revolution
The fall of 2016 was an important milestone in the history of agriculture—the 20-year anniversary of the first large-scale harvest of a...
Wizard of Oz, 1900
Populism and the World of Oz
Update: Thanks to you, our Kickstarter campaign to "Keep Them Ruby" was a success and we have the support we need to conserve and display...
Black and white photo: Two men in wine field with mountains in background.
Potable quotables on the 40th anniversary of the Paris Tasting
American wine aficionados know the Judgment of Paris or Paris Tasting as the transformative tasting held in Paris on May 24, 1976, where 12...
Black and white photo of woman smiling in front of sign that says "What makes good lighting" and a model of a house
Power from the people: Rural Electrification brought more than lights
Imagine your daily life without electricity. Cooking and heating clothes irons on wood stoves, pumping water by hand, reading and working...
Photograph of an America Online installation disk, 1990s
6 surprising objects in the history of the Internet
On June 11, 2015, we present America Now, a nationwide celebration of America's innovative spirit. As part of the day's festivities,...
Photograph of William Ramsey's ledger
Baddledors, twig whips, and yards of thunder and lightning: Decoding a colonial ledger
Several years ago, Dr. Ann Smart Martin and I met at a conference and discovered our mutual interest in making eighteen and nineteenth-...
Jimmy Carter's FFA jacket, front and back
The search is over! Smithsonian announces the five FFA jacket donors
What do a former U.S. president, a spotted hog raiser, two former teachers, and a librarian have in common? They're all FFA (formerly known...
In a black-and-white photo, a child prunes a cotton plant
Smithsonian discovers moving stories of agricultural education in search for FFA jacket
We recently asked for your help in collecting an FFA (Future Farmers of America) jacket with a great personal story—and you came through!...
24 members of Future Farmers of America sit with their backs turned to the camera to show off their logo jackets
Smithsonian curator seeks one storied FFA jacket
Note: the jacket search is complete. Thank you for sharing your love of youth agricultural education with us. See this post to learn about...
Memorabilia and awards from the FFA
Tell us your agricultural education story
Please note: This project has concluded, we are not accepting new stories at this time.If you were a member of FFA, 4-H, or other...
White button that says "I'd rather be farming" in black text with the image of a tractor
From dirt to dinner: How agriculture history influences American lives
Soil is more than just dirt; it affects all of the foods we eat. But why is this really a conversation about history and why are we talking...
When bringing the farm to the school, a key ingredient is community support
This Thursday's Food in the Garden program asks a challenging question: "Can gardening change the world?" Intern Heather Olsen...
Family photo with over 30 members, black and white
Smithsonian Secretary has agricultural roots
American agriculture has changed dramatically since World War II, affecting many aspects of American life. Curator Peter Liebhold has been...
A woman in a photograph drives a red farm machine on a hill in the countryside. She looks at the camera, wearing a baseball cap and denim shirt. Strapped to her back is a baby who looks at the camera suspiciously.
Personal stories are key in telling the story of agricultural innovation
American agriculture has changed dramatically since World War II, impacting many aspects of American life. Curator Peter Liebhold has been...
Telling the story of agricultural change in America, with your help
The way Americans grow food and other agricultural products has changed a lot in the last 70 years. Curator Peter Liebhold answered...