Our national parks have partially reopened after being temporarily closed to the public due to COVID-19 restrictions. This reopening comes just in time to celebrate the 100th birthday of Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas. Hot Springs was officially designated a national park on March 4, but its history goes back thousands of years. Over… Read more »
Many of us take a day off from work or classes on the third Monday in January to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This day has been designated a national holiday since 1983, but since 1994 it has also been designated a national day of service. The MLK Day of Service… Read more »
The U.S. federal government response in recent years to matters related to transgender rights has skewed against recognition, dignity, and equality. 2016 started with an onslaught of proposed legislation and public policy measures aimed at negating the basic civil rights of transgender individuals in the United States. These developments have endangered both the physical health… Read more »
During the hot, muggy summer of 1787, a Grand Convention was called together at the Pennsylvania State House (now called Independence Hall) in Philadelphia for the purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation, which had proved a highly unsatisfactory document for holding the United States together during the first 13 years of the young nation’s existence. While waiting… Read more »
One hundred years ago today, at 8:00 a.m. on August 26, 1920, without fanfare, in the privacy of his own home and unseen by the press or the public, Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby formally certified Tennessee’s ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, bringing to a culmination a 72-year, non-violent campaign to… Read more »
For over a hundred years, coloring books have been a popular form of entertainment for children of all ages. Today we’d like to introduce you to the hundreds of coloring books and coloring pages produced by our federal and state governments and made available to the public for free, both in your local depository library… Read more »
June is national Soul Food month, so before we all fry our way into July, we thought we’d highlight a government document soul food source. The term soul food was apparently coined in the 1960s to describe an African American cuisine born in the rural areas of southern states. The distinction between soul food and… Read more »
Lady Bird Johnson was known for the delicious dinners she served, typically prepared by their family cook, Zephyr Wright, who came with them from Texas when they moved to Washington, and continued to serve in the White House as the First Family’s personal chef while LBJ was president. Spoon bread was a family favorite of… Read more »
On April 22, 1970—the first Earth Day—a project conceived by Senator Gaylord Nelson and coordinated by 25-year-old Harvard University student Denis Hayes, sparked a grassroots environmental movement that continues with no loss of passion a half a century later. Every April 22 citizens of over 190 countries throughout the world now take the opportunity to… Read more »
Every year during the month of April, a Presidential Proclamation sets aside one week for Americans to shine a spotlight on our national parks, acknowledge the men and women entrusted with their care, and reaffirm the importance of investing in the stewardship of these national treasures for future generations. This year presents a special challenge…. Read more »
