Records of Rights
Permanent Exhibit
Explore how generations of Americans sought to fulfill the promise of the founding documents.

Power & Light: Russell Lee's Coal Survey

Russell Lee’s 1946 coal survey photographs tell the story of laborers who helped build the nation, of a moment when the government took stock of their health and safety, and of a photographer who recognized their humanity.

Road to Revolution

Road to Revolution is a series of displays highlighting National Archives records that document the journey from colonial resistance to American independence and the diverse experiences of the nation’s founding generation.

Featured Document Display: A President Resigns - 50 Years Later

During the night of June 17, 1972, five burglars broke into the offices of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate office complex in Washington, DC.

Featured Document Display: Sylvia Mendez and the Struggle for Mexican American Civil Rights

Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez moved to Orange County, California, with their children Sylvia, Gonzalo Jr., and Jerome in 1944. When they tried to enroll in the majority-white school near their home, they were instead sent to a segregated school for Hispanic students.