Past Exhibits

Photograph of famous african american soldiers returning home during World War I

Featured Document Display: Summer of 1948: A Step Forward for Equality for all in the U.S. Armed Forces
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On July 26, 1948, President Truman signed Executive Orders 9980 and 9981 ending racial segregation in the federal workforce and in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Anna May Wong Certificate of Identity

Featured Document Display: Celebrating Anna May Wong
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Film legend Anna May Wong’s talent could not be contained by the racist casting of early Hollywood movies.

Vignette of "St. Anthony Comstock, the Village Nuisance" (detail)

Featured Document Display: Vicecapades: 150th Anniversary of the 1873 Comstock Act
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Anthony Comstock (1844–1915), a self-appointed guardian of public morality, successfully lobbied Congress for stricter obscenity laws and secured an appointment as a special agent to the United States Postal Service with broad powers to police the mails.

Willa Brown and Lola Albright

Featured Document Display: The Maker of Pilots: Willa B. Brown
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Aviator Willa Beatrice Brown (1906–92) achieved numerous “firsts” in her lifetime, many of them earned through her tireless advocacy to integrate aviation programs.

Susan B. Anthonk Arrest Order

Featured Document Display: Courting Confrontation: The Arrest of Susan B. Anthony
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On November 5, 1872, Susan B. Anthony and 14 other women were arrested for attempting to vote in Rochester, New York.

HUAC press release listing witnesses, Hollywood Blacklist

Featured Document Display: Remembering the Hollywood 10: Screenwriter Ring Lardner, Jr.
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Early in the Cold War, the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) investigated allegations of Communist activity in the film industry.

Women's Soccer Team celebrates in 2015

Featured Document Display: The 50th Anniversary of Title IX
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The Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act

Mathew Brady photograph of Abraham Lincoln

Featured Document Display: Mathew Brady: A Pioneering Photographer
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Credited by many as the father of photojournalism, Mathew Brady is one of the most important photographers in U.S. history.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with Jackie Robinson on his right, Southern Christian Leadership Conference Convention, 1962

Featured Document Display: Jackie Robinson—Freedom Fighter
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Jackie Robinson was as fierce and determined about fighting injustice as he was about hitting home runs and stealing bases. 

Obama, his daughters, and Jihad Douglas at turkey pardon ceremony, 2015

Featured Document Display: Thanksgiving: Historical Perspectives
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In commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the 1621 harvest celebration, explore some lesser-known perspectives of the federal Thanksgiving holiday.