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May 2013
Washington, DC, Area Events

Program Highlights

• Jewish American Heritage Month with Gerda Weissmann Klein
  Holocaust survivor Gerda Weissman Klein comes for a screening of the Academy Award–winning documentary One Survivor Remembers. (May 9)
• Congress and the White House
  Former Members of Congress will discuss how the White House and Congress can work together. (May 15)
• “Searching for the Seventies”
  Jimmy Walker discusses his memoir, Dynomite!: Good Times, Bad Times, Our Times (May 3); and revisit The Mary Tyler Moore Show with the author of Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted. (May 20)
• Archives Jeopardy!
  Test your historical knowledge and win prizes at this year’s edition of Archives Jeopardy! (May 21)
• Oscar’s Docs: American Stories from the 1970s
  Watch classic Oscar®-nominated documentaries from the 1970s (May 30 and 31)
• Noontime Lectures
  Hear the authors of The Knights of the Golden Circle (May 1); Strange Rebels: 1979 and the Birth of the 21st Century (May 10); Sick from Freedom: African-American Illness and Suffering during the Civil War and Reconstruction (May 17); The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944–1945 (May 22)
• Know Your Records
  Get started with the Introduction to Genealogy workshop (May 1); go “Beyond the Basics” to learn about Civil War court-martial records (May 15) and the nonpopulation records (May 18); or look for the next step at the “Help! I’m Stuck” clinic (May 18).

Wednesday, May 1, at 11 a.m.
Room G-25, Research Center (Penn. Ave. Entrance)
Introduction to Genealogy at the National Archives
Learn how to do basic genealogical research using Federal records at the National Archives. Lectures take place on the first Wednesday of the month.

Wednesday, May 1, at noon
William G. McGowan Theater
Knights of the Golden Circle: Secret Empire, Southern Secession, Civil War
The Knights of the Golden Circle was a secret Southern society that sought to establish a slave-holding empire in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America and was involved in the secessionist movement. David C. Keehn provides the first comprehensive analysis of the society and how they carried out clandestine actions to support the southern cause. Even with the war all but lost, various Knights supported one of its members, John Wilkes Booth, in his plot to assassinate President Lincoln. A book signing will follow the program.

Friday, May 3, at noon
William G. McGowan Theater
Dynomite!: Good Times, Bad Times, Our Times—A Memoir
Jimmie Walker got his start performing comedy in small clubs, and ultimately became a 1970s icon playing J.J. Evans on Good Times. Walker was the first successful young black sitcom star, and his catchphrase—“Dyn-o-mite!”—remains an indicator of the era. In Dynomite!, Walker talks candidly about his rise and the tensions on the set of Good Times that contradict the show’s image of a close-knit blue-collar family. A book signing will follow the program. The program will be webcast live (and immediately archived) on the National Archives UStream channel [http://www.ustream.tv/usnationalarchives].

Thursday, May 9, at 7 p.m.
William G. McGowan Theater
A Conversation with Gerda Weissmann Klein
Gerda Weissmann Klein captivates audiences worldwide with her powerful message of hope, inspiration, love, and humanity. In commemoration of Jewish American Heritage month, we will show the Academy Award–winning HBO documentary of her life, One Survivor Remembers (40 min.), and then the celebrated author, 2010 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and Holocaust survivor will discuss the film after the screening. Joining Mrs. Klein in discussion will be Charles C. Haynes, Director of the Religious Freedom Education Project. Presented in partnership with Citizenship Counts, the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington and the Newseum’s Religious Freedom Education Project. A book signing of All But My Life: A Memoir will follow the program.

Friday, May 10, at noon
William G. McGowan Theater
Strange Rebels: 1979 and the Birth of the 21st Century
Few moments in history have seen as many seismic transformations as 1979. That year marked the emergence of revolutionary Islam as a political force, the beginning of market revolutions that would radically alter the international economy, and the first stirrings of the resistance movements that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Christian Caryl shows how the world we live in today began to take shape in this pivotal year. A book signing will follow the program.

Wednesday, May 15, at 11 a.m.
Room G-25, Research Center (Penn. Ave. Entrance)
“Beyond the Basics” Genealogy: Civil War Courts-Martial
Increase your archival research skills at the National Archives with a lecture on Civil War court-martial records by archives specialist Timothy Syzek (all skill levels welcome).

Wednesday, May 15, at 7 p.m.
William G. McGowan Theater
Congress and the White House: Partners or Foes?
Former Members of Congress will discuss how the White House and Congress can work together. They will explore how the two branches interacted in the past to try to solve our nation’s biggest problems. Anecdotal evidence of bipartisanship and common ground will lead to a focus on today’s challenges. Moderated by Peter Cook, Bloomberg TV’s chief Washington correspondent, panelists include former members of Congress Steve LaTourette (R-OH), Vic Fazio (D-CA), Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), and Senator Larry Pressler (R-SD). Presented in partnership with U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress.

Friday, May 17, at noon
William G. McGowan Theater
Sick from Freedom: African-American Illness and Suffering during the Civil War and Reconstruction
Freedmen who fled from slavery during and after the Civil War did not expect that their flight toward freedom would lead to sickness, disease, and death. As Jim Downs reveals in Sick from Freedom, the war produced the largest biological crisis of the 19th century. A book signing will follow the program.

Saturday, May 18, at 10 a.m.
Room G-25, Research Center (Penn. Ave. Entrance)
“Beyond the Basics” Genealogy: Nonpopulation Census Records
Claire Kluskens will show you how to better understand our ancestors’ lives from information in the 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 census schedules of agriculture, industry, mortality, and social statistics, as well as the 1935 census of business.

Saturday, May 18, at noon–4 p.m.
Room G-25, Research Center (Penn. Ave. Entrance)
“Help! I’m Stuck” Genealogy Clinic
Answers to your genealogy research questions are available in 20-minute appointments with an archivist. Sign up at the Research Commons desk on Saturday.

Monday, May 20, at noon
William G. McGowan Theater
Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted
Jennifer Armstrong tells the story of the making of a classic and groundbreaking TV show. As the first situation comedy to employ numerous women as writers and producers, The Mary Tyler Moore Show became a guiding light for women in the 1970s and helped increase involvement, responsibility, and visibility of women in future television programs. A book signing will follow the program.

Tuesday, May 21, at noon
William G. McGowan Theater
The Return of Archives Jeopardy!
Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero hosts another edition of Archives Jeopardy! Audience members will be selected to test their historical knowledge and win prizes.

Wednesday, May 22, at noon
William G. McGowan Theater
The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944–1945
The Guns at Last Light, the conclusion to Rick Atkinson’s Liberation Trilogy about the battle for Western Europe during World War II, describes the final campaign of the European war, from D-day to Germany’s surrender. A book signing will follow the program.

Thursday, May 30, at 7 p.m.
William G. McGowan Theater
Oscar’s Docs: American Stories from the 1970s
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, in partnership with the Charles Guggenheim Center for Documentary Film and the Foundation for the National Archives, presents classic Oscar®-nominated documentaries from the 1970s preserved by the Academy Film Archive. Princeton: A Search for Answers (1973; 28 minutes), profiles the prestigious university. Directed by Julian Krainin and DeWitt Sage. Marjoe (1972; 88 minutes; rated PG) is a revealing portrait of former child evangelist and faith healer Marjoe Gortner. Directed by Howard Smith and Sarah Kernochan. The screening will be introduced by Larry Engel, documentary filmmaker and associate professor of Film and Media Arts, The American University.

Friday, May 31, at noon
William G. McGowan Theater
Oscar’s Docs: American Stories from the 1970s
The Flight of the Gossamer Condor (1978; 27 minutes), chronicles the historic flight of the first human-powered flying machine. Directed by Ben Shedd. The Great American Cowboy  (1973; 89 minutes) goes behind the scenes at the American Rodeo. Directed by Keith Merrill. The screening will be introduced by Larry Engel, documentary filmmaker and associate professor of Film and Media Arts, The American University.

Exhibitions

Permanent Exhibits

Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom

• Declaration of Independence
• Constitution
• Bill of Rights

“The Charters of Freedom: Our Nation’s Founding Documents” takes a fresh look at the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Using historical documents from the holdings of the National Archives, we answer two key questions about the Charters: “How did they happen?” and “Why are they important?” This Rotunda exhibit also touches on the roles played by women and slaves in the Revolutionary War. Don’t miss the remarkable story of Elizabeth Burgin’s heroic role in a successful plot to free soldiers from British prison ships.

“The Public Vaults” invites visitors into virtual stack areas to discover historic documents, films, maps, and photographs from the National Archives. In interactive displays, visitors may hear Presidents discuss some of the country’s greatest challenges, step into the boots of soldiers on the front lines, or follow an investigation of the sinking of the Titanic.

A special display celebrating President Nixon's centennial features artifacts related to the Apollo 11 mission and the original U.S./Soviet agreement of cooperation.

A rare print on parchment of the Declaration of Independence—made from the original copperplate engraved by William J. Stone in 1823—is on display for a limited time. Courtesy of David M. Rubenstein.

This year’s featured adventurer in “Polar Exploration” is Marie Peary Stafford, the daughter of explorer Robert E. Peary, who was born and spent the first months of her life in Greenland.

Magna Carta Display
The 1297 Magna Carta’s new interactive display allows visitors to closely examine the document, generate a translation from the original Latin, and discover the connections between Magna Carta and American history. The 1297 Magna Carta is on loan to the National Archives from David M. Rubenstein. West Rotunda Gallery

Special Exhibition in Washington, DC

“Searching for the Seventies” Exhibit Opening
Bad fashion, odd fads, and disco dance music sum up the 1970s for many Americans. We contrast those years to the politically committed 1960s and economically booming 1980s. But the1970s were much more than leisure suits, streaking, and disco. During the seventies, profound changes took root in our politics, society, environment, and economy.

Take a new look at the decade through the lens of a Federal photography project called Project DOCUMERICA. Created by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1971, DOCUMERICA was born out of the decade’s environmental awakening. The photographers hired by the EPA took thousands of color photographs depicting pollution, waste, and blight, but they were given the freedom to also capture the era’s trends, fashions, and cultural shifts. Through September 8, 2013, Lawrence F. O'Brien Gallery

Special Exhibition in College Park, Maryland

Auditorium Lobby at the National Archives Research Center:

"The Long View" features digitally produced facsimiles of historic panoramic photographs from the Still Picture holdings.

The exhibit not only showcases the wide variety of panoramic techniques, but also includes National Archives records such as cartographic maps and patent drawings that relate to the photographs. Thirty-four panoramas and other records are on display and span the period from 1864 to 1997.
See more panoramas online

Online Exhibits

Dozens of exhibits can be experienced online. Visit Now!

To the Brink: JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis
An exhibit marking the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis..

“What’s Cooking, Uncle Sam?”
Unearth the stories and personalities behind the increasingly complex programs and legislation that affect what we eat. Learn about the Government’s extraordinary efforts, successes, and failures to change our eating habits. Find out why the Government wanted us to “Eat the Carp,” “Share the Meat,” and “Know Our Onions.” There are over 100 original records in the exhibit—including folk songs, war posters, educational films, and even seed packets. From Revolutionary War rations to Cold War cultural exchanges, discover the multiple ways that food has occupied the hearts and minds of Americans and their Government.
Online exhibit

Discovering the Civil War
Unlock secrets, solve mysteries, and uncover unexpected events in this most extensive display ever assembled from the incomparable Civil War holdings of the National Archives.
Online exhibit

Eyewitness:  American Originals from the National Archives
Drawing on rarely displayed documents, audio recordings, and film footage culled from the extensive holdings of the National Archives and its Presidential libraries, "Eyewitness" features first-person accounts of watershed moments in history. Online exhibit

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