National Archives Public Programs in September
Press Release · Thursday, August 25, 2022

Washington, DC

In September, the National Archives celebrates Constitution Day (September 17), opens its new All American: The Power of Sports exhibit on September 16 at its DC Museum, and continues offering free public programs at the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC, at Presidential Libraries nationwide, and virtually on the National Archives YouTube Channel. 

NEW EXHIBIT COMING SOON! All American: The Power of Sports
September 16, 2022, through January 7, 2024
Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery, National Archives Museum, Washington, DC
All American investigates the way sports have been used to unite Americans, promote American culture, and open doors to diplomacy. All American will celebrate individual athletes, both legendary and little known, who changed American society and furthered the cause of social justice. All American: The Power of Sports is made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation through the generous support of AT&T, AARP, and Mars, Incorporated. Additional support provided by HISTORY® and the Lawrence F. O’Brien Family. Opening Month support provided by Anheuser-Busch. 

(In Person Only) Music Performance – Sunday Concert Series at the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
Sundays, September 4, 11, 18, and 25, at 2 p.m. PT (doors open at 1:30 p.m.) unless otherwise noted
The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, Yorba Linda, CA

• September 4 - Eric Marchese and Friends Play Ragtime Piano
• September 11 - Remembering 9/11 at 11 a.m. in the East Room
• September 18 - Yuki Moir - Violinist and Min Jun Park - Pianist
• September 28 - Michael Sellers - Pianist

(Virtual Only) Book Talk – Democracy's Data: Hidden Stories in the U.S. Census and How to Read Them
Thursday, September 8, at 1 p.m. ET
Register to attend online; watch on the National Archives YouTube Channel 
Data historian Dan Bouk examines the U.S. Census to uncover the meaning behind the numbers. He introduces us to those hired as door to door census takers and takes us to the Census Bureau, where civil servants work to divide and conquer the nation’s data. Democracy’s Data offers a new perspective on the relationship between representation, identity, and governance today. Joining the author in conversation will be author Maud Newton. See the National Archives 1950 Census resources. Census programming is made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation through the generous support of Denise Gwyn Ferguson.

Programs Celebrating Constitution Day

(Virtual Only) K–12 Educators Workshop – Teaching the Constitution with the National Archives
Thursday, September 8, at 7 p.m. ET
Register online
Get ready for Constitution Day with primary sources, classroom activities, and programs from the National Archives! In this interactive virtual workshop you will explore how to make teaching the Constitution relevant to students’ lives with text analysis activities, primary sources, and online teaching activities on DocsTeach.org. This workshop is suitable for all educators. Presented as part of Civics for All of US, a new education initiative from the National Archives that promotes civic literacy and engagement. 

(Virtual Only) Distance Learning Programs for Students – Civics for All of US
September 12–23, multiple times, ET
View the full schedule and Register online
We’re offering two weeks of live, interactive programs for K–12 students around Constitution Day, presented as part of Civics for All of US, the national civic education initiative of the National Archives. The 30-minute webinars use primary sources to explore the big ideas of the Constitution. Each program is led by one of our educators located at National Archives sites, the Center for Legislative Archives, and Presidential Libraries across the country.

(In Person Only) Book Talk – Roosevelt Sweeps Nation
Tuesday, September 13, at 6 p.m. ET
Register online for in-person attendance
The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, Hyde Park, NY
The FDR Library presents, “Roosevelt Sweeps Nation: A Conversation & Book Signing with David Pietrusza," in the Henry A. Wallace Center. Pietrusza will discuss his new book, Roosevelt Sweeps Nation: FDR’s 1936 Landslide and the Triumph of the Liberal Ideal. 

(Virtual Only) Ike’s Book Club –  Stagecoach by Earnest Haycox, book discussion led by Randee Baty
Tuesday, September 13, at 7 p.m CT
Register to attend online
The Dwight Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, Abilene, KS
Join the Eisenhower Library for Ike's Book Club, where this year we will read and discuss various books about leadership. These programs are made possible courtesy of the Eisenhower Foundation with generous support from the Jeffcoat Memorial Foundation.

(Virtual Only) Young Learners Program – Meet John Adams
Thursday, September 15 at 11.a.m. ET
Register to attend online; watch on the National Archives YouTube Channel 
In this Young Learners Program, John Adams, founding father and second President of the United States, will share his “thoughts on government,” his drafting of the Massachusetts State Constitution—the world’s oldest functioning constitution—and how it compares to the U.S. Constitution.

(Virtual Only) Book Talk – From Independence to the U.S. Constitution: Reconsidering the Critical Period of American History
Thursday, September 15, at 1 p.m. ET
Register to attend online; watch on the National Archives YouTube Channel 
The years between the end of the American Revolution in 1783 and the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1789 have been described as either the best of times or the worst of times. While some historians have celebrated the achievement of the Constitutional Convention, described as saving the Revolution, others have argued that the Constitution’s framers put an end to the liberating tendencies of the Revolution. How did the pre-Constitution, post-independence United States work? What were the possibilities and the tremendous opportunities? Editors Douglas Bradburn and Christopher R. Pearl examine this critical period and the pivotal decade that followed. 

(In Person and Virtual) Book Talk – Equality and the Constitution: A Conversation & Book Signing with Kermit Roosevelt III and John Q. Barrett
Tuesday, September 17, at 2 p.m. ET
Register in advance for in-person attendance; watch livestream on FDR Library’s YouTube, Twitter and Facebook accounts
The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, Hyde Park, NY
St. John’s University law professor and Library Trustee John Q. Barrett and University of Pennsylvania Professor of Constitutional Law Kermit Roosevelt III will discuss how the "standard story" of the origin and development of American values has helped—or hindered—the nation's journey toward a more universal equality for all Americans. Following the program, Roosevelt will sign copies of his new book, The Nation That Never Was: Reconstructing America’s Story.

(In Person and Virtual) Historical Reenactor – Meet George Washington
Tuesday, September 20, at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m CT
Register in advance
The George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, College Station, TX
The Bush Museum Storytellers Guild proudly hosts historical impressionist Peter M. Small as President George Washington. Hear from the George Washington impressionist as he shares historical milestones from George Washington’s life such as the development of the Constitution and its checks and balances, challenges facing President Washington, and precedents he set to make the new government succeed.

(In Person Only) Book Talk – Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution
Tuesday, September 20, at 7 p.m. ET
Register in advance to attend in person
The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, Atlanta, GA
From the bestselling author of The Storm Before the Storm and host of the “Revolutions” podcast comes the thrilling story of the Marquis de Lafayette’s lifelong quest to defend the principles of liberty and equality. The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and A Cappella Books welcome author Mike Duncan for a discussion of his book Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution on Tuesday, September 20, at 7 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. Capacity is limited.

(Virtual Only) “All American” Exhibit Opening Program –  Major League Rebels: Baseball Battles Over Workers’ Rights and American Empire with Peter Dreier
Wednesday, September 21, at 1 p.m. ET
Register to attend online; watch on the National Archives YouTube Channel
We celebrate the opening of our All American: The Power of Sports exhibit with this special program. Athletes have often used their platform to respond to and protest injustices, from Muhammad Ali and Colin Kaepernick to Billie Jean King and Megan Rapinoe. Compared to their counterparts, baseball players have often been more cautious about speaking out on controversial issues; but throughout the sport’s history, there have been many players who were willing to stand up and fight for what was right. In Major League Rebels, authors Robert Elias and Peter Dreier share a history of the baseball reformers and revolutionaries who challenged their sport and society—and in turn helped change America. Dreier will discuss a little-known yet important history of rebellion among professional ballplayers. These reformers took inspiration from the country’s dissenters and progressive movements, speaking and acting against abuses within their profession and their country. Learn about the courageous players who demanded better working conditions, battled against corporate power, and challenged America’s unjust wars, imperialism, and foreign policies. All American: The Power of Sports is made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation through the generous support of AT&T, AARP, and Mars, Incorporated. Additional support provided by HISTORY® and the Lawrence F. O’Brien Family. Opening Month support provided by Anheuser-Busch. 

(In Person and Virtual) Eisenhower Library Lunch & Learn: Dr. Chester Pach
Thursday, September 22, at noon CT
Register online
The Dwight Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, Abilene, KS
Chester Pach is associate professor in the Department of History at the Ohio University. He specializes in the history of U.S. foreign relations and recent U.S. history. His research has focused on U.S. involvement in the Cold War and the Vietnam War as well as the Eisenhower, Johnson, and Reagan Presidencies. The 2022 program theme is “Dwight Eisenhower: The Making of a Leader” and focuses on family, military, Presidency, and mentorship.

(In Person Only) Bush Presidential Library Summer Film Series – The Princess and the Frog
Friday September 23, at 7 p.m. CT
Register online
The George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, College Station, TX
Our final 2022 Summer Film Series will be The Princess and the Frog. This musical film was released in 2009 by Walt Disney Pictures.

(Virtual Only)  Book Talk – Need to Know: World War II and the Rise of American Intelligence
Wednesday, September 28, at 1 p.m. ET
Register to attend online; watch on the National Archives YouTube Channel 
Historian and former CIA officer Nicholas Reynolds uncovers the definitive history of American intelligence during World War II, illuminating its key role in securing victory. The author describes how the vast modern American intelligence system can be traced back to the dire straits that Britain faced at the end of June 1940. Before World War II, the U.S. had no organization to recruit spies or launch secret campaigns against enemies overseas. It was only through Winston Churchill’s determination to mobilize U.S. help in the fight against Hitler that the first American spy service was born. In Need to Know, the author explores the birth and growth of modern American intelligence and combines little-known history and gripping spy stories to analyze the American codebreakers’ and spies’ contributions to Allied victory and other conflicts to come. Joining the author in conversation will be Mark Bradley, Director of the Information Security Oversight Office, National Archives and Records Administration.

(Virtual & In Person) Panel Discussion – Poise, Professionalism, and a Little Luck: The Cuban Missile Crisis 1962 
Thursday, September 29, noon ET
William G. McGowan Theater, National Archives Building, Washington, DC
Register to attend online or in person; watch on the National Archives YouTube Channel 
In collaboration with the Army War College and the Naval Historical Center, we present a panel discussion that will illustrate how the history of the Cuban Missile Crisis has changed as new sources of previously classified information have been released in the 60 years since the crisis. Moderated by Jeff Hawks, Education Director at Army Heritage Center Foundation, the panel will include Steven M. Bye, U.S .Army War College, Dr. Frank Jones, U.S. Army War College (retired), and Curtis A. Utz, Naval Historical Center and author of Cordon of Steel: The U.S. Navy and the Cuban Missile Crisis.