National Archives Public Programs in October
Press Release · Tuesday, October 4, 2022

Washington, DC

In October, the National Archives continues offering free public programs at the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC, and at Presidential Libraries nationwide, in person and online on the National Archives YouTube Channel. 

(In Person & Online) Lecture Series – Becoming America: How We Gained and Secured Freedom and Self-Government
View full schedule online, Tuesdays at 6 p.m. PT
Watch the videos on the Nixon Library’s YouTube channel
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, Yorba Linda, CA
October
4: “A New Constitution for a More Perfect Union” Jo Ellen Chatham
11: “Ratifying the New Constitution: Why Did Patriot Pat Henry Oppose Ratification?” Bryan Santin
18: “The First Congress: Inventing a New Government” Jo Ellen Chatham
In this lecture series, we will reflect on our history as a nation with an overview of our founding documents. The theme in October will be “From British America to the United States of America.” The series, including a short Q&A session with the speaker, will be hosted at the Nixon Library from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. (PT), through Tuesday, February 28. For a full list of lectures, please visit Nixon Library's website.                     

*(Online Only) Book Talk – Fierce and Fearless: Patsy Takemoto Mink, First Woman of Color in Congress
Thursday, October 6, at 1 p.m. ET
Watch on the National Archives YouTube Channel
Authors Judy Tzu-Chun Wu and Gwendolyn Mink discuss Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first woman of color and the first Asian American woman elected to Congress. Fierce and Fearless is the first biography of this remarkable woman, who first won election to Congress in 1964 and went on to serve in the House for 24 years, her final term ending with her death in 2002. An advocate for girls and women, Mink was best known for her work shepherding and defending Title IX, the legislation that changed the face of education in America, making it possible for girls and women to more fully participate in school sports.

(In Person Only) Cocktails & Civics – A Toast To Jimmy Carter’s 98 Years|
Thursday, October 6, at 6:30 p.m. ET
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, Atlanta, GA
Register online
Join the Carter Presidential Library & Museum, Made By Us, and Atlanta History Center for a fun-filled night as we celebrate our 39th President’s 98th birthday in style. While President Carter will not be in attendance, we’ll provide postcards and the opportunity to record video messages to send our warmest birthday wishes to President Carter down in Plains, GA, after the event. Guests are also invited to participate in a fun game of civics-themed trivia to mark the occasion. This event is free, with drinks and food available for purchase.

(In Person Only) Music Performances – Sunday Concert Series at the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
Sundays, October 9, 16, 23, and 30, at 2 p.m. PT (doors open at 1:30 p.m.)
The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, Yorba Linda, CA
9:  Christa Stevens - Soprano Vocalist and Milos Velijkovic - Pianist
16:  Eric Marchese and Friends Play Ragtime Piano
23:  Eva Polgar - Pianist
30:  Darrin Blumfield - Pianist    

(In Person Only) Homeschool Day
Monday, October 10, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. CT
Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum in Austin, TX
Registration is required
The Library will open its doors to homeschool students and instructors for exploration of the museum exhibits, special activities for all ages, and story time. Registration is required, but admission is free for students who are registered. One adult chaperone is required for every eight students and will be admitted free of charge; additional adult chaperones will be charged an admission fee of $3.50 each. 

(In Person Only) Book Talk – Tell It True by John Pruitt
Monday, October 10 at 7 p.m. ET
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, Atlanta, GA
Tell It True is veteran journalist John Pruitt's historical novel based on his experiences over 50 years as a television news reporter and anchor in Atlanta, GA. 

(Online Only) Book Talk – Russia: Revolution and Civil War 1917–1921 with Sir Antony Beevor
Tuesday, October 11, at noon E.T. 
Register online
In a virtual event hosted by the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, historian Sir Antony Beevor will discuss his new book, Russia: Revolution and Civil War. Using up-to-date scholarship and new archival research, Sir Antony will take us back to 1917, when the collapse of the tsarist empire ignited a devastating struggle in Russia.

(In Person Only) Rose Garden Ceremony & Birthday Cake – Eleanor Roosevelt's Birthday
Tuesday, October 11, at 3 p.m. ET 
Rose Garden at the Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site and the Henry A. Wallace Center at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, Hyde Park, NY
The National Park Service will hold a Rose Garden ceremony to commemorate Eleanor Roosevelt’s birthday. Following the ceremony, the FDR Presidential Library will invite visitors to the Wallace Center for birthday cake and refreshments. 

(Online Only) Lecture – October Evenings at Ease Program
Tuesday, October 11, at 7 p.m. CT 
Watch on the Eisenhower Library YouTube Channel
Emily Smith will join the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum for October’s Evenings at Ease program to discuss Leadership Communications. The program is made possible courtesy of the Eisenhower Foundation with generous support from the Jeffcoat Memorial Foundation.

(In Person & Online) Presentation – Safari in South Africa
Wednesday, October 12, at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 1:30 p.m. CT
For reservations, contact bush.education@nara.gov or call 979-691-4006
Annenberg Presidential Conference Center at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, College Station, TX
An interactive program to discover the land, animals, and other wonders of South Africa. Join Storyteller Cyndi Owens, Blinn History Professor, on a virtual safari to explore the wild and unique beauty of South Africa.

The virtual safari will take you through Kruger National Park, which is famous for having all the “big five” of the African varieties of animals. The audience will practice identifying and matching the calls of the animals.

(In Person Only) Book Talk – The Watergate Girl: My Fight for Truth and Justice Against a Criminal President with Jill Wine-Banks
Wednesday, October 12, at 7 p.m. ET 
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, MI
Register online 
Join the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation for a presentation by Jill Wine-Banks. Discussing her book, The Watergate Girl, Wine-Banks will take us inside her trial-by-fire experience as a Watergate prosecutor and will examine the legacy of Watergate 50 years on. The program will be followed by a book signing.

(Online Only) Panel Discussion – Family Histories and Beyond: Investigations in 1950 U.S. Census Sheets
October 13,  at 1 p.m. ET
Register to attend online; watch on the National Archives YouTube Channel 
In April 2022, the manuscript records of the 1950 U.S. census were finally made public. They represent a matchless resource for all who want to know more about their families, communities, and this country. Join a panel of experts from leading libraries across the United States as they show us how these new records can help extend, expand, and enrich the picture we draw from genealogical investigations.

Dan Bouk, author of Democracy’s Data, will moderate a discussion with Elizabeth Hodges from the Genealogy Center, Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, IN; Philip Sutton from the Milstein Division of United States History, Local History & Genealogy at the New York Public Library; and Bob Timmermann from the History & Genealogy Department of the Los Angeles Public Library.

Census programming is made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation through the generous support of Denise Gwyn Ferguson.

(In Person Only) Book Talk - Hostages No More: The Fight for Education Freedom and the Future of the American Child with Betsy DeVos
Thursday, October 13, at 7 p.m. ET 
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, MI
Register online 
Join the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum and the Gerald R. Ford Foundation for an evening with former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. DeVos will discuss her new book, Hostages No More, in which she offers her reflections about working in the Trump administration and shares her thoughts on education reform. The program will be followed by a book signing.

(Online Only) National History Day Webinar – The Film(ed) Frontier 
Thursday, October 13, at 7 p.m. ET 
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, Atlanta, GA
Register online
Want to learn about Motion Pictures resources at the National Archives and see clips of some of our fantastic films? Join us for our free interactive webinar The Film(ed) Frontier. Anyone involved in National History Day—teachers, students, or parents—is welcome to register and attend! The webinar will be based on our article in the 2023 national theme book. 

(Online Only) Book Talk – The Abyss: Nuclear Crisis Cuba 1962
October 14, at 1 p.m. ET 
Register to attend online; watch on the National Archives YouTube Channel  
In The Abyss, Max Hastings turns his focus to one of the most terrifying events of the mid-20th century—the 13 days in October 1962 when the world stood on the brink of nuclear war. Hastings looks at the conflict with fresh eyes, focusing on the people at the heart of the crisis—American President John F. Kennedy, Soviet First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev, Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro, and a host of their advisers. Hastings reveals how the aftermath of this momentous crisis continues to reverberate today.

(Online Only) K–12 Educators Workshop – Teaching About Elections with Political Cartoons from the National Archives
Thursday, October 13, at 7 p.m. ET 
Register online
Discover how classic political cartoons can engage students in studying elections and understanding their role in civic life. Practice techniques for analyzing political cartoons in the classroom and learn about additional resources featuring the work of Clifford K. Berryman and Jim Berryman that are available from the Center for Legislative Archives and the National Archives.

Presented as part of Civics for All of US, a new education initiative from the National Archives that promotes civic literacy and engagement. 

(In Person Only) Animated Documentary Short Screening and Discussion – The Girl with the Rivet Gun
Monday, October 17, at 6 p.m. ET 
Henry A. Wallace Center at The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, Hyde Park, NY
Register for in person attendance
The Roosevelt Library will present an in-person documentary film screening and discussion of The Girl with the Rivet Gun—an animated documentary short film exploring the personal stories of women who went to work to help win World War II. Library Education Director Jeffrey Urbin will lead the discussion with filmmakers Anne de Mare and Kirsten Kelly, producer Elizabeth Hemmerdinger, and animator Danielle Ash.

(Online Only) Book Talk – The First Populist: The Defiant Life of Andrew Jackson
Wednesday, October 19, at 1 p.m. ET
Register to attend online; watch on the National Archives YouTube Channel 
Historian David S. Brown traces President Andrew Jackson’s unusual life and legacy and sheds new light on his place in our nation’s history, focusing on his role as a popular leader. Andrew Jackson rose from rural poverty to become the dominant figure in American politics between Jefferson and Lincoln. A self-defined champion of “farmers, mechanics, and laborers,” Jackson railed against the established ruling order, fostering a brand of democracy that struck a chord with the common man and helped catapult him into the Presidency—he was the first westerner, first orphan, and the only prisoner of war to occupy the office. Presenting a full portrait of a controversial American life, The First Populist offers a new way to interpret Jackson’s legacy, connecting “Old Hickory” to a longer history of division, dissent, and partisanship that has come to define our current times.

(In Person & Online) Book Talk – Show Trial: Hollywood, HUAC, and the Birth of the Blacklist
Thursday, October 20, at noon ET
William G. McGowan Theater, National Archives Museum, Washington, DC
Register to attend; watch on the National Archives YouTube Channel 
In 1947, the Cold War came to Hollywood. Over nine tumultuous days in October, the House Un-American Activities Committee held a notorious round of hearings into alleged Communist subversion in the movie industry. In Show Trial, Thomas Doherty takes us behind the scenes at the first full-on media-political spectacle of the postwar era. He details the theatrical elements of a proceeding that bridged the realms of entertainment and politics, a courtroom drama starring glamorous actors, colorful moguls, on-the-make congressmen, high-priced lawyers, single-minded investigators, and recalcitrant screenwriters, all recorded by newsreel cameras and broadcast over radio. A book signing will follow the program.

(In Person & Online) Student Program – Chemistry Road Show
Thursday, October 20, at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 1:30 p.m. CT
For reservations, contact bush.education@nara.gov or call 979-691-4006
Annenberg Presidential Conference Center at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, College Station, TX
Join Dr. Jim Pennington as he presents the Texas A&M University Chemistry Roadshow. Ignite imaginations and engage students using chemistry demonstrations with fire, explosions, weird polymers, and super cold materials! President and Mrs. Bush supported and encouraged medical research involving chemistry to find cures for cancer.

 (In Person Only) Book Talk  – Afternoons with Harper Lee by Wayne Flynt
Thursday, October 20 at 7 p.m. ET
Carter Museum Theater at the the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, Atlanta, GA
Imagine sitting with an esteemed writer on his or her front porch somewhere in the world and swapping life stories. Dr. Wayne Flynt got the opportunity to do just that with Nelle Harper Lee. In a friendship that blossomed over a dozen years starting when Lee relocated back to Alabama after having a stroke, Flynt and his wife Dartie became regular visitors at the assisted living facility that was Lee’s home. And there the conversation began. It began where it always begins with Southern storytellers, with an invitation to “Come in, sit down, and stay a while."

The hours spent visiting, in intimate closeness, are still cherished by Wayne Flynt. They yielded revelations large and small, which have been shaped into Afternoons with Harper Lee. Part memoir, part biography, this book offers a unique window into the life and mind and preoccupations of one of America’s best-loved writers.

*(In Person Only) Family Day – Sports in the Archives
Saturday, October 22, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET
Boeing Learning Center, National Archives Museum, Washington, DC
Play ball! Join us at the National Archives as we explore the wide world of sporting with our new exhibit, All American: The Power of Sports. Participate in exciting activities and learn how well-known athletes and competitions shaped American history, on and off the field. Whether you are a star athlete or a sideline spectator, this Family Day has records and activities for you!

(In Person & Online) Conference – The Cuban Missile Crisis: Lessons for Today
Saturday, October 22, at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. ET
Register online
Smith Hall, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, MA
This special conference commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis will explore the crisis and the lessons it still holds for us. Sessions will examine the historical context of the crisis as well as how its lessons resonate with contemporary challenges.

Session 1, at 1 p.m.: Activist and author Daniel Ellsberg (virtual), New York University professor of public service and of history Tim Naftali, and Johns Hopkins professor of historical studies Mary Sarotte (virtual) will discuss the history of the Cuban Missile Crisis and crisis leadership. 

Session 2, at 3 p.m.: Curator for special projects at the International Spy Museum Alexis Albion, intelligence and national security reporter at the Washington Post Shane Harris, New York University professor of public service and of history Tim Naftali, and staff writer at The Atlantic Tom Nicholswill analyze the role of intelligence in the crisis and today.

*(In Person & Online) Curator Lecture – All American: The Power of Sports with Alice Kamps
Wednesday, October 26, at noon ET
William G. McGowan Theater, National Archives Museum, Washington, DC
Watch on the National Archives YouTube Channel
Alice Kamps, curator for the National Archives Museum, will present an illustrated lecture on the conception, research, and execution of the exhibit All American: The Power of Sports, currently on display in the Lawrence F. O'Brien Gallery.

(Online Only) National History Day Webinar – Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas
Part I: Wednesday, October 26, at 7 p.m. ET 
Part II: Wednesday, November 2, at 7 p.m. ET
Register online
These workshops will feature presentations by our team of educators from the National Archives sites and Presidential Libraries. The focus of the two workshops will be the variety of materials available from the National Archives related to this year’s NHD theme, “Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas.” The two workshops will be different, so we recommend attending both, if you can. They will be recorded and available online after the event.

(Online Only) Book Talk – In the Houses of Their Dead: The Lincolns, the Booths, and the Spirits
Thursday, October 27, at 1 p.m. ET
Watch on the National Archives YouTube Channel
Author Terry Alford tells the story of Abraham Lincoln through the strange points of contact between his family and that of the man who killed him, John Wilkes Booth. Alford follows the Lincolns and the Booths across the 19th century, uncovering new facts and stories about Abraham and Mary while drawing indelible portraits of the Booths—from patriarch Junius, a famous actor in his own right, to brother Edwin, to their confidant Adam Badeau, who would become  the ghostwriter for President Ulysses S. Grant. In the Houses of Their Dead ultimately leads us to consider how ghost stories helped shape the nation.

(In Person & Online) Book Talk – Ted Kennedy: A Life
Wednesday, October 27, at 3 p.m. ET
Smith Hall at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, MA
Register for in person and online attendance
John A. Farrell, award-winning author and former Boston Globe correspondent, discusses his forthcoming book, Ted Kennedy: A Life, with David Nasaw, professor of history at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

(In Person Only) Book Talk – Fulfilling the Dream: My Path to Leadership and Finding Purpose Through Serving Others with Wayman Britt
Thursday, October 27, at 7 p.m. ET
Stay tuned for reservation details
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, MI
Join the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation for a presentation by Wayman Britt. The program will be followed by a book signing.

(Online Only) Lunch & Learn – Marshall and Eisenhower: Trust and Confidence
Thursday, October 28, at 12 p.m. CT
Watch on the Eisenhower Library YouTube Channel
Continuing with this year's theme “The Making of a Leader,” this month’s Lunch & Learn features Melissa Davis from the George C. Marshall Foundation. The leadership style of General George C. Marshall encouraged soldiers to think critically and take initiative. With battles on six continents during World War II, these skills were crucial for commanders making decisions an ocean away from the Pentagon. Marshall had confidence in commanders and supported their decisions.

Although Marshall and Eisenhower didn’t work together until late 1941, Eisenhower witnessed Marshall’s leadership style while Chief of Staff of the Army and adopted several of its tenets in his military and government service. Papers at the George C. Marshall Foundation in Lexington, VA, trace this evolution of trust and confidence between the two generals. These programs are all made possible courtesy of the Eisenhower Foundation with generous support from the Jeffcoat Memorial Foundation.

*(Online Only) Young Learners Program – Meet Babe Didrikson
October 28, at 11 a.m. ET
Watch on the National Archives YouTube Channel
Actor Linda Kenyon portrays Babe Didrikson, a two-time gold medal Olympian who broke many barriers for women in sports. She was a multisport athlete but eventually became a professional golfer who revolutionized the game. She won the U.S. Women’s Open twice. She eventually helped found the Ladies Professional Golf Association and inspired all with her confidence and passion for athleticism. Babe Didrikson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contributions to athletics and as an advocate for cancer awareness.

*All American: The Power of Sports and programs presented in conjunction with the exhibit are 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.