Press Release
Press Release · Tuesday, April 24, 2001

Washington, DC . . . In June and July, the National Archives and Records Administration presents public programs covering a wide variety of topics including the National Archives exhibition "American Originals," John Adams, National History Day, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and the National Archives' Fourth of July celebration.

The programs are free and open to the public and will take place at the National Archives Building, Pennsylvania Avenue between 7th and 9th Streets, NW and at the National Archives at College Park, located at 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD. The public may verify times and dates by calling the National Archives public events line at (202) 501-5000. TDD users may call (202) 501-5404.

June

Wednesday, June 6- AMERICAN ORIGINALS SERIES
The 2001 edition of the popular changing exhibit "American Originals" is the subject of this program. A new selection of the nation's most significant and compelling documents was installed in the Rotunda in March. Curator Stacey Bredoff will present an illustrated lecture featuring many of the documents included in the display, providing glimpses of George Washington, Susan B. Anthony, Martin Luther King Jr., Lyndon Baines Johnson, and many other towering figures in our history. The catalogue that accompanies the exhibit will be available for sale.The audience may view the exhibit following the lecture. Noon. Room G-13.

Tuesday, June 12 -JOIN THE SIGNERS SERIES and THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF WWW.ARCHIVES.GOV
Kicking off this series, Pulitzer Prize winning author David McCullough will discuss his new book, John Adams. McCullough recounts the adventurous life-journey of John Adams, the brilliant, fiercely independent, often irascible, always honest Yankee patriot who spared nothing in his zeal for the American Revolution. The story ranges from the Boston Massacre to Philadelphia in 1776 to the raw, half-finished Capital by the Potomac, where Adams was the first President to occupy the White House. 8 p.m. Rotunda. Reservations are required; call (202) 208-7345 for reservations and more information.

Wednesday, June 13 - NATIONAL HISTORY DAY PERFORMANCE AND PROJECT BOARD FINALISTS
In conjunction with National History Day (NHD), the National Archives presents finalists in project boards and individual performances on the Portico and in the Rotunda of the National Archives Building. The theme of the 2001 NHD competition is "Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas." Join the National History Day finalists and us in a celebration of excellence in education. 10 A.M.-1 P.M. Portico and Rotunda, Constitution Avenue.

Thursday, June 14 - JOIN THE SIGNERS SERIES
H. W. Brands will discuss his book, The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin. A groundbreaking scientist, businessman, philosopher, best-selling author, inventor, diplomat, politician, and wit, Benjamin Franklin was perhaps the most beloved and celebrated American of his age. Drawing on previously unpublished letters to and from Franklin, as well as the recollections and anecdotes of Franklin's contemporaries, H. W. Brands has created a rich and compelling portrait of the eighteenth-century genius who was in every respect America's first Renaissance man, and arguably the pivotal figure in colonial and revolutionary America. Noon and 7 p.m. Room 105. Reservations are required; call (202) 208-7345 for reservations and more information.

Tuesday, June 19 - FOUNDING FATHERS SERIES
Historian John Ferling will discuss his book, Setting the World Ablaze: Washington, Adams, Jefferson and the American Revolution. Braiding three strands into one rich narrative, Dr. Ferling brings these American icons down from their pedestals to show them as men of flesh and blood. Setting the World Ablaze shows in dramatic detail how these conservative men--successful members of the colonial elite--were transformed into radical revolutionaries. Noon. Room 105. Reservations are required; call (202) 208-7345 for reservations and more information.

Friday, June 22- JOIN THE SIGNERS SERIES
Joseph Ellis will discuss Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation. Ellis recounts the sometimes collaborative, sometimes archly antagonistic interactions between these men and shows us the private characters behind the public personas. The checks and balances that permitted the infant American republic to endure were not primarily legal, constitutional, or institutional, but intensely personal, rooted in the dynamic interaction of leaders with quite different visions and values. 7 p.m. Room 105. Reservations are required; call (202) 208-7345 for reservations and more information.

Friday, June 22 - THE 1930s (Film and Lecture)
*The United States Film Service and the "Films of Merit". In the summer of 1938, the Franklin Roosevelt Administration, in response to the success of the documentary films The Plow that Broke the Plains and The River, created The United States Film Service for the production of films promoting New Deal programs and policies. Headed by Pare Lorentz, the short-lived U.S. Film Service went on to create several outstanding documentaries before being abolished in 1940. Today, Public Film Curator Tom Nastick will discuss the genesis and work of the U.S. Film Service, as well as present excerpts from its productions. (Approximately 60 minutes.) Noon. Room 105. Seating is limited. Please call (202) 501-5040 x296 for reservations.

Thursday, June 28 - FOUNDING FATHERS SERIES
As the nation prepares to celebrate the 225th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Andrew Burstein will discuss his book, America's Jubilee: How in 1826 a Generation Remembered Fifty Years of Independence. On July 4, 1826, the United States celebrated its fiftieth birthday with parades and speeches across the country. But what ultimately sanctified the national jubilee in the minds of the celebrants was an extraordinary coincidence: the nearly simultaneous deaths of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, the last pillars of the original republic, already venerated as legends in their own time. In this evocative portrait of the United States in its jubilee year, Burstein shows how 1826 marked an unforgettable time in the republic's history, when a generation embraced the legacy of its predecessors and sought to enlarge its role in America's story. Noon and 7 p.m. Room 105. Reservations are required; call (202) 208-7345 for reservations and more information.

July

Monday, July 2 - JOIN THE SIGNERS SERIES
Allen Jayne will discuss his book, Jefferson's Declaration of Independence: Origins, Philosophy and Theology. Jayne's quest is to answer the riddle of whose ideas most influenced Jefferson when he drafted the famous Declaration of Independence. He composes a clear, concise account of the philosophical and religious views that inspired Thomas Jefferson to compose the Declaration of Independence. Noon and 7 p.m. Room 105. Reservations are required; call (202) 208-7345 for reservations and more information.

Wednesday, July 4 - JOIN THE SIGNERS INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION
Join us in celebrating the 225th anniversary of the adoption of Declaration of Independence. This family event begins at 10 A.M. on the Constitution Avenue steps of the National Archives Building. Events include the Presentation of the Colors by a Joint Services Color Guard and American music by the 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard) Fife and Drum Corps, followed by a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence by celebrity readers. Come early and get a chance to chat with George and Martha Washington, John and Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Hancock, members of the American Historical Theatre troupe known as the Time Travelers, and sign your name to facsimiles of the Declaration. Throughout the day, a large video screen will show archival film from the National Archives' motion picture holdings, as well as other patriotic offerings. In the Rotunda, the original signed Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights will be flanked by a joint military honor guard. The changing of the guard ceremony will take place every 30 minutes from 10 A.M. to 6 P.M.

Saturday, July 14 - CIVIL WAR MONUMENTS (Walking tour and book signing)
Kathryn Jacob will lead a walking tour based on her book Testament to Union: Civil War Monuments in Washington, D.C. This tour will take place in Arlington National Cemetery from 10 a.m to 12:30 p.m. Reservations are required as are comfortable walking shoes; call (202) 208-7345 for reservations and more information.

Tuesday, July 24 - ANDREW JACKSON
Robert V. Remini offers a provocative analysis of the single most controversial aspect in Andrew Jackson's career and one of the most highly debated events in U.S. history, in his book Andrew Jackson and His Indian Wars. Remini examines Jackson's lifelong antagonistic relationship with the American Indian tribes east of the Mississippi, which culminated their wholesale removal west on the Trail of Tears. Robert Remini is professor emeritus of history and the humanities at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Noon. Room 105. Reservations are required; call (202) 208-7345 for reservations and more information. The lecture will be given at College Park on July 23. National Archives at College Park Events 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD

Monday, July 23 - ANDREW JACKSON
Robert V. Remini offers a provocative analysis of the single most controversial aspect in Andrew Jackson's career and one of the most highly debated events in U.S. history, in his book Andrew Jackson and His Indian Wars. Remini examines Jackson's lifelong antagonistic relationship with the American Indian tribes east of the Mississippi, which culminated their wholesale removal west on the Trail of Tears. Robert Remini is professor emeritus of history and the humanities at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Noon. Lecture Room D. Reservations are recommended; call (202) 208-7345 for reservations and more information.

For additional PRESS information, please contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at (301) 837-1700 or by e-mail.

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