National Archives Hosts (Virtual) Daytime Programs in December
Press Release · Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Washington, DC

Join us for daytime programs in December on topics ranging from the “Founding Farmer” George Washington to Pearl Harbor and American comics! We also celebrate Bill of Rights Day (12/15) with a panel discussion and a slate of distance learning programs tied into our new We Rule: Civics for All of US education initiative to increase civic engagement and literacy. These events are free and open to the public and (with the exception of the distance learning programs) will be streamed live (and available afterward) on the National Archives YouTube Channel.  

Book Talk: Choctaw Confederates: The American Civil War in Indian Country
Wednesday, December 1, at 1 p.m. ET. Register online; watch the livestream.
When the Choctaw Nation was forcibly resettled in Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma in the 1830s, it was joined by the tribe’s enslaved Black people. Author Fay A. Yarbrough reveals that, while sovereignty and states’ rights mattered to the Choctaw Nation’s leaders, the survival of slavery also determined the Nation’s support of the Confederacy. By drawing parallels between the Choctaw Nation and the Confederate states, Yarbrough looks beyond the traditional binary of the Union and Confederacy and reconsiders the historical relationship between Native populations and slavery.

Film Screening: December 7th and related films from the National Archives
Tuesday, December 7, at noon ET; Register online; watch the livestream.
In commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941) and America’s entry into the Second World War, we will screen December 7th, released by the U.S. Navy in 1943. The 20-minute film won the 1944 Academy AwardⓇ for Best Documentary Short Subject. National Archives Motion Picture Preservation Specialist Audrey Amidon will introduce the screening of December 7 and related short films from our motion picture holdings.

Book Talk: Washington at the Plow: The Founding Farmer and the Question of Slavery
Wednesday, December 8, at 1 p.m. ET. Register online; watch the livestream.
Author Bruce A. Ragsdale takes a fresh look at George Washington, the “first farmer of America,” as an innovative land manager whose passion for farming led him to reject slavery. Slavery was a key part of Washington’s pursuits, and he saw enslaved field workers and artisans as means of agricultural development. But he eventually found ideals of scientific farming and rural order irreconcilable with race-based slavery. Ragsdale shows that the inefficacy of chattel slavery, in addition to his moral revulsion at the practice, that informed Washington’s decision to free his slaves after his death.

Book Talk: American Comics: A History
Monday, December 13, at 1 p.m. ET. Register online; watch the livestream.
Author Jeremy Dauber will discuss the sweeping story of cartoons, comic strips, and graphic novels and their century-long hold on the American imagination. He describes the origins of beloved comics, champions neglected masterpieces, and argues that we can understand how America sees itself through whose stories comics tell. American Comics starts with cartoonist Thomas Nast, creator of the lasting images of Uncle Sam and Santa Claus, and includes the golden age of newspaper comic strips (Krazy Kat, the Yellow Kid, Dick Tracy), superheroes (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman), and the underground comix movement. 

Bill of Rights Day Program: Anti-Federalists and the Bill of Rights
Wednesday, December 15, at 1 p.m. ET, Register online; watch the livestream.
Did you know that the 1787 Constitutional Convention considered and rejected a Bill of Rights? Only after pressure from opponents of the new national government were the first 10 amendments adopted—but most of these "Anti-Federalists" were disappointed. Using clips from the series Confounding Father: A Contrarian View of the U.S. Constitution, scholars will discuss the Anti-Federalists’ arguments and current debates over how this subject is taught. Moderated by Richard Hall, director and co-producer of Confounding Father, panelists include Mary Sarah Bilder, law professor at Boston College, and Woody Holton, history professor at the University of South Carolina. See part one online: Slavery and the Constitutional Convention.

KIDS PROGRAMS

National Archives Comes Alive! Meet General George Washington 
Thursday, December 16, 2021, 11 a.m. – noon, ET. 
Young Learners can meet General George Washington, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution (as portrayed by Doug Thomas). On Christmas night, December 25, 1776, General Washington decided on a drastic military maneuver. As winter winds blew, he crossed the Delaware River with his men and marched them to Trenton, New Jersey, to a much-needed victory that boosted morale for the Continental Army and the new United States. Hear General Washington share the strategy behind the victories at Trenton and Princeton along with the daunting first years of the Revolutionary War. 

Bill of Rights Day-related Distance Learning Programs for Students
National Archives launches its We Rule: Civics for All of US education initiative with five interactive and engaging distance learning programs led by educators from National Archives facilities and Presidential Libraries nationwide. Each program incorporates National Archives’ primary historical sources to strengthen and promote civic understanding, literacy and engagement. 

The Bill of Rights Protects You (Grades 6-12)
Wednesday, December 15, 2021, at 11:15–11:55 AM ET. Register online.
Examine the Bill of Rights’ limits on government and the rights of the people. Students will analyze three case studies that underscore the remedies that citizens have to address instances where their rights have been violated. 

Make Your Voice Count: Learning About the First Amendment (Grades K-2)
Wednesday, December 15, 2021, at 1:15–1:45 PM ET. Register online.
Explore the Bill of Rights and how it outlines both limits on government and the rights of the people.

The First Amendment: Five Rights in One! (Grades 3-5)
Wednesday, December 15, 2021 at 2:15–3 PM ET. Register online.
Learn about the importance of First Amendment rights, identify examples in photos and short documents, and discover how to exercise those freedoms. 

No Conscription Without Representation: Voting Rights and the Constitution (Grades 9-12)
Thursday, December 16, 2021, at 11:15–11:45 PM ET. Register online.
Explore the progression of U.S. voting rights - with focus on the effort to lower the voting age to 18 - using National Archives’ primary source records including Constitution, Constitutional amendments, legislation, a Supreme Court case, photos, videos and political cartoons.

Voting Rights, the Constitution, & Representative Government (Grades 6-8)
Thursday, December 16, 2021, 1:15–1:45 PM ET. Register online.
Explore the progression of U.S. voting rights and its impact on representative government using National Archives primary source records including the Constitution, Constitutional amendments, legislation, photos and political cartoons.